Word: guatemala
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Even by the brutal standards of Central American politics, Guatemala's reputation for murderous repression is chilling. Since a U.S.-backed coup in 1954, more than 100,000 civilians have been slaughtered by right-wing death squads and left-wing guerrillas, or have disappeared. As many as 250,000 people are believed to have fled the country, some 40,000 of them to neighboring Mexico. Thus, when Mexican President Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado last week praised Guatemala's democratic principles during his first state visit to that country, he was acknowledging an important change in the land that...
Much of the credit for Guatemala's democratic revival goes to President Vinicio Cerezo Arevalo, 44. Since taking office in January 1986 as only the second civilian leader in 30 years, Cerezo has walked a delicate line of placating the military, which wields ultimate power, and nurturing the country's democratic seedlings. A lawyer by training, Cerezo has shown a skilled hand in dealing with Guatemala's domestic problems. Last week, at the door of the national palace, he confronted relatives of some of the thousands of people who are missing and presumed to have been killed in political violence...
...skein. Last month Cerezo met with President Daniel Ortega Saavedra in Nicaragua. The Sandinista leader reiterated his refusal to negotiate with the U.S.-backed contras, but the two agreed to keep talking. Cerezo's critics believe his attempt to be an honest broker in the Nicaraguan conflict has jeopardized Guatemala's ties to the U.S. This year American military aid was slashed to $2.4 million, less than half the 1986 level. While Guatemalans suspect that the reduction is Washington's way of showing its displeasure, U.S. officials deny that. Congressional sources say the decrease was merely the result of Gramm...
Sometime during his vacation in Guatemala this week, Staff Writer Michael Lemonick will unpack his amateur astronomer's 4-in. reflecting telescope, set it on its tripod and focus low on the southern horizon. His target: the pinprick of light from Supernova 1987A, the exploding star that is the subject of his cover story in this week's issue. Lemonick, who lives in Princeton, N.J., has made a hobby of stargazing for the past two years. "I usually set up the telescope in my backyard, but Princeton is just too far north to see 1987A. If you travel...
Calero, clad in a soft tweed sports coat and a spread-collared blue shirt, predicted that the Arias peace plan will fail. "I believe the Sandinistas will not have fulfilled by November 5th the commitment that they made in Guatemala: freedom of the press, freedom of movement, amnesty for the 12,000 political prisoners and free elections," he said...