STlDPISTlDPI ORALORAL HISTORYHISTORY (02)(02) 1'.77f'.TI Yale-UNYale-UN Oral History Project Diego ArriArriaa Jean Krasno, IntervieweInterviewerr September 5, 19919977 New York, New YorkYork.. Yale-UN Oral History Project Diego ArriArriaa Jean Krasno. IntervieweInterviewerr September 5, 19919977 New York, New YorYorkk Index: Central America Atlatcal Battalion 20 Contadora Process 2-3 Caricom Conference 3I31 Cold War 8 ElEI Salvador Peace Process 2,4,8,13-14,16-17,19-22 European Union 4 Frente Farabundo MaliiMali! para la Liberacfon Nacional (FMLN) 5,5,11,19-20,23 11, 19-20,23 Governors' Island 32 Group of Friends ElEI SalvadorSalvador 2-3,5-9,2-3,5-9,11,13-14,17-19,21 II, 13-14, 17-19,21 HaitiHaiti 24-25,29-30,32-33,37 GuatemalaGuatemala 39-46 Haiti Sanctions against 32, 38-39 Organization of American States (OAS) 26, 30-32,34, 36-37 San Jose Agreement 23 Spain 3 Truth Commission 13,20,2213,20, 22 UN General Assembly 28 UN Observer Mission in ElEI Salvador (ONUSAL) 23 UN Security CouncilCoul1cil 1,13,21,27-34,37,39,43 Venezuela Role in ElEI SalvacloranSalvadoran peace processprocess 2, 7, ]0, 15, 19-22,24-25,]9-22,24-25, 38,42 Role in Haitian peace processprocess 2,4,8,22,25-30,33,38-39 Role in Guatemalan peace processprocess 2,4,38,42,44-45 • • ..• 11• .­ 1 • Yale UN Oral History Interview with Dr. Diego AlTiAlTiaa • Interviewer: Jean KrasnKrasnoo • September 5, 19919977 • New York, New YorYorkk • Jean Krasno (JK): This isis an interviewinterview with Dr. Diego Arria ofVenezuela. This isis September 5, iI 1997. We are interviewinginterviewing inin New York City inin his residence and I am thethe interviewer,interviewer, Jean iI Krasno. iI Dr. Arria, for thethe record, could you explain when you first became associated with thethe United 11 Nations and when you became ambassador toto thethe UN? .­ Dr. Diego Arria: I became Pennanent Representative inin January 1991 and I was therethere tUltiltUltil thethe end 11 of 1993. I served on thethe Security Council as Pennanent Representative ofVenezue1aofVenezuela for two years, iI from 1992 toto 1993. iI JK: Venezuela was on thethe Security COlU1cil during thisthis period. • DA: Exactly, we took,took, along with thethe United States, thethe issueissue toto thethe Security Council. • JK: When you say thethe issue,issue, you tooktook thethe issueissue oYElofEl Salvador toto thethe Security Council. Did • • 1 • • 2 it Venezuela serve as president during that period? • DA: I served as president during the month of March in 1992. • IJ JK: Venezuela has played a very key role in the resolution of a munber of conflicts in this hemisphere and has been a member ofthe Groups ofFriends on several different issues: El ill Salvador, Haiti, and then most recently in Guatemala. I would like to talk to you about Venezuela's role in these three groups. Perhaps we should take them one at a time and try to keep them distinct. • How did the Friends Group form on El Salvador and what was its relation to the Contadora • Process? • DA: Well, its origin really comes from the Contadora process. Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, and • Panama actually were involved and tried to be a supportive element to the resolution oftheofthe ill conflicts in the Central American area, fundamentally, in the case ofElofEl Salvador. Then Secretary­Secretary- 11 General of the United Nations, Perez de Cuellar, had the idea -- it was an innovation at the time -­ to pick Mexico, Colombia, Spain, and Venezuela to be the Friends ofthe Secretary-General on El ill Salvador, to help the Secretary-General in the process of negotiating the peace agreement. At the end, at the last months of the process, the United States became what we called the "four friends ill- Ill! plus one," which was the inclusion ofthe United States which proved to be ofextraordinary importance in the resolution of the conflict. ill ill JK: In the selection ofthese original four countries, three were a pmt ofthe Contadora Process. But .......r : 2 J I 3 ­ Panama had also been in the Contadora Group. Why were they not included as a member of the I Group of Friends? - DA: The political landscape of Panama had changed. President Manuel Solis Palma was not there anymore. He had been killed in an accident, remember. So, there were players and new leaders in - the region. So, that is why Panama was not included. But Colombia was a protpaIt of the process. The - inclusion of the United States in the process actually made more real the whole negotiating process. , The U.S. was velY much involved tlu'oughout the whole process during the conflict and the war , and then in the solution of the conflict But they were doing this through bilateral negotiations. When the Secretary-GeneralSecretaI'y-General involved the U.S. in the Friends, it became a velY