YouSaid · the spoken record

Acevedo Peralta

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS ACEVEDO PERALTA

lines on the record: 121
first: 1986-09-24
most recent: 1988-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-general-debate

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“This implies, inter-alia, unqualified acceptance by all of the rejection of violence·, the discrediting and unacceptability of insurgent groups, which should rather have recourse to amnesty and disarmament' the acceptance of democracy as the sole path towards legitimate power in the region·, and other natural actions that must be adopted by some countries directly or indirectly involved in the peace plan. . I should like to express my Government's appreciation for the words of support received from all the Governments of Latin America and the world, which we consider to have been made in the aforementioned spirit. We were recently saddened, nevertheless, to heat one dissident voice that seemed to go counter to our endeavours.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“They must be verifiable, because Esquipulas II is a historic agreement of mutual trust, adopted in good faith, setting in motion a process for dismantling in a peaceful and harmonious fashion all the structures and machinery of distrust, suspicion and aggression which the sickly spirit of war has unfortunately nurtured in our region. They must be universally acceptable because the Latin American spirit that inspired the document, enshrined in the Contadora process, and the clear and determined commitment of the five nations that are calling for autonomy and a shared destiny, imply that Esquipulas II must be respected and accepted as a unique and harmonious whole by the international community and, first and foremost, by Latin America.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The agreements must be simultaneous, for if the comprehensive approach of the document is to be effective, in the light, of the indivisible, global nature of the issues, the agreements must be carried out according to the schedule set by the signatory Governments or, in view of the nature of the measures to be adopted, at a basic, uniform tempo if no specific deadlines are set. The agreements must be multilateral because all the Central American Governments, without exception or pretext, are committed to finding solutions and to fostering commitments in a responsible and sincere spirit.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“Within that over-all perspective, and in order to ensure that the commitments set out in Esquipulas II become a reality, my country has, from the outset, sought to ensure that the problems in our region shall be approached in an over-all, simultaneous, multilateral, verifiable and universally accepted fashion. Such an approach must be comprehensive, because to achieve stable, effective agreements it is necessary to take into account not merely the complex roots of the conflict but also its present ramifications. What in the past might have been basically an internal matter has taken on international overtones, and it is impossible to continue to insist upon its original internal nature.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“President Duarte, with the same conviction and with the same care with which, as one of its principal architects, he signed Esquipulas II, will talk with the insurgents, who have explicitly accepted the content and scope of that document. The present context of the dialogue with those groups is clear. They will talk about peace, not war. They will consolidate the democratic process, not destabilize it. That is the spirit and the letter of the document the Central American presidents signed with such hope and such realism. That is the purpose of President Duarte and his Government, and it is fully consistent with the wishes of all Salvador ans. Peace is at hand.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“Hence, that dialogue for peace called for by President Duarte for Sunday next, 4 October, in the Apostolic Nunciature of San Salvador, with the insurgent groups, is a dialogue in accordance with Esquipulas II, a dialogue fervently desired by the Salvador an people and supported by all the free peoples of the world. It is a dialogue within the framework of an active, serious, solid and energetic democracy, one that can accommodate all trends of thought, even those of an extreme nature, provided that they respect the rule of law and the universal rules underlying any authentic process of social coexistence. The Government of El Salvador has put all its cards on the table.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“Human rights and freedom of expression in their fullest sense have been of particular concern to President Duarte. The improvement and strengthening of all policies to safeguard human rights reflect a trend and a commitment in El Salvador, since we consider that enjoyment of and respect for human rights underpin democracy in El Salvador. This enormous endeavour, involving the entice people, sets us face to face with the most serious and urgent challenge of all - that of building peace, and doing so on the only possible scaffolding, that of democracy, because democracy is the key to peace. This is so clear and incontrovertible that it cannot be negotiated, belittled or distorted.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The tenacity and historic endeavours of the Government, under President Jose Napoleon Duarte, have been reflected in a series of measures and achievements ranging from the struggle for respect for human rights to full freedom of political expression for all the forces included in the peaceful legal process) from a vast programme of economic and social development to benefit society's poorer majority to the promotion of a new sense of citizenship that is demanding and vigilant but at the same time altruistic and imbued with a sense of solidarity from the progressive development of our democratic institutions to the orderly elimination of all remnants of the authoritarianism that had infiltrated various levels of the state and social systems of the country.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“And for that reason, and in that sense, the insurgents must irrevocably accept the Esquipulas plan as well and return to democracy and civilian life once and for all. The people of El Salvador have been pioneers of freedom since 5 November 1811, when the first cry for emancipation was uttered in Central America in the city of San Salvador. At the same time, we have been pioneers of unity. In circumstances a thousand times more challenging, destiny has once again placed us in the vanguard of the defence of freedom. We accept that challenge with a sense of responsibility. We are meeting it at great cost but in the certainty that our endeavour will bear fruit not only for our own people but equally for other peoples of the area, to which we feel intimately linked. My Government has had to fight on many fronts - national and international.