SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS REPORT OF GUATEMALA'S CLARIFICATION COMMISSION IS GREAT ACHIEVEMENT FOR PEOPLE STRUGGLING TO ACHIEVE PEACE WITH JUSTICE

25 February 1999

Press Release
SG/SM/6905
CA/18

SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS REPORT OF GUATEMALA'S CLARIFICATION COMMISSION IS GREAT ACHIEVEMENT FOR PEOPLE STRUGGLING TO ACHIEVE PEACE WITH JUSTICE

19990225 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Declaring Public Commission's Report, Kofi Annan Calls for Its Broad Dissemination To Help Further Goals of National Reconciliation in Guatemala

Following is the statement of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which was delivered by the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Alvaro de Soto, to the ceremony for the submission of the report of the Historical Clarification Commission of Guatemala, in Guatemala City today:

It is an honour for me to receive the final report of the Historical Clarification Commission of Guatemala. This day marks a milestone in Guatemala's long and difficult return to peace, stability, justice and respect for human rights. It is a milestone that reveals not only how far you have come from the conflict of the past, but also shows the way forward -- towards a peace of the brave. Let me, therefore, also pay tribute to President Alvaro Arzú, whose presence today symbolizes his profound commitment, on behalf of the Guatemalan State, to a lasting peace.

The road that you have travelled is one that many countries in many parts of the world have travelled, too. In every instance, this voyage has demanded the courage to see the past as it was and the future as it can be. Above all, it has taught us all that failing to acknowledge past events of violence and violations of human rights can jeopardize lasting reconciliation. With this report, Guatemala can show tangible evidence that the other choice -- for truth, for honesty, for honouring the victims of past abuses by acknowledging the reality of their suffering -- can be an example to the entire world.

One of the strengths of the Guatemalan peace process is its development of a comprehensive concept of the requirements of national reconciliation. At the core of this concept is the idea that all sectors of society should have the opportunity to rebuild, together, a more just and more equitable society and a more efficient State to serve it, drawing the right lessons from mistakes of the past.

At the same time, the peace accords make it clear that solid foundations for a new nation cannot be constructed on silence and forgetfulness with regard to what happened during the recently ended conflict; that a just

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society cannot be built on tolerance for the most egregious acts of violence that occurred in the past, and that a society cannot heal and achieve new levels of unity and solidarity by turning away from the plight of those who suffered, and are still suffering, as a result of the war.

This ceremony, therefore, marks not just the culmination of the work of the Clarification Commission, but the beginning of the process of assimilation and follow-up on its recommendations and follow-through on the concept of national reconciliation, contained within the peace accords as a whole. The task undertaken by the members of the Commission has been daunting: the production of an impartial and authoritative record on one of the most cruel and long-lasting conflicts in Latin America -- a conflict that left scores of thousands of casualties and bitterly divided Guatemalans for almost four decades, and to formulate specific recommendations to encourage peace and national harmony in Guatemala. Let me take this opportunity to pay tribute to the dedication of the three commissioners, Christian Tomuschat, Otilia Lux de Cotí and Alfredo Balsells Tojo, to this endeavour.

The report of the Clarification Commission can be no substitute for justice. But its widespread dissemination throughout Guatemala will allow for analysis, public debate and private contemplation of the chain of events and responsibilities that brought such tragedy to recent Guatemalan history. In order to ensure that events such as those that befell Guatemala in the last decades are never repeated, they must become a part of the nation's history and culture. Public awareness of Guatemala's heritage, together with the Commission's recommendations, will help strengthen the reform process to which the country aspires and the Government is committed through implementation of the peace accords.

This report is a great achievement for Guatemala and for people everywhere who still struggle to achieve peace with justice, knowing that any peace that turns away from the truth about the past is built on sand. Let me pay tribute to your other partners in this process, both national and international, governmental and non-governmental, who have committed their energies and resources to completing this process.

In accordance with the procedures established in the agreement that created the Historical Clarification Commission, I have the privilege to declare public the Commission's report and to invite all government institutions, as well as civil society organizations, national actors and the international community, the media and the citizenry at large, to help disseminate it and, in doing so, to further the goals of national reconciliation.

The hopes and prayers of the United Nations are with you as you complete the journey to lasting peace and dignity for every citizen of Guatemala.

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