constructive process , because the player that had the weight was the U.S.U.S. This was a euphemism to call it the I'four"four , friends plus one" but the "plus one" became a fundamental contribution. At the time it was . , Ambassador Pickering who was anall extraordinary representative ofthe United States. , JK: Why was Spain included in the group? , DA: Spain, because ofthe role that Filipe GonzalezGonzmez fundamentally played. It was a way to include ,11... a EuropeanEUrOpeaI1 cOlU1tlYCOlU1tlY instead of France.FraIlce. IfIfYOll you remember in the Contadora Group, France had a velY , conflicting relationship with the United States regarding the Contadora process, originally. Mitten-and,Mitte1TaI1d, at one time, even made a proposal from Europe. So, I think the Secretaly-General was , wise to bring a European countly, in this case Spain, with a committed head of state like Felipe , Gonzalez, committed to the Latin American cultures. He enjoyed great tmst from the guelTilla , 3 , • 4 - groups and fi'omft'om thethe govemment. - JK: Was therethere some importanceimportance toto have a linklink toto thethe European Union throughthrough Spain? III DA: Yes, II thinkthink it gave fom1allyfom1ally a balance. There was Mexico, a big country inin thethe area, Colombia • and Venezuela, not as big but also very active players inin thethe same region,region, and Spain, which hac! a • socialist govermnent, who could be trustedtrusted by thethe guerrilla movement and at thethe same timetime respectablerespectable enough toto be trustedtrusted by thethe goverru11ent inin El Salvador. ItIt had thisthis balance. II thinkthink thatthat • was thethe reason.reason. • f JK: What were Venezuela's interestsinterests inin Central America or inin EIEl Salvador? f DA: You know, even today,today, inin Venezuela, and tln-oughtln-ough thethe process, public opinion never f understood why Venezuela would get involvedinvolved inin thethe Salvadorian process or inin thethe Guatemalan or III Haitian process when we had so many internalinternal problems. We had at thethe time,time, a president who was velY active inin hemispheric issues,issues, CarlosCat'los Andres Perez.perez. II think,think, thanksthanks toto his vision, thatthat Venezuela III became a velY importantimportant player inin thethe process, fundamentallyfundamentally because of his initiatives.initiatives. InIn thethe case ~ ofEIofEl Salvador, he thoughtthought itit was a part ofthe region,region, thatthat thethe process should be solved by ~ olU'selves, thatthat we should not letlet thethe "big brother" ofthe hemisphere resolveresolve thethe problems of thethe region,region, the we, thethe Latin Americans themselves,themselves, should be a p81i ofthe process. That isis why he , bec81ne so committed. We are inin thethe area, and inin thethe Caribbean; therethere isis a certain proximity, not , likelike thethe proximity of Colombia. There would be velY fewfew people inin thethe country thatthat would share f 4 - I 55 I with him that concem. That isis a reality.reality. He waswas swimmingswimming againstagainst thethe CUl1'entCUl1'ent becausebecause mostmost I people couldn't care whether we were active oror notnot activeactive inin thethe case.case. WeWe areare aa strongstrong economy,economy, anan I active country, and a democratic countly who hadhad experienceexperience withwith intemalintemal problemsproblems inin thethe 1960s1960s ofof guen-i11as that we had solved and thisthis gave us moralmoral authorityauthority andand politicalpolitical authorityauthority toto bebe partpart ofof ­ the Group.Group. • JK: Did Venezuela have thethe same kind of relationshiprelationship withwith bothboth partiesparties thatthat youyou hadhad talkedtalked aboutabout inin ,• relation to Spain, the confidence of both sides?sides? DA: The guelTilla leaders, thethe FMLN leaders,leaders, likelike ShafikShafile HandalHandal oror SamayoaSamayoa hadhad metmet withwith thethe , president of Venezuela on many opportunities andand theythey leamedleamed toto trusttrust himhim enormously.enormously. YouYou would see Perez in the process, personally influential because ofthe trust that he had developed and '/: would see Perez in the process, personally influential because ofthe trust that he had developed and •" , the effort that Venezuela had made. Venezuela hostedhosted manymany ofofthethe meetings,meetings, asas youyou know.know. WhenWhen the process would lose speed, thethe president would getget involvedinvolved andand movemove thethe playersplayers onon bothboth sides.sides. , He would speak to Cristiani. He would speakspeak toto thethe guerrillaguerrilla leadersleaders inin orderorder toto maintainmaintain thethe , momentum. As I will telltell you later,later, thatthat was velYvelY impOliantimpOliant duringduring