Member of the Government of El Salvador, Mr David Rodriguez, and Director of the community development orgnanisation FUDECOM, Dr Antonio Hernandez, will address a public meeting on Monday November 16 at 6.30pm.  The meeting will be at the Elizabeth St meeting room of the Hobart Town Hall.

Mr Rodriguez’s party won government this year after decades of struggle to loosen the hold of traditional colonial power in El Salvador.  Mr Rodriguez was a priest, who took up arms during the civil war and went on to become a politician after the Peace Accords were signed.

He is touring Australia to inform the community about the aims of the new government in El Salvador and how Australia can be involved at this historic moment.  Mr Rodriguez and Dr Hernandez will also be meeting with the large Salvadoran community in Australia. 

The meeting is being hosted by Greens Alderman Bill Harvey.  Alderman Harvey visited El Salvador in 1993 as an international observer for the first election following the peace accords which ended the civil war.

“We are proud to welcome Mr Rodriguez and Dr Hernandez to Hobart and to celebrate the new FMLN government in El Salvador.  It is a date with history that we have anticipated for a long time, and made indescribable sacrifices to achieve” said local Salvadoran-Australian René Aragón.  “Now we want to work with this new government to achieve a more just and fair society in El Salvador, and we invite the people of Australia to join us”, he said.