During a visit to Trocaire on the 29th of June 1998 Frank la Rue talked about the murder of Bishop Gerardi and the current situation in Guatemala.

He traced the bishop's murder to the decision taken by President Arzu last year to fire the army chief of staff and several other generals. The displaced generals represented the 'institutional faction', that is, they recognised the need for the transition to peace.The men he replaced them with are ineffectual leaders and as a consequence the army is now fractured with several tendencies vying for power. In this context the murder of Gerardi and the ensuing cover-up can be seen as technically a coup.

This murder carried a message to several sectors of society, particularly to the Church- to stop the search for truth, the exhumations and the prosecutions- to human rights activists -that nobody is safe in Guatemala- and to the government.

The government has responded with a cover-up. The first policemen on the scene of the crime destroyed the evidence. Then the FBI were invited in five days later when there was little left to go on. A young junkie was arrested and is still in jail even though he has a disabled right arm and couldn't have lifted the concrete block. The government still refuses to recognise that this was a political murder and is also letting it be known that too much pressure will weaken the government.

Frank la Rue would like the donor countries who are meeting to review the situation of Guatemala in October to monitor this investigation which will be concluding in September.

Since bishop Gerardi's death there have been a considerable number of death threats against human rights activists, particularly in rural areas and at grassroots level. The government and the media have also been mounting a campaign of vilification against human rights workers, portraying them as the defenders of criminals, in spite of a commitment given by the government in 1994 to defend their work.

On the positive side there is an ongoing campaign of civic education and citizen participation throughout the country and there are plans to present independent candidates backed by civic committees in the municipal elections next year.

There was also a successful strike by banana workers on the Atlantic coast.

The exhumations are going ahead. They are developing a regional approach by sending out teams to train local people to carry them out.This, though extremely painful for the people involved has a healing effect too, and ensures peoples' confidence in the results. They can even do the anthropometric and forensic studies locally. El Quiche and San Marcos are the latest departments to ask for help in this.

Frank la Rue considers that the process of globalization needn't be a bad thing and can be turned to the advantage of the Guatemalans.There are five monopolies that run Guatemala, sugar, beer, liquor, cement and chickens. That these should be exposed to competition can only be good.

On the international front Guatemalan progressives look benevolently on the strengthening of the EU as they consider this will counterbalance the hegemony of the USA. And having just returned from a conference in Kenya Mr.la Rue would like to see greater oportunities for a South-South dialogue outside of the walls of conference centres.

In summary the honeymoon is over. The years immediately after the peace accord were good. Noe however the level of security has worsened and the past has come back to haunt but at least the population is waking up and becoming more active.