[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 137 (Wednesday, November 12, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5947-S5948]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CHIXOY DAM REPARATIONS AGREEMENT
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, more than 30 years ago, in the midst of
Guatemala's civil war, the construction of a large hydroelectric dam on
the Chixoy River resulted in destruction of 33 indigenous Mayan
communities and the massacres of more than 400 villagers and other
abuses by the Guatemalan army.
The history of that tragedy is well known so I will not recount it
here. Suffice it to say that a great injustice was committed. There was
ample blame to go around between the Army, the World Bank, and Inter-
American Development Bank that financed the dam, governments, including
the United States, whose representatives on the banks' boards of
directors voted for the construction, and subsequent Guatemalan
Governments that failed to compensate the victims or punish those
responsible.
Last month, the Guatemalan Government and representatives of the
communities culminated many months of negotiations with an agreement to
implement the contents of the 2010 reparations plan, including
individual payments and community development investments that will be
financed over a period of years. The agreement was formalized at a
public ceremony on Saturday, November 1, attended by Guatemala's
President Otto Perez Molina, members of the communities, other
government officials, and representatives of the multilateral banks and
the United Nations.
There are many who thought this day would never come, and I commend
the commitment and patience of the members of the communities,
particularly those who lost loved ones so many years ago, the
Guatemalan officials who negotiated the agreement, President Perez
Molina for his personal support, as well as key officials from the
multilateral banks who played an indispensable role, and Inter-American
Development Bank President Luis Moreno, who also took a personal
interest. I also commend the U.S. Embassy officials and representatives
of the Catholic Church who provided encouragement and support during
this process. Finally, I want to acknowledge Guatemala's Ambassador to
the United States and the U.S. Treasury Department officials who
recognized the need to resolve this issue.
This is a historic milestone that finally begins to right a grievous
wrong, a wrong that was emblematic of the horrors of the armed conflict
that engulfed Guatemala a generation ago. A great many innocent people
lost their lives or their livelihoods in that war, and many of the key
provisions of the 1992 Peace Accords remain unfulfilled.
Until now, Chixoy was among the unfinished business, so this is a
welcome and important step toward addressing the damages suffered by
these communities. Yet I am as mindful as others that in many respects
this agreement is only the beginning. The task ahead is to ensure its
implementation, which will be the responsibility of the current and
future Guatemalan Governments, the multilateral banks that have pledged
to redirect some of their own resources to this effort, and all those
who care about Guatemala's past, present, and future.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a description of
Saturday's ceremony formalizing the agreement, provided by the
Guatemalan Embassy in Washington, be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
President Perez Molina Formalizes Historic Agreement
The President of Guatemala, Otto Perez Molina, formalized
an historic agreement for economical reparations for 33
communities of Baja Verapaz affected by the construction of
the Chixoy Hydroelectric in 1978.
A public event was held in the Municipal Stadium in
Rabinal, Baja Verapaz on Saturday, where representatives of
the Executive, the affected communities, the Human Rights
Ombudsman's Office, the Organization of American States and
the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights handed the Government Decree number 378-2014 to the
Communities.
``Today is an historic day'' expressed President Perez
Molina, ``one that closes a shameful chapter of abuses, human
rights violations and injustices suffered by thousands of
families that lived in the area where Chixoy was built''.
Also, in front of thousands of people from the affected
communities that attended the formalization of the Government
Decree at the Rabinal Municipal Stadium, he ratified his
administration's commitment to comply with the terms of the
Public Policy.
He continued to express, on behalf of the State of
Guatemala, a public apology to the families of the 33
communities that were wronged by the construction in 1978 of
the Chixoy Hydroelectric Dam. With this public apology, he
began implementing the Government Decree for moral and
material reparations. ``I want to be the first to follow
through with the public policy of reparations and comply with
one of the main points of the agreement which is
responsibility of the Presidency of Guatemala. So today, in
this historic day of happiness and celebration of
[[Page S5948]]
the Agreement reached by the Government and the Communities,
I want to take the first step and publicly apologize as
President of the Republic, as representative of the unity of
our citizens, for the abuse and human rights violations that
each one of the communities suffered''.
He continued to say: ``On behalf of the State of Guatemala
I ask you to accept these apologies so that we can heal the
wounds in our hearts without forgetting the injustices and
human rights violations that occurred''.
President Perez Molina also said that he felt honored that
his administration managed to reach an historic agreement
that will contribute to overcome the drama that the
Communities suffered for more than three decades. He
continued to say that with the public event to recognize and
repair the affected populations, one of his main objectives
when taking office in January of 2012 was fulfilled. He went
back and quoted his inauguration speech: ``I ask God to grant
us the wisdom to actively promote true reconciliation. A
reconciliation that gives us the strength to work on our
pending issues, on unattended injustices, on reconstructing
our social fabric and to keep investing on the most valuable
thing our Guatemala has, its citizens.''
Public Policy for Reparation of Damages
Several Government officials attended the public event,
which had Vice President Roxana Baldetti as honor witness.
Present also were representatives of the communities, local
authorities and representatives of international
organizations.
President Perez Molina highlighted that the agreement
required a public policy for reparations and a structured
plan to combat poverty, social injustice, inequality and the
abandonment that these communities have suffered.
The Government Decree that gives life to this agreement was
published on Friday in the Official Gazette and establishes
the Public Policy for the Reparation of the Communities
Affected by the Construction of the Chixoy Hydroelectric Dam.
The Policy will be applied to benefit 11,383 families and
will offer basic infrastructure for 33 communities in Baja
Verapaz, Alta Verapaz and Quiche, where the affected
populations lived when the violations occurred.
President Perez Molina highlighted that the implementation
during 2015 and 2016 has a budget of 200 million dollars for
individual reparations. Besides individual pay, the
Government will direct 1 billion quetzals in the next 15
years to build basic infrastructure in the 33 affected
communities.
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