Weekly Report - 22 July 2003

A delegation of the Frente Farabundo Martí­ para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN) has travelled to Washington to meet officials at the US State Department and international financial organisations -hoping to set US minds at rest over the possibility of the party winning the presidential elections next March, something they just might achieve this time round (WR-03-21). 

The delegation is determined to show that the FMLN is both a viable political force and nothing to be afraid of. 

Dan Fisk, US assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs, recently signalled that the US would not be happy with a victory by the former guerrillas. He said that there were still some doubts about the FMLN's democratic credentials as it still carried some significant baggage. The US is particularly concerned about policies such as ending dollarisation and revising the laws which permit the privatisation of public services. 

The US was also unhappy about statements the FMLN made about the events of 11 September 2001: the FMLN said the attacks on the World Trade Centre were the result of US foreign policy.