UN mission says proposed Guatemalan budget contravenes peace accords

The United Nations mission in Guatemala overseeing the peace agreement between the government and rebels has called for transferring funds from military spending to social areas and enhancing civil justice, saying the latest budget contravenes the accords that ended a three-decade-long civil war.

Noting that the proposed 2004 budget increases military spending significantly while decreasing funds for public security and the rule of law, the UN mission also called for a significant increase in funding for the health ministry and for the agencies responsible for settling land disputes and defending the rights of indigenous women.

The mission said the proposed budget also ran counter to commitments made with donors at the 2002 Consultative Group meeting.

The UN Human Rights Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA) was created in 1994 and its mandate expanded in 1997 in order to continue to verify compliance with the peace agreements signed between the Government and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG).