ACR LGT CREW SUFFERS THROUGH A PERIOD OF CONFUSION IN ATTEMPTS TO MAKE A VISUAL APCH TO ARPT IN A WX AVOIDANCE PLAN.

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ON DSCNT INTO EL SALVADOR (CAT VOR) OUR WX RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF TSTMS N OF RWYS 7/25. APCH CTL CLRED US TO DSND TO 10000 FT MSL. (WE HAD REQUESTED AND RECEIVED APPROVAL FOR WX DEV FROM 13000 FT.) THE RWY IN USE WAS RWY 25. WE REQUESTED PERMISSION TO INTERCEPT THE VOR/DME ARC TO RWY 25. THIS REQUEST WAS DENIED AND APCH TOLD US TO CLB BACK UP TO 13000 FT AND GO DIRECT TO THE CAT VOR. WE CLBED BACK TO 13000 FT; BUT SAID THAT WE COULD NOT TURN DIRECTLY TO THE VOR; AS THIS WOULD PUT US INTO THE WX. WE ADVISED THAT FROM OUR POS WE HAD THE RWY IN SIGHT AND WE WERE IN VMC. WE REQUESTED A VMC DSCNT FROM OUR POS OUT OVER THE WATER TO PATTERN ALT AND COME BACK IN TO LAND ON RWY 25 (THE FIELD WAS RPTING VFR). WE WERE THEN CLRED FOR THIS. AFTER DSCNT TO 1300 FT WE ADVISED OUR POS AND TOLD BY APCH TO NOW MAINTAIN 4000 FT AND CLRED TO THE VOR FOR RWY 7 ILS CIRCLE TO LAND RWY 25. AGAIN; WE TOLD APCH WE WERE VMC; BUT WE CLBED TO 4000 FT AND WENT DIRECT TO THE VOR. (WE DID NOT KNOW WHY WE WERE ISSUED THIS CLRNC.) WE AGAIN ASKED FOR A VMC DSCNT. APCH ASKED IF WE HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT. WE SAID YES AND WERE THEN CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH. THERE WAS OBVIOUS CONFUSION DURING THIS ENTIRE EPISODE. WE WERE UNCERTAIN WHY APCH KEPT ISSUING US DIFFERENT CLRNCS OR WHICH ONE WE WERE TO BE CLRED FOR! CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: NON RADAR ENVIRONMENT; LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES (NOT BEING ABLE TO UNDERSTAND OUR REQUEST FOR VMC APCH). CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: RADAR! STANDARDIZATION TERMS.