-Caveat Lector-
(I have always found it interesting that Peru should have a Japanese
president. I do not think I would return if I were he. Sounds rather
fishy)
Fujimori confirms he plans to quit
Peru's leader
to submit resignation
in 48 hours
Anti-government protesters are pushed by police during a demonstration
outside the Government Palace in Lima where they celebrated news Sunday that
President Alberto Fujimori's plans to resign within the next two days.
MSNBC NEWS SERVICES
TOKYO, Nov 20 - After weeks of scandal punctuated by sometimes bizarre
behavior, Peru's President Alberto Fujimori announced he will step down
after 10 years of rule within the next 48 hours. Cutting short a third
presidential term that was tainted by accusations of election fraud,
Fujimori issued a brief statement early Monday in Tokyo and it was unclear
if the president would return to Lima from his ancestral homeland.
'Fujimori cannot resign from Japan. He needs to return to Lima and have the
courage to present his resignation before Congress.'
- ALEJANDRO TOLEDO
Former presidential candidate PRIME MINISTER Federico Salas, who
first broke the news that Fujimori planned to step down, left open the
possibility of the 62-year-old leader would run for Congress, a move
political analysts say could guarantee him immunity from a string of
corruption investigations centered on his fugitive former spy chief
Vladimiro Montesinos.
Fujimori, who has ruled Peru with an iron hand, refused to meet with
a crowd of reporters who had gathered at his ritzy Tokyo hotel. A Peruvian
embassy official, who refused to give his name, handed out a brief statement
in Spanish confirming that the president would resign.
"President Alberto Fujimori confirmed ... that he is resigning as
president," the statement said. "In the course of 48 hours, he is going to
formalize the decision with the newly elected president of the Congress."
Second Vice President Ricardo Marquez said Fujimori had asked him to
step in as president until special elections are held in April and a new
leader takes office in July.
The statement issued by Fujimori did not explain why he was stepping
down. Salas said the president would give his reasons when he presents his
resignation to Congress on Monday or Tuesday.
"What I know is that he does not want to be an obstacle to the
process of democratization so that the next elections can be elections
absolutely transparent for the Peruvian people," Salas told radio station
Radioprogramas.
On hearing the news from Tokyo, jubilant anti-Fujimori protesters
gathered in Lima's main square outside the government palace with banners
reading "Thank God, the tyrant has fled."
CABINET ANGRY
Fujimori's ministers said they had decided to resign but would
continue on until it was clear who was taking over the government. In a
written statement, the ministers expressed their "indignation" that Fujimori
's announcement was "made outside the country in the context of a grave
crisis and uncertainty about his return."
Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori at APEC in Brunei on Thursday.
Several ministers, including Carlos Bolona in the key economy
portfolio, have hinted they will run in the elections. Under election rules,
they would have to quit next month to do so.
That could spook Peru's already struggling economy just as Bolona
prepares to tie up agreement on key macroeconomic targets for next year on
which $1 billion in loans hinge.
Peru's military high command said in a statement that it would
respect any changes in the government now that Fujimori has resigned, as
long as those changes respected the constitution.
In Washington, White House spokeswoman Mary Ellen Countryman said the
United States would work with the Organization of American States to insure
a smooth transition.
"What's important for Peru is that the transition to the April 8
elections proceeds smoothly and peacefully. And we will continue to work
with the OAS on that process."
A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
it is "unclear ... who will head the interim government. We urge all parties
to work together to assure a peaceful orderly and constitutional
transition."
Fujimori's announcement came amid a growing corruption scandal around
Montesinos. The scandal forced Fujimori to announce in September that he
would step down in July after new elections - ending a decade of iron-fisted
rule.
SUCCESSION MURKY
Normally under the constitution, First Vice President Francisco
Tudela would assume the presidency. But Tudela presented his resignation
hours after Montesinos returned to Peru on Oct. 23 after a failed asylum bid
in Panama. Tudela complained that Fujimori was not in control of Montesinos
and his allies.
Marquez, the second vice president, had said that he, too, would
resign if Congress - which last week came under opposition control for the
first time since 1992 - took measures to remove Fujimori. But he said Sunday
that Fujimori asked him not to quit.
"I've just spoken with him and he has said he would like me to assume
the position and I told the president that ... I am going to take the post,"
Marquez told radio station CPN.
But there were signs that a power struggle may develop.
Former presidential candidate Alejandro Toledo - who boycotted a May
runoff against Fujimori, alleging fraud - said in a radio interview from
France that Marquez's association with Fujimori's "illegitimate" government
should rule him out as a transition leader.
He also demanded that Fujimori return to Peru. "Fujimori cannot
resign from Japan," Toledo told reporters upon arriving at the airport in
Madrid. "He needs to return to Lima and have the courage to present his
resignation before Congress."
Peru's human rights ombudsman Jorge Santistevan said Tudela, the
first vice president, had the right to the post because Congress had not yet
accepted his resignation.
"I am sure Tudela is up to the circumstances of administering the
executive branch until the end and guaranteeing that Paniagua plays the role
that corresponds to his democratic credentials in Congress," Santistevan
said.
Next in line for succession after the second vice president is the
Congress president, Valentin Paniagua, a political moderate who was
installed last week by opposition legislators.
WAVE OF RUMORS
Fujimori's trip abroad prompted a wave of rumors that he would step
down and seek asylum. He was criticized for leaving Peru to attend the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in Brunei on Wednesday and
Thursday.
On Friday, he made an unannounced detour to Japan, canceling a
planned trip to Panama this weekend where Spanish-speaking and
Portuguese-speaking leaders held an Ibero-American summit.
At first Japanese officials had said he was in the country only for a
layover to change planes, then Japan's Foreign Ministry said Fujimori would
stay longer than planned because he had a cold.
But later Saturday, the Peruvian government announced that Fujimori
planned to remain in Tokyo until Wednesday to negotiate loans to ease Peru's
financial problems.
Fujimori, who first came to power in 1990, was born to Japanese
immigrant parents who picked cotton in Peru until they opened a tailor's
shop in downtown Lima.
The president has maintained strong ties to Japan. His son, Hiro,
lives there, as do his sister and brother-in-law, Victor Aritomi, Peru's
ambassador to the country.
Fujimori's grip on power began to fall apart after Montesinos, his
longtime top aide was seen apparently bribing an opposition lawmaker to
support the government. A videotape of the meeting between Montesinos and
the lawmaker was leaked to the media. Montesinos fled to Panama but was
denied asylum and returned to Peru.
Since then, Fujimori has led an unsuccessful manhunt for Montesinos,
who is wanted for alleged money-laundering after Swiss authorities froze $48
million in accounts linked to the former spymaster. The amount under
investigation swelled to $58 million after other accounts were discovered,
authorities said.
Montesinos faces criminal complaints in Peru ranging from directing
state-sponsored death squads and torture to skimming profits from narcotics
trades during his 10 years as Fujimori's top aide.
Despite Montesinos' dark reputation, Fujimori for years defended
their close relationship, insisting that Montesinos had proved highly
effective in helping to defeat leftist rebels and undercut narcotics
trafficking.
Fujimori won a third five-year term last May in an election marred by
irregularities and boycotted by international observers. His foes said
Montesinos masterminded an illegal campaign of intimidation, fraud and dirty
tricks to ensure Fujimori's victory.
"Fujimori's resignation under these circumstances does nothing but
confirm his responsibility for 10 years of control of Peru by a mafia," said
opposition Congressman Fernando Olivera. "Fujimori is mistaken if he thinks
that this resignation will be enough to obtain complete impunity. The slate
should not be wiped clean."
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html
<A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
