The World - News from July 3, 1986

Salvadoran government spokesman Roberto Viera said that prospects for a new round of peace talks have dimmed because leftist rebels have refused to hold private meetings that would lay the groundwork for a public dialogue. “Without the private meetings, there is really no reason to hold the public talks,” Viera said. Commander Susana, second in command of the largest rebel army in El Salvador, the Popular Liberation Forces, said the guerrillas rejected the preliminary sessions because the government refused to open them to representatives of other political sectors, such as labor unions and human rights groups.