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“That framework is made up of laws that strengthen the rule of law and due process and do not allow for excuses, rejection or challenge. There is no longer a state of emergency. There is a renewed framework of justice which, supplemented by the amnesty law soon to be enacted, meets all aspirations for freedom. Agricultural reform has already been established. There is reliable and secure electoral registration. Elections are scheduled for 1988 to buttress the system and, above all, the people and Government are determined faithfully to attain its objectives. For these reasons, and because of the certainty that it only through internal reform that we can meet the requirements of peace and democracy, we undertook to respect all the commitments of Esquipulas II.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The world gradually came to recognize the essentially democratic nature of our struggle. Since 1980, we have travelled a hard path strewn with obstacles, and in doing so our people and its legitimate Government have created and strengthened a series of political, economic and social structures, enabling us to ensure that democracy has taken root deep in our soil. That is why subversion in El Salvador has lost its historical reason for being. On 1 June our Government completed an intensive exercise, and in his annual address President Duarte informed the nation of the final, definitive establishment of the institutional framework for consolidating the necessary climate of guarantees that makes possible the involvement of the insurgents in a social and legal framework that is just and truly democratic.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“We sincerely want peace, and we are struggling to achieve it, day by day, fulfilling the provisions of Esquipulas II and, within our country, adopting all those measures that would make possible the inclusion of irregular groups in democratic life. This would not breach the constitutional provisions the Salvadoran people have provided for themselves in full freedom and in a climate of sound political life that incorporates respect, guarantees and pluralism. Peace is at hand. In El Salvador, we have had to fight off treacherous, systematic and implacable aggression. At first, practically alone, we fought heroically against the territorial onslaughts that threatened, and indeed continue to threaten, our institutional life and the heritage of our people built up over many decades of persistent national endeavour.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“The document, known as Esquipulas II, represents a programme for peace - a firm and lasting peace, a real peace. President Duarte, who played a decisive role in shaping the spirit and scope of this document, therefore insists on talking of peace, working for peace and holding dialogues about peace. The greatness of this joint achievement of the peoples and Governments of Central America derives from the fact that we have overcome warlike mentalities - which external ideological forces imposed upon us - and have emerged with a clear concept of peace that incorporates respect, security and mutual trust. We ate not, however, naive. We understand the enormous risks and snares that the eternal enemies of democracy are laying in our path, but we cannot wrap ourselves in obstructionist pessimism.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“On 7 August, the five Presidents of Central America, in an audacious, deliberate and Ear-sighted gesture, signed an agreement that, is historic not merely because of the extremely grave problems it tackles in a profound and effective fashion but also because it represents the first expression since independence was achieved in 1821 - when a similar feat was accomplished - of a United and indivisible commitment that undoubtedly constitutes the embryo of a new sense of Central Americanism. And it is not rhetorical but practical since it will, we hope, result in an indivisible consolidation of our economic, social, cultural and political future. The document to which we refer bears a title that reflects the spirit in which it was conceived - "Procedures for establishing a firm and lasting peace in Central America".”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“However, when the bells, for some commendable reason, ring out in time, then we are entitled to share a legitimate feeling of pleasure. In Central America, after years in which the bells have been tolling for death, fear, injustice and the lack of understanding, we now hear, another sound, one which gives us the firm hope that, if the necessary efforts are made in the appropriate spirit, we shall attain that peace which would mean our survival as free nations. That is what our peoples have been clamouring for. It is what our Governments are endeavouring to attain, on the basis of their faith in authentic participatory, pluralistic and United democracy.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“These are sentiments we express with admiration and gratitude. Peace is the key to our destiny as a species and as individual nations. Indeed, at this stage in history it is no longer possible to make clear-cut distinctions between mankind as a whole and each of its components, however geographically small they may be. For a long time, although this was not an ideal state of affairs, individuals and peoples were able to live aloof from one another, particularly with respect to more local problems and disputes. Today that is not possible. We cannot talk realistically now even about the East-West conflict or the North-South conflict. The world is so intimately interconnected that it is truer than ever before that " to paraphrase John Donne - when the bell tolls, it tolls for all.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“I begin by warmly congratulating you, Mr. President, on the well-earned honour done to you in electing you to this lofty post at the forefront of the work of the General Assembly, which is now holding its forty-second session in a climate of great worldwide expectations prompted by the scale of the problems that are of concern to mankind and by the historical dynamics that particularly affect certain parts of the world where ideological, political and military confrontations have attained extremely dangerous, even dramatic, levels. Peace is the key to the concerns we all share. The most relevant example in that respect has been set by the Secretary-General, Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar, whose tireless devotion to the search for peaceful means of resolving truly difficult conflicts deserves our appreciation and respect.”
