News In Brief

Salvadorean leader hails European support

President Jose Napoleon Duarte of El Salvador on Saturday praised European support for his nation's transition from dictatorship to democracy. Mr. Duarte, who arrived here Saturday from London on the final leg of a five-nation European tour, also said his government was prepared to negotiate with Salvadorean leftist guerrilla groups.

On the eve of his arrival, however, the Lisbon branch of the human rights group Amnesty International issued a statement charging that human rights violations had continued in El Salvador since Duarte took office June 1. The statement said Salvadoran state security forces and paramilitary organizations had killed 133 civilians and government bodies had arrested 47 persons illegally since the start of June.