Central American
presidents celebrate 20
years of peace agreement
Costa Rican President
Oscar Arias hosted a
ceremony for four
Central American
presidents on Tuesday,
celebrating the 20th
anniversary of the
Esquipulas II peace
agreement that ended
decades of civil wars in
the region.
Presidents Martin
Torrijos of Panama,
Oscar Berger of
Guatemala, Manuel Zelaya
of Honduras and Antonio
Saca of El Salvador came
to attend the
celebration. Nicaragua's
President Daniel Ortega
was absent due to a
visit by his Brazilian
counterpart, Luiz Inacio
daSilva.
Arias won the 1997 Nobel
Peace Prize for
brokering a peace
agreement during his
1986-1990 presidency.
The agreement ended
conflicts in Nicaragua,
El Salvador and
Guatemala, which killed
about 300,000 people.
The agreement, signed on
Aug. 7, 1987, in the
Guatemalan city of
Esquipulas, set out
three steps to peace:
disarmament, elections
and economic
development.
The agreement has
brought peace,
pluralism, greater
respect for human rights
and rising trade to
Central American
nations. Twenty years
after the agreement, the
region's politics are
generally calm and
democracy is an
essential government
tool.
On Wednesday, the five
presidents will meet at
the National Auditorium
in San Jose's Children's
museum, to discuss
democracy, economy,
social progress and
security in the region.
The Arias Foundation,
which organizes the
event, is considering
setting up a Central
American think tank to
discuss topics like
social violence, gender
equality and political
participation in the
region.
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