UN Chief on peace mission
Guatemala: UN Chief Ban Ki-moon arrived in Guatemala Tuesday for a
48-hour visit aimed at reinforcing efforts to fight rampant violence and
help heal wounds from a civil war that left 200,000 dead. Ban was
greeted upon arrival by Foreign Minister Haroldo Rodas, and Wednesday
will meet with Central American Presidents to discuss security in a
region convulsed by drug violence and gang warfare.
The fight against drug cartels has been hampered by a scarcity of
resources and corruption, but also political problems and disputes
between countries. Ban will also head up a UN effort for "consolidation
of peace" in Guatemala, an initiative that seeks to heal wounds 15 years
after the end of its bloody 1960-1996 civil war. A UN report estimated
that the war left 200,000 dead and missing, most of them victims of
security forces.
An international group of donors in Guatemala, known as the group of
13, said Monday that Ban's visit is important to strengthen the fight
against impunity and policies that exclude indigenous people.
AFP
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