Latin America Laments
Over Death of
Argentine Ex-President
Another Six Million People
To Be
Impoverished In Latin America, SELA Warns
Chavez, South American
Leaders Busy in Doha
Brazil Calls For
Maturity To Deal
With Financial Crisis
Latin America
Laments Over Death of
Argentine Ex-President
Latin
American countries expressed on Wednesday
their mourning for the death of former
Argentine president Raul Alfonsin, who died
of lung cancer on Tuesday night.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da
Silva said in a message sent on Wednesday to
his Argentine counterpart Cristina Fernandez
that with the death of Alfonsin "South
America has lost a great builder of
democracy."
Alfonsin "was the maker of the alliance
between Brazil and Argentina and he leaves
memories of a man of dialogue, with deep
democratic conceptions," Lula said.
Former Brazilian president Jose Sarney said
in a statement on Wednesday that Alfonsin
was an example of ethic in politics and his
great heritage was laying the foundation for
Latin America's integration.
Peru's Council of Ministers issued a decree
of national mourning for Thursday due to the
death of Alfonsin.
Alfonsin "was a great friend of our country,
fighting to strengthen the ties between
Argentina and Peru and for the Latin
American integration," the Council of
Ministers said in a communique.
Chilean government spokeswoman Carolina Toha
said Wednesday that Chile will be
represented on Thursday on Alfonsin's
funerals by a delegation.
"He was a great defense for Chile to recover
its democracy and that is why we are
strongly sorry for his lost," Toha told the
press.
Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez also
lamented over the death of Alfonsin and said
he was a man of "peace and dialogue."
Colombian government regretted on Wednesday
the death of Alfonsin and expressed to
Argentine people its sympathy.
While expressing its "most sincere
condolence" to the Argentine government and
people in a communique, the Mexican
government said that Alfonsin was "one of
the most representative political leaderin
the modern history of Argentina, whose work
was essential to consolidate democracy and
institutionalization in that nation."
Born in 1927 in Argentina, Alfonsin won the
presidential election in 1983 after the
military dictatorship collapsed, and served
as president from 1983 to 1989.
Shortly after being elected, he ordered the
trial of leaders of the former ruling
military junta, which was considered as a
daring decision in Argentina where the
military had dominated for decades.
|
|
|
|
|
