Esquipulas II Brought Peace To Central America

It was 25 years ago on August 7th when the presidents of Central America got together to sign the "Procedimiento para establecer la paz firme y duradera en Centroamérica", better known as Acuerdo Esquipulas II (Esquipulas II Agreement), in Guatemala.



See also: Guatemalan Daily Terms Esquipulas II Plan Forgotten

The five Central American presidents to sign the agreement on that day were: Oscar Arias of Costa Rica; Vinicio Cerezo, Guatemala; Daniel ortega, Nicaragua; Napoleón Duarte, El Salvador and José Azcona, Honduras (the latter two now deceased).

The agreement laid the foundation for the end of the fighting in Central America.  Oscar Arias received the Nobel Peace Prize (1987) for his role in getting the agreement signed and bringing peace to the region.

With the so-called Esquipulas II Agreement, each country of the region began a process of "national reconciliation" that included talks and amnesties,  a cessation of hostilities and the presidents pledging to strengthen democracy and to hold "free elections".

Also, other governments of other regions were asked not to fund irregular forces or insurgent movements.

In those years, Guatemala and El Salvador were engaged in civil wars, while the Somoza family dictatorship in Nicaragua fell and the Sandinista National Liberation Front seized power, creating a climate of confrontation that threatened to reach the Costa Rican border.

All this was compounded by he ideological and military interference of the Soviet Union and the United States, competing superpowers in the context of the Cold War.