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 N. AH, _U e NO. YO& AN FQtISH \ '712/717. AGAI) 60,716MA 66 60471 NMI K6YO1" HA'(. BT 716E 5W67T M166 REAIAN... R'EMEMBxg, 715'KLCY?.ReAI~F.1 7IlAR IN JLICZ WHEN O0P0)5 dtlflP WON 7 160VJ*6, aICU9&P 1771 BOuvCtEf 11H/N P4~fNYN ANVPRN 5/7119 16/(5f0, 'YOU G6b/ITUPMY U/66" WI/H WPAPPf4p AA7 j , ; _. , ,, ,..