port and asked him to outline the situation in El Salvador. THE Salvadorean government is experienaing its deepest crisis since Duarte elected president CrIsIs of military, economic, The pontical OCCul. government's room for manoeuvic becoming limited as it has almost OSI popular SuD port within El Salvador.
The Salvadorean my's strategy to take the initiative in the war against ne ruLi nas laliea. Ila' jor counterinsurgency oprations in Guazana and in Marazan, have doe been able UIsIOuei FMLN. The FMLN today is attacking military and economic targets in more areas of the country.
The recent FMLN operation, 'Death to the Duarte package! Long live the workers struggle! involved a number of FMLN units attacking coffee proplants tricity supplies to a numfocussed today on Reagan's attempt to pass the bill through the US Congress granting $100 million in tative of the FDR-FMLN in Britain recently returned from a month in Central America. Socialist Action ber of provincial towns.
These counter-offensives divert the Salvadorean army's resources away from strategic operations. order to maintaur the fighting, Duarte has DOCHT forced to nace the financing of the war at the CellIc CCononC policies. The 'economy for war' package, which he announced in January, follows the prescription of the United States Agency for International Development (US AID) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The package involves wages being restricted being raised etc, in order to fund unc Wal Duarte has COLISC quently lost any mass supthat he had. The Christian Democrat trade unions, which supported his presidential campaign, are joining the protests against his Mothers of the disappeared protest policies. The recent formation of UNTS anatold Unity of Salvadorean Workers) on 8 Februar) which represents 300,000 workers called a on February which attracted XU IKK) people to protest against the austerity measures and against Duarte's refusal to engage in serious dialogue with the FMLN-FDR.
Duarte is following US policy on dialogue with the FMLN. He is calling for a dialogue which condi.IOla on the FSLN negotiating with the contras. Thé FM LIN nas Icjectea Inese conditions and continues to on the contra bases Vietnam. , use of US helicopters to supply Honduran and contra forces fighting against Nicaraguan strikes The pictures of the US helicopters in action directly recall the days of
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military aid to the Nicaraguan contras. But in El Salvador the regime of Napoleon Duarte faces a deepening crisis both because of its own loss of sup- because of the resistance of the FMLN- FDR. JOSE LOPEZ, the El Salvadorean represen-