Equipo Nizkor - Alajuela Joint Declaration of the Central American Presidents.

UNITED
NATIONS

General Assembly Security Council Distr.
GENERAL
A/42/911
S/19447
22 January 1988
ENGLISH
ORIGINAL: SPANISH

GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Forty-second session
Agenda item 34
THE SITUATION IN CENTRAL AMERICA:
THREATS TO INTERNATIONAL PEACE
AND SECURITY AND PEACE INITIATIVES SECURITY COUNCIL
Forty-third year

Letter dated 19 January 1988 from the representatives of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

We are pleased to transmit to you herewith the text of the "Joint Declaration of the Central American Presidents", issued at San José on 16 January 1988 by the Presidents of the Central American Republics (see annex), and to request that this letter and its annex be distributed as an official document of the forty-second session of the General Assembly, under agenda item 34, and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Emilia CASTRO de BARISH
Ambassador, First Alternate Permanent
Representative of Costa Rica to the
United Nations
Chargé d'affaires a.i. (Signed) Fernando ANDRADE DIAZ-DURAN
Ambassador, Permanent Representative
of Guatemala to the United Nations

(Signed) Guillermo A. MELENDEZ-BARAHONA
Alternate Representative of
El Salvador to tho United Nations
Chargé d'affaires a.i. (Signed) Julio A. RENDON-BARNICA
Ambassador, Deputy Permanent
Representative of Honduras to the
United Nations
Chargé d'affaires a.i.

(Signed) Julio E. ICAZA-GALLARD
Ambassador, Deputy Permanent
Representative of Nicaragua to the
United Nations
Chargé d'affaires a.i.

ANNEX

Joint Declaration of the Central American Presidents, issued at San José on 16 January 1988

The Presidents have received the conclusions of the report of the International Verification and Follow-up Commission prepared pursuant to section 11 of the Esquipulas II Procedure, with reservations entered by some of them.

The Presidents recognize the effort made and the tremendous work done by the Commission and thank it for its dedication and its efforts to assist compliance with the Esquipulas II agreements.

The Presidents instruct the Executive Commission, on receiving the general report, to consider that report and make any pertinent recommendations.

The Presidents confirm the historic value and importance of the Esquipulas II Procedure, the drafting and spirit of which they today recognize and reaffirm as vital to bringing democracy and peace to the region.

Since the commitments under the Esquipulas II agreements have not been entirely fulfilled, they undertake to fulfil unconditional, unilateral obligations with which Governments are bound to comply fully and without exception. These obligations include dialogue, talks leading to a cease-fire agreement, general amnesty and, above all, democratization, which necessarily includes the lifting of states of emergency, complete freedom of the press, political pluralism and an end to the functioning of special courts. Those of the commitments just mentioned which have not been fulfilled by Governments shall immediately be clearly and publicly fulfilled.

Compliance with the agreements contained in the Esquipulas II document includes commitments the fulfilment of which by Governments is necessarily subject to special verification, in particular, the termination of aid for irregular groups, the non-use of territory to support such groups, and genuine freedom of electoral processes which shall be verified by the National Reconciliation Commission, giving special importance to elections to the Central American Parliament. All of these are "vital if a stable and lasting peace is to be attained in the region".

The main function of the Executive Commission made up of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Central American States shall be to verify, monitor and follow up all the commitments set forth in the Guatemala Procedure and in this declaration. To that end, it shall secure the co-operation of States of the region or from outside the region, or bodies of recognized impartiality and technical competence, which have indicated their desire to co-operate in the Central American peace process.

Compliance with the Esquipulas II Procedure also requires that obligations embracing an already established strategy, such as arms control and security and disarmament agreements, also be followed up.

We express our gratitude to the international community for the political and financial support which it has pledged to promoting regional projects aimed at the economic and social development of Central America. This objective is directly linked with the task of achieving, preserving and strengthening peace, for since the original causes of this conflict were economic and social, peace cannot be achieved without development.

Aware of their historic responsibility to their peoples, the Presidents reaffirm their irrevocable, unalterable determination to comply with the procedure in the manner stipulated and promise to fulfil all outstanding commitments immediately, without hesitation or evasion, in the realization that their peoples and the international community will be the judges of compliance with obligations entered into in good faith.

In signing this declaration, we thank the people of Costa Rica and their President, Mr. Oscar Arias Sanchez, for their hospitality, which afforded us an appropriate setting for this meeting.

(Signed) Oscar ARIAS SANCHEZ
President, Republic of Costa Rica (Signed) José Napoleón DUARTE
President, Republic of El Salvador

(Signed) Vinicio CEREZO AREVALO
President, Republic of Guatemala (Signed) José AZCONA HOYO
President, Republic of Honduras

(Signed) Daniel ORTEGA SAAVEDRA
President, Republic of Nicaragua

Peace Agreements
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UNITED NATIONS
General Assembly Security Council	Distr. GENERAL A/42/911 S/19447 22 January 1988 ENGLISH ORIGINAL: SPANISH
GENERAL ASSEMBLY Forty-second session Agenda item 34 THE SITUATION IN CENTRAL AMERICA: THREATS TO INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY AND PEACE INITIATIVES	SECURITY COUNCIL Forty-third year

(Signed) Emilia CASTRO de BARISH Ambassador, First Alternate Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations Chargé d'affaires a.i.	(Signed) Fernando ANDRADE DIAZ-DURAN Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the United Nations
(Signed) Guillermo A. MELENDEZ-BARAHONA Alternate Representative of El Salvador to tho United Nations Chargé d'affaires a.i.	(Signed) Julio A. RENDON-BARNICA Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative of Honduras to the United Nations Chargé d'affaires a.i.
(Signed) Julio E. ICAZA-GALLARD Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative of Nicaragua to the United Nations Chargé d'affaires a.i.

(Signed) Oscar ARIAS SANCHEZ President, Republic of Costa Rica	(Signed) José Napoleón DUARTE President, Republic of El Salvador
(Signed) Vinicio CEREZO AREVALO President, Republic of Guatemala	(Signed) José AZCONA HOYO President, Republic of Honduras
(Signed) Daniel ORTEGA SAAVEDRA President, Republic of Nicaragua

22Jan88

Alajuela Joint Declaration of the Central American Presidents