E1 Salvador (Hansard, 8 February 1989)

§ 5. Mr. McAllion
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of the United States of America concerning international co-operation on the conditions under which the next elections will take place in E1 Salvador.

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Timothy Eggar)
None, Sir.

§ Mr. McAllion
That is a very disappointing answer. Can the Minister tell us why the Government have not taken steps to persuade and encourage the Governments of E1 Salvador and the United States to consider seriously the proposal from the FMLN to postpone elections for six months to create conditions for free and fair elections which would allow the FMLN to participate and, more important, would allow all sides to abide by the result of the elections?

§ Mr. Eggar
Of course, we welcome any sign that the FMLN is prepared to take part in the electoral process. Any delay in the election date is a matter for the Salvadorians to decide upon. The FMLN announced originally that it was prepared to avoid military action for about five days around the election date. This has recently been extended. The democratic parties within E1 Salvador will doubtless consider the proposals, but the decision is for E1 Salvador, not for the United Kingdom or for the United States.

§ Mr. Jacques Arnold
Will my hon. Friend consider that perhaps one of the most conducive ways to bring about a good election in E1 Salvador would be for the FMLN to announce an indefinite cease-fire which would allow a democratic election to take place and would also allow the successor Government to tackle the problem of human rights abuse, not least the activities of the death squads?

§ Mr. Eggar
I agree completely with my hon. Friend. The FMLN has conducted operations that have harmed and killed innocent civilians. It has sought deliberately to intimidate and murder local mayors. That is not the way to make the atmosphere conducive for democratic elections.

§ Mr. Corbyn
Does not the Minister realise that abuses of human rights in E1 Salvador are largely due to the activities of the death squads and that there is now an opportunity, perhaps for the first time for many years, of getting a genuine move towards peace? Does the Minister agree that the FMLN proposal to postpone elections for 971 six months would allow peace to return so that there may be a proper, free and democratic election campaign? What we are asking is that the Minister uses his influence on the United States Government and on the Government of E1 Salvador to get them to consider seriously the proposal to allow peace to return so that elections can be held. He cannot take a hands-off approach if he supports the Government.

§ Mr. Eggar
We are concerned about and condemn the activities of the death squads. However, we are confident that the E1 Salvador Government do not encourage or condone such activities. President Duarte has recently condemned extremist activity from both the Left and the Right. I wish that the hon. Gentleman would also criticise the FMLN. The fact is that it has made indiscriminate use of land mines, and there have been summary executions, kidnappings, car bombings and the deliberate killing of mayors. The United Nations special representative had noted that those actions were the deliberate policy of the FMLN.

§ Mr. Foulkes
Will the Minister look to the future rather than the past and give a wholehearted welcome to the FMLN peace offer, all the more so because it was unexpected? Will he consider ways in which the good offices of the United Kingdom, of our European partners and, above all, of the United States—which has a particularly strong role in E1 Salvador—can be used to try to get the elections postponed and the offer considered seriously?
Surely the hon. Gentleman agrees that, whoever is elected the next president of E1 Salvador, it will be better for him to be the president of a country at peace in September than of a country ravaged by civil war in March.

§ Mr. Eggar
1 have already made it clear that the timing of the election is a matter for the people of E1 Salvador and the democratic parties within E1 Salvador. My understanding is that the Government there are considering the latest proposal from the FMLN. I dare say that when the hon. Gentleman goes to San Salvador he will be able to update himself on the position there.