USA: PERUVIAN PRESIDENT FUJIMORI VISIT

Описание: (28 Sep 2000) Natural Sound

President Alberto Fujimori flew to Washington on Thursday for urgent meetings with the Organization of American States.

However, unconfirmed news reports said Fujimori also planned to seek meetings with high-ranking officials in the U.S. State Department.

His surprise departure from Peru comes amidst growing rumours of a military coup.

The crisis came when a congressman accused the army of pressuring lawmakers to provoke a coup within 20 days.

Miguel Mendoza, who defected from the opposition to join Fujimori's Peru 2000 party, said the army intended to permit the return of Montesinos.

He announced Wednesday that he was quitting Fujimori's party, and said joining it had been a mistake.

The army has called Mendoza's allegations of a coup plot "absolutely false."

But Peruvians are on edge.

The crisis comes as the country was initiating dialogues to repair what many call a damaged democracy.

A meeting between government and opposition representatives was suspended soon after Mendoza made his allegation.

In Washington, Philip Reeker the U.S. State Department spokesman said the U-S were behind democratic moves being made in Peru.

He added that the military's role is to protect the constitutional order and not to go against it.

Fujimori recently announced that he would call new elections in which he would not be a candidate.

He said he would relinquish power to a new government on July 28, 2001.

The decision came after Vladimiro Montesinos was caught on videotape apparently bribing an opposition congressman to defect to Fujimori's ranks.

Montesinos fled the country for Panama on Sunday amid the corruption scandal.

He hand-picked the top commanders of the army, who are believed to be loyal to him.

At least 10 lawmakers from Fujimori's Peru 2000 political alliance have abandoned the party since the scandal broke.

Fujimori's legislative bloc held only 54 seats in the 120-member Congress.

This means the control he maintained during the last eight years of his 10-year presidency has been eliminated.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We have very much supported the OAS process in terms of Peru.
And what we'd like to see is a transition through peaceful, democratic processes. The transition in power and OAS dialogue is very much a part of that as you know."
SUPER CAPTION: Philip Reeker, U.S. State Department spokesman

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Well I think the statement reaffirms what they've said before in terms of their previously voiced stand that the military is very much for maintaining constitutional order, and that's very much what we expect them to do."
SUPER CAPTION: Philip Reeker, U.S. State Department spokesman

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...