The peace accords

Alfredo Fernández. Journalist.
Letter of Peace addressed to the UN.

On 5th November 1811 a process began in the province of San Salvador that would include several chapters before it reached a climax on September 15th 1821 with the Central American country’s declaration of independence. It was an inevitable reaction the other American uprisings rebelling against the Spanish Crown; movements in Chuquisaca, La Paz and Quito in 1809, "the Scream" in the town of Dolores, Mexico in 1810, the establishment of the Governing Board of Buenos Aires in 1810 and the independence of Venezuela in 1811. These movements of participation included Creoles from all social positions as well as those with long established relationships to the earth, some Mestizos and a few Indigenous people. The foremost movement "Grito de La Merced" rose in climax of first stage of Latin American colonial independence, although custom in the isthmus has relegated its commemoration only to Salvadoran jurisdictions.

By 1811 the Province of San Salvador was an administrative division of the General Captaincy of Guatemala, territorial entity of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. This region included the present Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica as well as the Mexican state of Chiapas. For this reason it is important to recognise the impact of this first attempt at independence since it resonated in the countries that now form part of Central America.

According to José Matías Delgado, known as the "Distinguished Central American Founding Father" it is impossible to say who in San Salvador conceived this early and original subversive titanic challenge to the Royal Hispanic Order. However, almost all the old writers and contemporary commentators, as well as reliable historical sources, designate him, a Priest and Doctor José Matías Delgado as chief intellect of the insurrection.

Different accumulated acts have created the history of this country. However in recent years the peace agreements reached between the government and the guerrillas have been the final link in a chain of events that allow this country to live in peace today.

On January 16, 1992 the Government of the Republic and the Frente Farabundo Marti para la Liberacion Nacional (Marabundo Marti Front for National Liberation, or the FMLN) signed peace accords in Chapultepec, Mexico, thereby putting an end to the most painful chapters of the history of El Salvador. The 12-year armed conflict resulted in more than 75,000 dead.

The first efforts to initiate a peace dialogue were made by President Duarte in the mid-eighties. In 1989, the government of President Cristiani began the peace negotiations that culminated in the signing of the Chapultepec Accords. The objectives of the Government of President Cristiani were:
* To achieve peace
* To establish a market economy
* To create the necessary conditions to improve the living standards of the population, especially those living in extreme poverty.

In order to achieve these goals, the Government initiated a dialogue with the FMLN. In this dialogue several issues were discussed including constitutional reforms, respect for human rights, international monitoring, the restructure and reduction of the armed forces and the reforms of the electoral and judiciary systems.

The negotiation process that laid the foundations for the new El Salvador, was supported by the United Nations and the Group of Friends for Peace in El Salvador.

Following the signing of the Peace Accords, the UN established an operation to monitor the implementation of the agreements. This operation was placed under the control of the Security Council of the United Nations. Given the success of this mission in El Salvador, the United Nations used this as a model for other countries such as Guatemala, Haiti, Mozambique and Cambodia.

The implementation of the Peace Accords required the political will of the parties involved and the political incorporation of all actors involved in this process. One of the most important achievements was national reconciliation. Without doubt, this process encountered many challenges. One of the most significant was the amount of material resources required to implement the process.

President Francisco Flores, in his message delivered on January 16, 2002 during the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the peace accords said, "in the ten years of the Peace Accords, El Salvador is a different country, determined by a new reality. The transition from war to peace is over and it is now time to face a new historical era, with new challenges and new perspectives. No victory is complete and more crucial to man than that which has been won in the name of peace because peace is the first condition for development.”

To remember this recent history is another good way to celebrate the bicentenary of the country.