Tape 4

In this intimate press conference, Ellacuría is asked about the Contadora peace plan, a plan instigated by the foreign ministers of Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela in 1983. The Contadora Group hoped to reduce tensions in Central America which were rooted in the U.S.-led war to undermine the leftist Sandinista government in Nicaragua and, in turn, the Sandinista government’s support for neighboring leftist movements. Ellacuría is pessimistic about Contadora. He states clearly that without the Reagan Administration’s commitment to peace, violence will continue. He also discusses why democracy is an illusion under President Duarte.