Lesson 22

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Question SA-10. Here is the text reference (p. 221/1):

The process began in early 1983, when a group of four concerned Latin American nations met on the Panamanian island of Contadora to discuss ways in which they might launch a new peace initiative. It is noteworthy that the four countries were the four immediate geographic neighbors of Central America: Mexico to the north, and Panama, Colombia and Venezuela to the south. Over the next few years they met numerous times and drafted several proposed peace treaties for consideration by the various parties involved. (See the Contadora September 1983 "21 Objectives" document, which follows, for a summary of the main ideas proposed by the Contadora group). The Reagan administration's position was clear: although never directly attacking the so-called Contadora process, the U.S. made it known that it regarded such efforts as well-meaning meddling at best, and as helping the FSLN and FMLN at worst. The hard-liners in the Reagan administration argued that the Contras could defeat the FSLN regime, and that U.S. support for the Salvadoran military would defeat the FMLN insurgency.