Peru's Garcia Toughens
Stance on Protests
The Peruvian government
has toughened again its
stance on protesters by
denouncing a conspiracy
and describing the
protests as a domestic
security issue.
The day after the
beginning of a
nationwide strike to
demand social and
political decisions to
meet the people's needs,
President Alan Garcia
claimed "extremist
groups" are preparing a
"conspiracy" against the
democratic system and
stability.
Garcia abandoned his
conciliatory stance from
the previous day, when
he said he understood
the unrest and admitted
that it was shared by a
majority.
However, he noted that
in the light of the
alleged conspiracy, the
State will remain strong
and the Government will
stand its ground.
"This is a plot, a
conspiracy underway. The
president of the
Republic is neither fool
nor alien to understand
that this is not just a
protest," Garcia said.
He added that some
sectors want to take
advantage of the strike
to attack the system,
take over power
violently and establish
another system.
The President accused
the entire protest
movement of being
involved in disturbances
reported in the
Amazonian city of Puerto
Maldonado, where an
unidentified group set
the headquarters of the
regional government on
fire.
Garcia offered "to do
everything possible and
sensitive" and "nothing
that is irrational and
absurd" to mitigate the
impact of high oil and
food prices on the world
market, which have a
negative influence on
the cost of living. |
