Democracy in El Salvador

* Prof. Rodolfo Acuna’s commentary (“Latin Generals Count on the Wages of War,” Column Left, April 1) criticizing U.S. policy in El Salvador echoes the same tired and inaccurate biases against our country propagated for years by the FMLN guerrillas. But his attempt to pass off this skewed version of “reality” in El Salvador fails in light of the facts.

Let us analyze Acuna’s ideologically slanted statements and hold them up to the truth:

* “Our government has sent the Salvadoran military $4.2 billion to institutionalize war and, as a consequence, destroy any semblance of a free market.” The truth: U.S. military aid to El Salvador has totaled $1 billion since the conflict began in 1979. An additional $3 billion in economic, food, earthquake relief and development assistance was provided to the government during the same period. Thanks to this aid, our democratically elected government has survived all attempts by the Marxist guerrillas to install a one-party dictatorship by force. We now have a free market in El Salvador, thanks to the economic policies of President Alfredo Cristiani.

* “The army, through its control of the Arena party, has built a political machine that makes sure the war goes on and U.S. funds flow into the country.” The truth: Arena attained the presidency, control of the legislative branch and most mayoralties the old-fashioned way: through clean and fair elections. Also, the people of El Salvador and our government are tired of the war, and are ready to give up military aid in exchange for peace once a peace treaty is signed.

* The March 10 Salvadoran elections were not free, open and fair. The truth: All major U.S. and international election observer groups who observed the March 10 legislative and municipal elections found them to be free, open and fair. Acuna performs a serious disservice by belittling these observer groups, including the Organization of American States’ massive contingent, which gave our elections a clean bill of health. The best proof of this, of course, is in the results:

--The incumbent Arena party actually lost its legislative majority.

--The leftist parties were able to campaign openly throughout the country, and actually gained seats.

The bottom line is that democracy is succeeding in El Salvador despite, not because of, the Marxist guerrillas. Acuna should remove his left-wing blinders and look reality squarely in the eyes. The world has changed, El Salvador has changed, and great progress is being made economically, politically, socially and militarily, all for the sake of peace.

I’ll leave the professor with an old Arab proverb: “Dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.” The caravan is moving on, professor, despite barking from the left and the right.

MIGUEL A. SALAVERRIA

Ambassador

Washington, D.C.