1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)
“President Duarte and his Government are carrying out their promises; our Government knows how to govern. Hence we are sure that, after a long dark night of hatred and rancor, soon the dawn will break and all Salvadorians will proudly join in singing these lines of our national anthem that remind us that "Peace in supreme happiness has always been El Salvador's noble dream; its achievement our constant goal; its preservation our greatest glory."”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Perez de Cuellar, and we would certainly give our strong support to his re-election if that is his wish. There has been a change in El Salvador, and this brings me to make an urgent appeal to the international community, and particularly to all democratic countries of the world, to close ranks in the defense of the pluralistic and participatory democracy that is now being consolidated at the cost of great sacrifices in El Salvador and, through technical and financial co-operation, to protect it from the threat hanging over it owing to the lack of resources essential to ensure the economic, social and cultural well-being to which everyone living in a democracy aspires. We believe that one should not speak before thinking and that what one promises one should do.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“I wish now to refer to the crisis that is hampering the United Nations in its attempt to achieve the purposes behind its creation and to abide by its principles. Hy Government does not believe that the crisis is purely financial; it has deeper implications, to do with confidence in the Organization's ability to contribute to resolving the most pressing problems of our time. Therefore we are prepared to give our support to any initiatives which would lead to the restructuring of the Organization so as to enable it once again to carry out its functions effectively and once again be deserving of the confidence and trust placed in it by Member States. He should like to reiterate our appreciation for the work carried out by the Secretary-General, Mr.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“El Salvador believes that the values of democracy and liberty are threatened by the accelerating arms race from which the world is suffering. It is impossible for the Governments of Central America to shoulder their historic responsibilities for the economic and social development of their peoples if they have to use their scarce resources to acquire large quantities of armaments for purely defensive reasons. Therefore, the Sandinista Government should renounce its concept of national security as involving a people in arms and the export of revolution, and should, on the contrary, accept, as we accept for ourselves, the establishment of limits on its present arsenal, which will make possible a balance between the forces in the region, as we have proposed in the Contadora Group.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“My country reaffirms its resolve to abide by the decision of the International Court of Justice on the border dispute, because we are convinced that law and justice will prevail in the decision of the highest international judicial body. Our Governments have also, with the co-operation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the support of the Intergovernmental Committee for Migration, drawn up a program to create the right conditions and the necessary trust for the repatriation of the Salvadorian refugees in Honduras to take place voluntarily, in a gradual, planned manner, allowing their resettlement in their various places of origin. That is an effort being made on the basis of the highly humanitarian approach that my Government has adopted towards the conflict that we are having to live with.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“On the basis of that treaty we have agreed to submit jointly for consideration by the International Court of Justice our border dispute - relating to land, islands and sea - as an example of our conviction that international differences and tensions must be overcome through adherence to the recognition of the principles of international The conversations and negotiations held to bring about that agreement, which was registered at the Organization yesterday, were held in a climate of friendship and mutual understanding, which contributed to a strengthening of the links of co-operation between El Salvador and Honduras.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“It would be unfair to the historic perseverance of two brother peoples, which are striving together to attain common goals, if I did not stress today before the international community, as evidence of the peaceful will and vocation of our Governments, the complete fulfillment of the peace treaty between the Republics of El Salvador and Honduras, signed on 30 October 1980 in Lima, by which we agreed to put an end to the differences that had once separated us.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Having recognized the impossibility of gaining a political or military victory, they have had recourse to such acts to show, both internally and to the world at large, an apparent capacity for action, and at the same time to demoralize My Government repeats its readiness to commit itself completely to join in international measures to fight such a scourge, for no ideological or political cause can make it acceptable, understandable or justifiable that mankind should be threatened by such irrational behavior adopted by inhuman organizations that daily distance themselves further from civilization.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Government of El Salvador fully shares the concern cf the international community over the increase in terrorist acts, which are proliferating in various parts of the world and every day claim more innocent victims. The destruction of public property and the economic infrastructure, indiscriminate massacres, the taking of hostages and the placing of bomos in public places are characteristic of the behaviour of the terrorist groups that operate in my country.