U.S. shows interest in Salvador peace plan

Press, 16 March 1982, Page 8

U.S. shows interest in Salvador peace plan

NZPA-Reuter New York The Reagan Administration is showing interest in a Mexican peace plan for Central America, which calls for American talks with Cuba and Nicaragua in an effort to end El Salvador's guerrilla war.

The plan for a negotiated settlement dominated a week-end meeting in New York of Foreign Secretaries of the United States, Mexico, Canada, Venezuela, and Colombia to discuss President Reagan's Caribbean development programme. A negotiated settlement also involving the Soviet Union was aired over the week-end when a senior Administration official told a group of American journalists that in order to solve the Salvadorean problem “we have to talk to the Russians.”

The Secretary of State (Mr Alexander Haig) referred to a Soviet role yesterday when he said the two sides were holding private talks on the supply of Soviet arms to Leftist Salvadorean guerrillas fighting the Americanbacked military-civilian junta.

“They are involved, they have been involved from the outset, and therefore they clearly have a responsibility

in efforts to . bring the outcome of these events to a peaceful framework,” Mr Haig said. Mr Haig said yesterday that the United States and Mexico had narrowed their differences over the proposals for Central America. He said the plan would be explored further in the weeks ahead. A more immediate sense of movement was suggested by the Mexican Foreign Minister (Mr Jorge Castaneda) in remarks to reporters after an hour-long meeting with Mr Haig. “A logical basis for a series of agreements exists,” he said. “We feel hopeful that a process of negotiation may be started in the Caribbean.”

Mr Castaneda said he would have further talks with Mr Haig after the Constituent Assembly elections in El Salvador on March -28. The Mexican Minister said Mr Haig had made suggestions and comments on the Mexican plan which he would relay , to Cuba and Nicaragua within a week. .But Mr Castaneda made it clear he would not be carrying specific American proposals to the two countries, which the Reagan Adminis-. tration has accused of arm-

ing and helping the Salvadorean guerrillas. The guerrillas, meanwhile, have renewed appeals to people to stock up on medicines and food in preparation for a “decisive moment.” The clandestine Radio Venceremos (we shall overcome) also said people should have ready for use home-made Molotov cocktails to support guerrilla forces during a so-called general insurrection. It did not indicate when an insurrection would come but military sources speculate the guerrillas might soon try to attack San Salvador, the capital, to make the war felt at all. levels, giving added impetus to their attempts to disrupt the Constituent Assembly election on March 28.

Since the start of the year there has been relative calm in the capital, with fighting confined mostly to the provinces, especially in the east and north.

The guerrillas plan to boycot and if possible stop the election, seen by the ruling junta as a first step in ending a civil war in which 30,000 people have died in two years. “Election or no election, the fight to overthrow the

dictatorial government will continue,” the radio said.

Yesterday the radio rebroadcast an earlier report that troops massacred innocent peasants near Lake Apastepeque in the eastern province of San Vicente. Reporters who scoured the area reported finding the bodies of four men and one woman near Los Cocos about skm from the lakeshore area but it was not known if they were victims of the alleged massacre or guerrillas killed in a Government sweep of the area.

Colonel Napolean Alvarado, commander of the Fifth Infantry Brigade, said 3 week-long search and destroy operation in San Vicente and neighbouring cabanas ended yesterday with about 100 guerrillas killed. He said nine troops were killed and 27 wounded. The radio said about 5000. peasants who fled the fighting in San Vicente were bombed and strafed by Air Force planes while moving in a column along the lakeshore area last Saturday. The column was also said to have been pounded with artillery. An undetermined number of people were killed, mostly women and children, it added.