Letter from Washington

At their annual meeting here in Washington in late November, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) delivered itself of a resolution calling for a cut-off of military aid to El Salvador, and urging instead a “broad-based political solution.” Informed insiders here understand this phrase to be a code term signifying “negotiations with guerrillas,” followed by elections. And by “negotiations” read, strictly, “negotiations,” i.e., not a dialogue on procedural matters as a prelude to elections, but actual discussions and agreements on how the guerrillas would enter the government prior to elections, take over positions of responsibility and power, and integrate । themselves into the Salvadoran armed forces.

As you may have guessed, the U.S. NCCB position is not at all the Salvadoran NCCB position. Rather, the five bishops of the Salvadoran NCCB believe that military aid to the incumbent regime should not be cut off unless military aid to the guerrillas is concomitantly cut off. And, along with President Duarte, the Salvadoran Catholic bishops are calling for elections next year.

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At their annual meeting here in Washington in late November, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) delivered itself of a resolution calling for a cut-off of military aid to El Salvador, and urging instead a “broad-based political solution.” Informed insiders here understand this phrase to be a code term signifying “negotiations with guerrillas,” followed by elections. And by “negotiations” read, strictly, “negotiations,” i.e., not a dialogue on procedural matters as a prelude to elections, but actual discussions and agreements on how the guerrillas would enter the government prior to elections, take over positions of responsibility and power, and integrate । themselves into the Salvadoran armed forces.

As you may have guessed, the U.S. NCCB position is not at all the Salvadoran NCCB position. Rather, the five bishops of the Salvadoran NCCB believe that military aid to the incumbent regime should not be cut off unless military aid to the guerrillas is concomitantly cut off. And, along with President Duarte, the Salvadoran Catholic bishops are calling for elections next year.