Two days before the accord was signed, says a source close to the talks, Assistant Secretary of State Bernard Aronson, U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador William Walker and U.N. Ambassador Thomas Pickering met with Salvadoran President Alfredo Cristiani and Defense Minister Gen. Rene Emilio Ponce. The U.S. officials reportedly warned of major cuts in U.S. military and economic aid unless a cease-fire was signed before Perez de Cuellar’s term ended Dec. 31. “[Washington] wants to disengage completely from Central America,” says the source. “New Year’s Eve was their window of opportunity.”
