No agreement yet, but Mexico City round 'positive'; Salvador peace talks continue.

No agreement yet, but Mexico City round 'positive'

A second round of direct peace talks between the Government of El Salvador and the Frente Farabundo Marti para la Liberacion Nacional (FMLN) ended in Mexico City on 25 June. A third round was set for late July.

The talks aim at reaching a negotiated political settlement by mid-September for El Salvador's 10-year old civil war, which has reportedly claimed some 70,000 lives.

Although no agreement was needed, the Mexico City meetings were described by Alvaro de Soto, the Secretary-General's Personal Representative for Central America, as "positive" and "without precedent" in the history of contacts between both parties.

An agenda and schedule for the whole negotiation process had been agreed at the first round of talks in Caracas, Venezuela, from 16 to 21 May. Mr. de Soto called that agreement "a substantial advance".

Human rights, the role of the armed forces, reform of civil, political, and legal systems, reintegration of FMLN members into the life of the country and verification by the UN were to be dealt with in subsequent talks.

Breakthrough in Geneva 

The negotiating process was launched in Geneva on 4 April when the Salvadoran Government and the FMLN signed a two-page accord to quickly end the armed conflict, "promote the democratization of the country, guarantee unrestricted respect for human rights and reunify Salvadoran society". This would have to be "verified by the UN, subject to Security Council approval", it was stated.

The Geneva document was negotiated under the auspices of Secretary-General Perez de Cuellar, who had been mandated by the Security Council, in resolution 637 (1989), to pursue a good offices mission in Central America.

At a press conference after the accord was signed, Mr. de Soto said that either the Secretary-General or he would actively participate in all talks. The negotiating process was expected to be intense, continuous and uninterrupted. Shuttle diplomacy and direct talks would be used.

As agreed, a six-week period of "preparation and reflection" in April and May followed the Geneva meeting. During that time, Mr. de Soto held intensive consultations with both parties to lay the groundwork for the Caracas round. Contacts also continued with other countries in a position to help to achieve peace in El Salvador.

Earlier attempt failed

An earlier attempt at dialogue had collapsed in 1989 when hostilities escalated in El Salvador. The two sides had held a three-day meeting in Mexico City in September of that year and one-day talks the following month in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Efforts to relaunch the process took place in December 1989 when the five Central American Presidents asked the Secretary-General to bring together both parties and involve States with interests in the region more directly in the peace efforts.

On 12 January 1990, a spokesman for Mr. Perez de Cuellar announced that at the request of the Government and the FMLN, the Secretary-General had accepted an intermediary role in new peace talks.