Salvadoran guerrilla push falters

Salvadoran leftist guerrillas do not appear to have scored any major victories in their self-styled "last offensive" against the country's centrist government.

Monitor Latin America correspondent James Nelson Goodsell writes, however, that El Salvador remains tense over guerrilla plans in the remaining days before Ronald Reagan's inauguration Jan. 20. The leftist guerrillas' command repeated Jan. 12 its threat to bring down the government of President Jose Napoleon Duarte before Mr. Reagan takes office and thus present the new administration in Washington with a fait accompli.

But so far the leftists appear to be having little success. Army units that were routed Jan. 11 from the military barracks in the town of Santa Ana retook them Jan. 12. Fighting was reported heavy in Chalatenango Province, north of San Salvador, the capital, but elsewhere most of the country reported general calm.

At least 200 people were reported killed during t he 24 hours ending at noon Jan. 12.