El Salvador's Funes
Apologizes For Civil War Abuses
SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - El Salvador's
leftist president, Mauricio Funes,
apologized on behalf of the state on
Saturday for crimes committed by the former
right-wing government in the country's long
and vicious civil war.
Funes, the first president from a party
founded by Marxist guerrillas who fought in
the 12-year conflict, said soldiers and
security forces had committed human rights
crimes and abused their power.
"In the name of the state of El Salvador, I
ask for pardon," Funes said at an event
marking the 18th anniversary of the end of
the conflict, which left at least 75,000
people dead.
Funes did not mention crimes committed by
leftist forces during the civil war,
although members of his party at another
event on Saturday acknowledged them.
A former television journalist who reported
on the civil war but never fought in it,
Funes last year ended two decades of rule by
the conservative and pro-U.S. ARENA party.
Previous presidents from ARENA, which was
founded by an army major closely associated
with right-wing death squads in the civil
war, have refused to apologize for the
government's role.
Funes has urged unity and reconciliation in
El Salvador since taking office last June
and has said he wants strong relations with
Washington.
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