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“9-10) My Government urgently appeals to the Governments of the industrialized countries to understand that the worsening of the economic crisis in the poorer countries is contrary to their own interests, because it deprives vast sectors of mankind of the possibility of sovereignty and self-determination, leading them to feel utter desperation and bringing about a gradual split in the credibility of the democratic system as the ideal way of life, endangering its historic justification and, on the contrary, favoring other political systems already rejected by our peoples. Finally, we must not forget that, as His Holiness Pope Paul VI said.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“It must be based on justice and characterized by greater flexibility in the developed economies, which should support the structural changes in our countries, creating conditions of political, economic and social stability, and not the reverse. In his address to the Assembly a short time ago, the President of Costa Rica said: "Yesterday, they {the international banks] cared little that their money maintained the rule of despots. Today, they are not concerned with the suffering of those who pay in liberty." (A/41/PV.9, p.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“In addition to the high cost of servicing the external debt, our countries are increasingly dependent on world centers. That dependence in turn makes a significant contribution to the imbalance in our economies, reflected in a growing socio-political instability, which besides worsening the quality of life of our peoples attacks the foundations of our democratic processes. Many of our countries have now carried out the greatest economic readjustment possible. That has meant a high cost for us in social terms, because it has lowered productivity levels and created a fiscal imbalance between income and expenditure, making it very difficult to stabilize and revive the economy. In that situation it is essential to increase North-South co-operation.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Nobody can deny that we have given a clear indication of the political will to remove the Central American problem from the East-West confrontation, since El Salvador was the first to ratify the treaty of co-operation between the European Economic Community and the Central American countries, because we believe that improving the interregional dialog will contribute greatly to removing the extremes of world interests in the area. As a well-known South American leader has said, "The success of the blossoming Latin American democracy depends on its capacity to resolve the great economic and social problems of our time." My Government is aware that the internal structural imbalances of the developing countries are brought about largely by the persistence of unjust international economic relations.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“The deterioration in the subregional situation makes it imperative that the Central American countries create regional institutions, and revitalize existing ones, to complement the work of the Contadora Group and allow us, the people of Central America, to find consensus solutions to our own problems, through a realistic recognition of existing factors tending towards unity or divergence. In that spirit. El Salvador is contributing actively to the setting up a Central American parliament, conceived of as a deliberating forum where it will be possible to discuss and draw up agreements on the problems facing us, one which could eventually serve as a mechanism to follow up, verify and control any agreement that the Central American countries may enter into.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Therefore, with all the confidence that my Government commands, I call upon Nicaragua to change its incongruous attitude, which will disrupt the regional dialog and negotiations initiated by Contadora and Esguipulas by actions designed to resolve the regional conflict bilaterally, but which could never lead to a negotiated, simultaneous, multilateral, verifiable solution such as has been proposed by the Contadora Group. Similarly, I must urge the Nicaraguan Government to show a clear indication of good will at the regional level, ceasing to provide, in flagrant violation of international law, a permanent sanctuary for those who wish to bring about -subversion in El Salvador and internationally.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“For our part, we have given the clearest proof of good faith and our undeniable wish for the internationalization of the dialog and democracy in the region, as an alternative to the internationalization of the conflict. El Salvador has presented to the international community the "Contadora Doctrine", which sets out the noble aspiration of the Central American countries to keep the dark specter of dictatorship out of the region for ever. Thus we clearly show the legitimate and independent nature of El Salvador's foreign policy and our enduring faith in multilateral dialog. El Salvador has changed.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“I must also reiterate the need to guarantee the efficiency of the mechanisms of implementation and follow-up concerning verification and control of the political commitments in the Document of Objectives. Finally, faithful to its democratic, peace-loving vocation. El Salvador appeals to the Contadora Group to redouble its efforts to persuade Nicaragua to abide by the consensus formula and the understanding to be adopted in the region. It will not be possible to continue this action if Nicaragua fails to demonstrate the clear political will and readiness to enter into, respect and comply with the commitments assumed under the Contadora Act.