Weekly Report - 3 February 2004

At least five of the six Central American presidents have come out in the past week in favour of a sweeping reform of the Central American parliament, Parlacen, a body created by regional treaty in 1991. This is partly a reaction to what many see as the abuse of the parliamentary immunity enjoyed by former rulers, who are ex-officio members of Parlacen, but in some cases also a more radical questioning of the body's usefulness.