Salvadorean President offers peace

Press, 11 December 1989, Page 8

Salvadorean President offers peace

NZPA-Reuter San Salvador The Salvadorean President, Alfredo Cristiani, in his first peace offer since Leftist guerrillas launched an offensive last month, yesterday offered negotiations with the rebels if they would agree to stop making attacks affecting civilians. Softening his previous stance that the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front must lay down its arms for serious talks to take place, Mr Cristiani said he was not demanding that the rebels stop attacking military targets. “The Government is ready to restart the process of dialogue on condition that the F.M.L.N. announces publicly that it will stop all terrorist actions, especially those affecting the civilian population,” he said. Mr Cristiani’s concessions appeared to be a victory for the rebels who launched an offensive on November 11 partly to strengthen their negotiating position and show they were not a spent military force, political analysts said. If the guerrillas agreed by December 15, Mr Cristiani said his Government was willing to meet F.M.L.N. representatives in Venezuela on December 20 to discuss ending the 10-year-old civil war which has killed more than 70,000 people. He said he hoped the peace talks would lead to an end of the war by February 15 and the F.M.L.N. would be transformed into a political party. As he made the proposal, troops and rebels fought on the eastern outskirts of San Salvador with mortars and automatic guns. The army said 10 guerrillas were killed and five soldiers wounded in fighting around San Salvador on Saturday.