El Salvador, in the view of many citizens, may be trying to hold its place as Uncle Sam's favorite nephew by keeping some of its troops in Iraq despite opposition at home.

BY CATHERINE ELTON
Special to The Herald

SAN SALVADOR - One of the smallest countries in the region, El Salvador seems an unlikely actor in Iraq. But it is increasingly standing out in Latin America for its role there, largely because it's still there.

Honduras and the Dominican Republic pulled their troops out of Iraq last April. And two months before that, Nicaragua stopped sending soldiers. But neither this rapid loss of company nor escalating violence in Iraq -- which claimed the life of one Salvadoran soldier and wounded 15 -- nor supposed threats of retaliation by al Qaeda have shaken the Salvadoran government's seemingly imperturbable dedication to this increasingly unpopular mission.

''El Salvador suffered a prolonged internal conflict, and thanks to the support of the international community, it achieved a lasting peace,'' President Tony Saca told the United Nations recently as he explained the rationale for the presence of El Salvador's Cuscatlan Batallion in Iraq.

''We believe it is time for us to put our experience to the service of other peoples,'' he added.

But many here say the government's decision to stay in Iraq is really about the ruling party's long-standing, almost obsessive quest to be Uncle Sam's favorite nephew.

''Staying on created a contrast with those who left, giving El Salvador the opportunity to prove itself even more faithful to the United States, to be the one country that wouldn't betray it,'' said Luis González, who edits the political journal Proceso.

PAST U.S. AID

The United States poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the Salvadoran military for its fight against leftist rebels in the 1980s. A U.N.-brokered peace accord ended the war in 1992.

Some analysts argue that Washington also helped deliver in March a fourth consecutive presidential term for the conservative ARENA party, backed by the traditional economic elite. U.S. government officials repeatedly stated that relations with El Salvador could suffer if the leftist opposition party were to win.

Ruben Zamora, a former guerrilla commander and a current legislator for the United Democratic Center party, says that the economic elite consider Washington to be their ''life insurance.'' That's why, he says, the Salvadoran government often ``gives the U.S. even more than it asks for.''

Zamora's party, along with the party of the former guerrilla movement, the FMLN, and a few other legislators voted against sending troops to Iraq. But ARENA, with the support of a smaller party and a few stray votes, prevailed.

Since a little more than a year ago, the government has sent three contingents, each of about 380 soldiers, to Iraq for six-month tours.

Sending troops to Iraq, analysts say, may be the boldest thank you extended to the United States. But it is not the first. Former President Francisco Flores, who left office in June, kept up a constant clash with another Washington nemesis, Fidel Castro, during his rule.

If Salvadoran leaders are extending Washington a thank you for past help, many here say their motives also have a lot to do with the future.

CURRENT ISSUES

Today, the country's economy is overwhelmingly dependent on the remittances that the approximately two million Salvadorans who live in the United States send home, totaling about 16 percent of the gross domestic product.

The Salvadoran government does a lot of lobbying with U.S. officials on migration issues. The countless Salvadorans waiting for checks at home, and the half of the population that polls show would like to emigrate, appreciate it.

Nonetheless, nearly 72 percent of Salvadorans do not agree with the government's decision to send troops to Iraq, according to a recent University of Central America poll.

''So many of us live there that we are more a part of the United States now than our own country,'' said Concepción Arevalo, whose soldier husband is in Iraq. ``If the war was in the United States, it would be fine to send our troops, but this war is in Iraq. We don't have anything to do with Iraq.''

RISK ASSESSED

In addition to risking the lives of their soldiers, Salvadorans also fear that their own lives could be on the line as a result of this cooperation.

Last month, news reports made public a number of postings on the Internet, allegedly from al Qaeda-linked groups, threatening to attack El Salvador unless it withdrew from Iraq.

Deputy Security Minister Rodrigo Avila says that, while the government takes all threats seriously, he believes these are hoaxes or come from people who have no ability to take action.

''Our presence in Iraq doesn't necessarily mean that we are more susceptible to an attack,'' he said. ``Lots of countries are in Iraq and haven't had problems.''

But as remote as the possibility of a terrorist attack may seem, some Salvadorans say it's a possibility that didn't exist before.