OPINION
The Michigan Daily
Ob ftcb-an afl
Vol. XCV, No. 32-S
95 Years of Editorial Freedom
Managed and Edited by Students at
The University of Michigan
Editorials represent a majority opinion of the
Daily Editorial Board
Political quagmire
IT IS A SHAME that the conference in Nairobi, Kenya
marking the end of the United Nations Decade for
Women has to be bogged down in a political quagmire at
the start.
The fact that the delegation has agreed on a compromise
for procedural rules is the big news coming from the
opening of the conference.
It would seem that the conference members can put
their time and energy into more important issues than
political squabbles.
The mid-decade conference was marred by a fight over
a conference document that the United States thought was
too political.
The United States hopes that with this compromise
another fight will be avoided.
It is encouraging to hear that more nations are represen-
ted at this conference than at the United Nations. It shows
that women's issues are important. Plus, even more than
10,000 women who are not directly connected with the con-
ference are attending seminars and workshops at the
University of Nairobi.
The conference members should put political differen-
ces aside for the moment and focus on the job at hand. The
conference members have a lot of work to do, namely an
assessment of the last ten years and a plan for the next 15
years.
"You owe it to all the women in the world and to yourself
to approach the work of this conference in a manner that
will lead to positive and enduring results," said U.N.
Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar at the opening
ceremonies.
The delegates should listen to Perez de Cuellar's advice
and not allow international politics to interfere with
women s issues.
S 1 .4 a,
Wednesday, July 17, 1985
Salvadoran war and
about 20 miles northeast of the
By Mary J0 McConahay capital. Reporters quickly drove off,
SAN SALVADOR - For reporters but the helicopters followed and con-
this war is feeling tougher to cover. tinued firing - at the journalists, not
Take what happened July 6 to the guerrillas who had stayed behind.
photographer Nancy McGirr of Reporters said they abandoned the
Reuters News Agency, reporter Jon taxi and hid in the bush for about 20
Lee Anderson of Time Magazine and minutes, emerging, and escaping,
myself as we crossed the Torola only when guerrillas about a half
River - the dividing line between mile away finally fired at the helicop-
government - and guerrilla - controlled ters and drive them off.
zones in Morazan province. We were Earlier this year, in February, two
travelling north, into the rebel zone, U.S. journalists were pinned down for
attempting to follow up interviews 10 minutes by rockets and machine-
with peasants arriving in the capital gun fire from two jet aircraft as they
who claimed bombing and forced walked alone down a little-used road
evacuations were occurring in that that links a rebel-held zone with a
government-held one in Cabanas
THE BRIDGE across the 600-foot province.
wide river had been destroyed by PERSONS DISPLACED from
guerrillas in the spring, so we began zones of conflict have long claimed
to drive across. When the car stalled that civilians are not spared gover-
in the waist-high water, we got out nment attack in zones where
and pushed. Then, 30 feet short of the guerrillas persist. Both Salvadoran
shore, gunfire bursts came from the and U.S. officials repeatedly deny that
sorut rbany "free-fire zones" exist. Never-
soh.abandoned the bright orange theless some reporters say their own
car and took cover on the shore just as experience is leading them to believe,
mortars from the south whistled over strongly, that there are indeed areas
our heads, exploding in a field about where anyone who moves is a target,
200 feetasxpdgyeven outside combat situations.
When the shooting stopped after In early July, leaders of the Peoples
about 5 minutes, an elderly peasant Revolutionary Army (ERP) - one of
and his child, who had helped us push theeprincipal factions fighting the
the car, said we should cross back to government - issued a specific war-
the government side. They waded out ning to journalists not to travel in
quickly.rzones where they are present.
WE ENTERED the river heading Speaking to reporters gathered at
backE EwitEourEhadsuthe rewnetheir mountain stronghold of
plainly unarmed and there was no Perquin, 200 milesnortheastofehere,
return fire coming from the north deactivated mines and held fire
bank. Yet when we reached the half- "narrowly missing" reporters
way point bullets from the south travelling alone or with army patrols.
began to hit the water on all sides. They said they have decided not to
We dove, swam, and scrabbled continue this practice.
among the boulders, trying to reach The existence of de facto free fire
the shore, yelling in Spanish, "We're zones, and the guerrillas' massive use
journalists. Don't shoot! North of homemade mines, can only
Americans!" McGirr was obviously discourage inndent reporting on
struggling in the currents as her the continuing war in the countryside.
camera bag filled with water and Access is also being cramped in
slowed her down. other ways.
Salvadoran troops quickly ap- -The entire province of
proached us on shore, rifles pointed. Chalatenango - one of the hardest-hit
Later their local commander said he by the war and one of the strongest in
had received a radio report from a guerrillas persistence - has been off
patrol that "chele (white) terrorists" limits to the press since March 1985
were crossing the river and he ap- without specific written permission of
provedtheordertoproceed. the zone's commander Lt. Col.
There have been other near misses. Sigifredo Ochoa.
IN APRIL four U.S. journalists ina Ochoa, a flamboyant type given to
yellow taxi clearly marked with wearing natty scarves and reflective
"TV" signs were attacked by two sunglasses, is considered a sharp
helicopters when they stopped to talk commander and fearsome rival. In
to young guerrillas patrolling a road 1983 he staged a mini-rebellion,
BLOOM COUNTY
Page 5
the press
calling the Minister of Defense
"corrupt and capricious" and
refusing to obey his orders. As a
result the minister - not Ochoa -
was forced to resign.
Ochoa's clampdown on the press
came after two journalists - one
from the United States, the other
British - reported he told them,
during a briefing, that there were
free-fire zones in Chalatenango.
Security is clearly not the comman-
der's concern, as medical and relief
personnel and other visitors can pass
through checkpoints if they show
credentials which assure soldiers
they are not reporters.
-At police roadblocks outside
Ilobosco, gateway to the conflictive
Cabanas region, visitors are also
asked specifically if they are jour-
nalists. Those who are not may
proceed, but reporters are directed to
the regional command post where
they may or may not receive per-
mission to pass.
-Two recent incidents here have
also suggested to Salvadorans that it
may be dangerous to helpor seek out
journalists. In June a taxi driver often
hired by reporters was taken into
custody by the army, interrogated
roughly, robbed of the equivalent of
$60 and accused of helping "com-
munist journalists". His in-
terrogators asked where reporters
meet guerrillas.
In early July, peasants from
Morazan told a dozen reporters at a
semi-clandestine press conference,
arranged by a refugee group and a
human rights group, that the
Salvadoran army had forcibly
evacuated people in June. They also
claimed Honduran soldiers had been
moving openly through their border-
area hamlets, which they consider-to
be Salvadoran.
Within 72 hours of the press con-
ference, the peasants were arrested,
charged with cooperation with
guerrillas. They were releasedsafter
their photos and the charges ap-
peared in newspapers.
A Latin American reporter, known
for his independent forays to cover
both sides of the war, said that beinga
journalist had been for
some time a permit to
travel and watch. "Now," he
sighed, "what was our greatest
protection - being reporters - is our
biggest obstacle."
McConahay wrote this for
Pacific News Service.
by Berke Breathed
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