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“However, the final version of the Contadora Act on Peace and Co-operation in Central America, which was presented to our Government on 7 June last, does not cover the conditions or recruitments agreed upon for its adoption and ratification in accordance with the commitment entered into by the five countries by virtue of the Document of Objectives of September 1983, which stated, inter alia: "To stop the arms race in all its forms and begin negotiations for the control and reduction of current stocks of weapons and on the number of armed troops." (S/16041, p. 5) He must not forget that in view of the seriousness of the Central American situation, all agreements and commitments altered into must be fulfilled, particularly those governing political aspects, because that is the fundamental condition of the success of the Contadora initiative.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“From the beginning of the Contadora initiative my Government made clear its firm political desire for a peaceful solution to the regional crisis and to subscribe to its willingness to the Contadora Act. My Government has declared internationally that the Act is a unique, definitive, irreplaceable and guaranteed document. It is untrue because it alone can ensure peace, pluralist democracy, security and economic and social development. It is definitive because it results from an overall Latin American effort within a process of serious negotiation and was approved by consensus. It is irreplaceable because it is historically legitimate and its mechanisms are practical and sure. And it is guaranteed because of its credibility and the universal support it enjoys.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“We therefore believe that there is a political, diplomatic, security and legal vacuum in Central America, and that it must be filled in order to ensure the adoption of measures and procedures capable of preventing internal and external destabilizing action against our democracies. Accordingly, the Government of El Salvador has maintained a position of total and determined support for the work of the Contadora Group, since we believe that that is the best possible way to fill the vacuum, and strengthen the principles that can lead to comprehensive, simultaneous, regional, multilateral and verifiable agreements that will undoubtedly bring about the re-establishment of peace, security, democracy and continuing development.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“In this regard my Government recognizes that the formula suggested by South Korea for the reunification of Korea contains positive and useful bases for the gradual achievement of that goal. As for the regional aspects of our foreign policy, my Government considers that although it is true that the Central American crisis stems from a system of obsolete structures that no longer meet the people's need and expectation of political participation and development, the cold climate of East-West confrontation has also had an impact on its development. No one can doubt that the lack of appropriate mechanisms for the solution of regional problems has also contributed to the establishment of a situation of increasing failure to respect the principles and norms of international law.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Within that very clear-cut framework the aims and means indispensable for achieving peace stand out clearly and are seen in their true dimensions both regionally and internationally, and are implicit in our foreign policy. Thus our profound democratic, pacifist vocation and the zeal we have always shown to ensure respect for and promote the fundamental rights and freedoms of all peoples determines our vigorous condemnation of the South African regime for its continuing inhuman, segregationist practice of apartheid and its evil efforts to extend it to other, neighboring States. We recommend and demand that honest and sincere dialog and negotiations must be initiated and pursued exhaustively as the best way of finding solutions to the problems of the Middle East, Lebanon and Korea.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“It is only logical therefore that El Salvador's foreign policy should reflect the principles, purposes, and requirements of our internal policy. This enables us to define and establish our strategy on the basis of three fundamental aspects: legitimacy, by virtue of the origin of the Government and the processes it has developed to defend and consolidate it; neutrality, because we do not intervene in the affairs of other sovereign States and we respect the self-determination of peoples; and democracy, because we associate ourselves with and support, in full solidarity authentic democracies that are free, pluralistic, participatory and based on Western Christian concepts.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“This is because the principles of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other States, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, the equality of sovereignty of those States, renunciation of the use or threat of force and co-operation in the development of all peoples constitute today more than ever before the fundamental principles of El Salvador's foreign policy, which is rooted in good faith and respect for and compliance with treaties. But unless complemented by the promotion and defense of democracy, respect for human rights and identification of the specific elements of our internal policy, those principles would be of no value at all to El Salvador's present and future generations.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“That position which is the result of the national consensus, can count on the full support of obedient, unquestioning armed forces, as was clearly recognized in the message to the nation of the Military High Command on 19 September. As a member of the international community, El Salvador has to deal with a heterogeneous structure characterized by the existence of opposition and dissent in an atmosphere of ideological, political, economic and social confrontation in which the variables of the correlation of forces and world domination become the factors that determine international relations.