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 Oppose the Defense Department's Request to Lift Ban on Military Aid to Guatemala
On April 6, the Department of Defense again requested that Congress lift the ban on regular military aid (IMET) to Guatemala. We are concerned that renewed military aid to Guatemala would be an endorsement of the Guatemalan military. According to the UN mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA), the Guatemalan military has yet to comply with several key provisions of the 1996 peace accords and with the Clarification Commission's recommendations regarding the armed forces. The military also still refuses to cooperate with investigations into human rights violations that took place during the civil war, as well as into several high-profile incidents that have occurred since the peace accords were signed, including the assassination of Bishop Gerardi. It is critical that the U.S. Congress not lift the ban on military aid to Guatemala until there is a concrete and measurable shift in the role of the military in Guatemala and full compliance with the peace accords in regard to the military and human rights. |
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 Support the Congressional Sign-On Letter to Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo
Representative Connie Morella (R-MD, 8th District) is circulating a congressional sign-on letter to President Portillo calling on him to follow through with the promises that he has made for progress towards peace and justice. When Portillo took office, he vowed to move quickly to implement the remaining provisions of the peace accords and the recommendations of the Guatemalan Truth Commission and the Catholic Church's Recovering Our Historic Memory Report. The progress toward these goals has been slow. President Portillo has yet to disband the Presidential Guard (EMP), a move recommended by the peace accords, despite the involvement of the guard in human rights violations. He also has not succeeded in limiting the military's role to external defense, despite his promise to do so. It is important for President Portillo to know that there are members of the U.S. Congress who are committed to the full implementation of the 1996 peace accords. What You Can Do Call or write letters to your members of Congress and urge them to sign on to the "Dear Colleague" letter from Congress to Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo, currently being circulated by Representative Connie Morella. If they have already signed, thank them for their support. If they have any questions about the letter, they should contact Craig Powers in Congresswoman Morella's office at 5-5341. The letter will continue to circulate for new signatures until mid-May. Also ask them to refuse the Defense Department's request to lift the ban on regular military aid to Guatemala. The Guatemalan government should not receive military aid until it can demonstrate that it has fully implemented all provisions of the peace accords and that the military will cooperate with investigations into human rights violations. Aid also needs to be contingent on the subordination of the military to civilian power, something that President Portillo has promised to do, but has not yet achieved. How To Contact Your Representative You can call the capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your representative. Ask to speak with the legislative assistant and urge that your representative address these issues. Or you can write to your representative using the sample letter below. If you need to know who your current representatives are, you can locate them on the Internet at www.congress.org. This simple website uses your zip code to determine your representatives. It also provides contact information. We urge you to use the coming weeks to alert your networks and ask for their support on this action request. Your hard work in speaking out on these issues is very important in promoting policies that create justice and peace in Central America and Mexico. Thank you. |
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The Honorable _________
U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Congressman/woman: I am writing to express my deep concern about the Clinton administration's request for a lifting of the ban on military aid to Guatemala's unreformed military and to ask for your signature on a letter to Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo that Congresswoman Morella is circulating. While newly elected President Alfonso Portillo has made sweeping promises about reforms to many institutions, including the military, he has yet to truly sweep the military ranks for human rights violators or institute policies that effect more than cosmetic change. It is crucial that the United States take an active role in promoting peace and demilitarization in Guatemala, particularly with our history of training and funding human rights abusers. The Guatemalan Clarification Commission (CEH) found the Guatemalan military and state responsible for 93 percent of 200,000 deaths and disappearances during the Guatemalan civil war. Last year in his trip to Guatemala, President Clinton recognized our wrongful part in that bloody conflict. We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past. I urge you to oppose military aid to Guatemala and to sign on to the letter being circulated by Congresswoman Morella to pressure President Portillo to follow through on the promises he made to implement the peace accords and the recommendations made by the Guatemalan Truth Commission and the Catholic Church's Recovering Our Historic Memory (REHMI) Report. The degree to which international pressure is necessary to hold President Portillo to his promises is already evident, as he has not disbanded the Presidential Guard (EMP), which is implicated in several high profile human rights cases, such as the assassination of Bishop Gerardi. I urge you to oppose military aid to Guatemala and to sign the letter to President Portillo that is being circulated by Congresswoman Morella, so that we can move the ailing Guatemalan peace process forward and avoid the mistakes of the past. Thank you for your concern. Sincerely, |
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