Lesson 22

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Question SA-5. Here is the text reference (p. 221/2):

The peace process seemed to be stalled in early 1987, mainly over U.S. opposition and the fact that the five Central American nations were reacting somewhat negatively to peace proposals written up by outside (albeit neighboring) nations. In mid 1987 the process was revitalized when Costa Rican president Oscar Arias proposed a new (although similar) peace plan which enlisted the help of the United Nations to verify and support the peace agreements. This proposal, which won the Nobel peace prize for Arias, became the definitive Esquipulas agreement under which the Central American peace process achieved significant results in Nicaragua, El Salvador and eventually Guatemala. Under United Nations sponsorship, four countries committed themselves to a major effort in the peacekeeping and verification aspects of the agreement: Canada, Germany, Venezuela, and Spain. Although Canada had long experience with United Nations peacekeeping, the other three did not, and their involvement in the Central American peace process was an important development.