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“This showed the historical illegitimacy of the Revolutionary Democratic Front - Farabundo Marti Front for National Liberation - and once again demonstrated the undeniable legitimacy of the Government of El Salvador, which has brought about an unprecedented increase in its ability internationally to act both passively and actively, precisely because of the support of its people and the firm, sincere, modest and honest way in which President Duarte has set out the terms and aims of his political program, the Government's program and tine national thesis of dialog. My Government remains firmly determined to exhaust every possibility of dialog as the only way to ensure peace on our national soil.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“However, those who took up arms have in fact adopted an intransigent position by demanding the withdrawal of the army to an area of three hundred square kilometers. They wanted to give the impression that the zone was under their control, which would enable them, at the international level, to demand recognition, but this was, of course, totally illusory. Seeing their pretensions frustrated, they simply canceled the meeting in spite of the guarantees and safeguards which the Government had offered them, as on previous occasions.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Not only has this been nationally and internationally accepted as a viable process but, furthermore, a great number of members of the Farabundo Marti Front for National Liberation-Revolutionary Democratic Front have of their own free will reincorporated themselves into a society thus showing that they reject violence and have adopted the principles and values of western democracy. In his presidential message to the nation on 1 June this year, President Duarte proposed a third round of talks which would show this unshakable political will on the part of the Government to find a democratic solution to the conflict on the basis of that frank understanding and sense of responsibility which has characterized our President. He has thus fulfilled the commitment he made in this Assembly Hall.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“During his official visit in May this year to the Contadora Support Group countries, namely Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Uruguay, he offered amnesty and safety to the rebels in exchange for a clear-cut public demonstration of their willingness to renounce violence and war as a means of achieving power. Despite the rigid attitude of the Farabundo Marti Front for National Liberation-Revolutionary Democratic Front, my Government has supported and will continue to support the process of dialog, because it forms part of the basic concept of order, society and life from which we draw inspiration as a democratic Christian nation.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“Jose Napoleon Duarte, two years ago offered the rebels a peace proposal based on a frank and rational dialog which would ensure the stability of the democratic process by including those groups into the social process within the framework of our Constitution, which clearly provides for democracy and political pluralism on the broadest basis. That initiative, which was set out in a frankly democratic way, was clearly demonstrated in the two rounds of talks, held in La Palma and Ayagualo in October and November 1984. However, those meetings opened our eyes to the fact that for the rebel groups constitutional dialog was a tactic made use of for purely propagandists purposes aimed at frustrating the expectations of peace and democracy of the people of El Salvador. They merely pretended to seek a political solution to the conflict.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“The peace-making process must provide the necessary room for political freedom in which all sectors may participate in the business of the State and society without recourse to violence so as to allow differences to be overcome in the context of a frank democratic dialog. My Government believes that peace does not simply mean reaching an agreement to settle a dispute. Peace- is not simply the absence of armed conflict. It has a deeper meaning. Peace means a guarantee of security for man fully to achieve his dignity autd enjoy eternal values. Peace means respect for and recognition of the rights of others as an essential requisite in order to unite our efforts to overcome problems and challenges in a constructive way. In this Assembly the President of the Republic, Mr.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“My country has spared no effort to achieve peace and justice and therefore it would welcome more equitable treatment by this body with regard to the progress achieved in my country with regard to human rights and fundamental liberties. We therefore hope that a more understanding attitude will be adopted, in keeping with the efforts we are undertaking at present. I would even say, with all due respect, that my country has considered that in view of the sincere measures adopted in this area the continuing presence of the Special Rapporteur is in fact a heavy burden for our country and it would be fairer if his mandate were not renewed. El Salvador has changed. He believe that there can be no peace without democracy and no social justice without peace.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)
“However, we do not ignore the fact that there are mistakes and problems but we have shown that we are determined to overcame them and to ensure that this conflict which has been imposed upon our people will be fully humanized. El Salvador has changed. My Government views with concern the attitude adopted with regard to the situation in respect of human rights in El Salvador, particularly by certain international governmental or non-governmental bodies, which are induced by certain Governments or groups which seem constantly to challenge the legitimacy of our democratic institutions, thus favoring the strategic policy of the rebel groups in my country.”
1986-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 41 (1986)