EL SALVADOR The Selling of ARENA
Silverstein, Ken
Ever since Josd Napole6n Duarte's Christian Democrats were defeated in municipal and legislative elections last spring, U.S. policy-makers have faced the delicate task of transforming public...
...Responding to a later question, he was more explicit: " By the participation of new people who are in the party it is no longer a one-man show...
...policy-makers have faced the delicate task of transforming public perception of Salvadoran politics...
...But if ARENA wins out, the groundwork has been laid for a smooth transition of perceptions in Washington...
...JALZSfffI Ir.J...
...The efforts of Cristiani and his Washington friends seem to be paying off...
...Stephen Solarz (D-NY), a leader of moderate Democrats and a strong backer of Duarte, now says the United States should give Cristiani a chance and not act too hastily...
...Last September, Dick McCall, an aide to liberal Sen...
...With the assistance of the Washington law firm of O'Connor and Hannan, he has been working Capitol Hill since September...
...Democrats seem to be the main target of the PR effort...
...John Kerry (D-MA), surprised his.colleagues by showing Cristiani around Capitol Hill, introducing the candidate to Senators and their staffs...
...It is now governed by a 14-member executive committee and has appointed a new president, Alfredo Cristiani, a well-respected businessman and civic leader...
...He has no known ties to the death squads and his U.S...
...Cristiani has generally been well received," said one Congressional staffer...
...As one aide put it, "I doubt Congress will do a dam thing if ARENA wins the election, even if killings start to rise substantially...
...When asked what assurances there were that the party would not "revert to some of the darker forces associated with Mr...
...The ARENA candidate does a good job of selling himself and his party...
...He had clear and convincing answers to questions and his style conveys sincerity and honesty-something you don't expect from ARENA...
...Gone are the days when they had only to mention Duarte's name for Congress to approve another installment of the more than $3 billion El Salvador has received since 1981...
...An observer at a Carnegie Endowment breakfast for Cristiani said he "was very well prepared...
...Cristiani, who speaks fluent English and holds a degree in business administration from Georgetown, is the key to ARENA's new image...
...Now that the winner of last year's elections-the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), founded by reputed death-squad sponsor Roberto D'Aubuisson-is likely to win the March 19 presidential election, lowkey efforts to persuade Congress and the public of the party's "moderation" are underway...
...D'Aubuisson knows he is not going to be participating in the government...
...Two months later, the Heritage Foundation prepared a "backgrounder" for circulation at the Republican convention...
...He was recently hired by the Associated Press bureau in Rio de Janeiro...
...supporters claim he is a relaARENA candidate Alfredo Cristiani Ken Silverstein is a freelance journalist based in New York...
...U" t'"'^"'-' I L7O Jeanne Kirkpatrick kicked it off last June with a Washington Post op-ed in which she called ARENA a "legitimate political party that espouses market approaches, private ownership, personal initiative and deregulation-the sorts of things Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan have built their careers on...
...According to one Congressional aide, State Department officers helped out by setting up briefings for Cristiani and holding meetings with the few liberal "troublemakers" in Congress...
...By all accounts, the United States is still pulling for Christian Democratic candidate Fidel Chavez Mena, reportedly with a secret CIA slush-fund...
...D'Aubuisson," Cristiani said that since he joined the party in 1984, "there have been no appearances of dark forces in this enterprise...
...tive newcomer to the party...
...It claimed that "Since 1985...ARENA has reformed itself fundamentally...
...He speaks excellent English and he's not a fist-pounding ideologue...
Vol. 22 • March 1989 • No. 6
