WORLD IN BRIEF : EL SALVADOR : Peace Talks Yield Accord on Rights

Salvadoran government and guerrilla negotiators ended a week of talks at loggerheads on an armed forces overhaul but hopeful that a human rights accord will keep up the momentum toward peace. The two sides agreed on a U.N. role to seek greater respect for basic rights in war-torn El Salvador. It was the first agreement produced in three rounds of peace talks since May. U.N. mediator Alvaro DeSoto said the rights accord “without doubt helps clear the way for progress on other items of the agenda.” Both sides say they hope to agree to a cease-fire by mid-September.