World Notes EL SALVADOR

Unprecedented as they were, the talks between El Salvador's rebels and its political parties, including the ultra-right ARENA, ended near Mexico City last week without a breakthrough. Yet in offering to lay down their arms and join "the political life of the country" in exchange for military reforms and a six-month delay in the presidential elections scheduled for March 19, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) clearly scored a coup. By advancing a negotiable proposal, the rebels managed to put the U.S.-backed Salvadoran government -- and especially the army -- on the defensive.

The military and ARENA have both rejected the rebel offer, effectively eliminating it as a plausible alternative. But the FMLN initiative has fueled public expectations for peace. Washington responded with reserved praise for the meeting, which ended with an agreement that the government and the insurgents should begin peace talks immediately.

But the FMLN has not yet traded in its guns for campaign posters. The guerrillas attacked two major military bases and knocked out several main power lines last week, leaving 60% of the country without electricity. The message was pointed: Postpone the elections or prepare for an escalation of the war.