CONGO: GENERAL DENIS SASSOU-NGUESSO SWORN IN AS PRESIDENT

Описание: (25 Oct 1997) French/Nat

The former military ruler of the Republic of Congo made his return to power official on Saturday as he was sworn in as president.

General Denis Sassou-Nguesso seized the post after winning a four-month bloody battle to oust President Pascal Lissouba in an October 15 military takeover.

Sassou-Nguesso's victory allowed him to recapture the office he lost in 1992, when he lost the presidency to Lissouba in democratic elections.

General Denis Sassou-Nguesso arrived at his swearing-in on Saturday, surrounded by the military which helped return him to power.

Thousands greeted the former dictator with cheers and chanting as he arrived.

Congolese militia and Angolan government troops played a key role in returning General Sassou-Nguesso to power.

He returns to the post he held from 1979 to 1991, when public discontent - and a multiparty election defeat - forced him out of office.

On Saturday, the people of Brazzaville were able to forget its past for a day as they watched their new leader take the oath of office.

SOUNDBITE: (French)
"I, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, president of the republic."
SUPER CAPTION: General Denis Sassou-Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo

The 54 year-old vowed before a crowd of 15-hundred to uphold the rights and freedoms of his people - people desperate for stability and peace.

SOUNDBITE: (French)
"To guarantee the respect of fundamental rights for human beings and public freedoms."
SUPER CAPTION: General Denis Sassou-Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo

The pomp and circumstance of the ceremony were in sharp contrast to the months of violence and fear the people of Brazzaville have witnessed.

Although Sassou-Nguesso called for a period of national reconciliation and healing, he also vowed to pursue his opponent Lissouba on charges of genocide.

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