Chile asks court to silence former Peruvian president Fujimori
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said on Tuesday that her government had sent an official request to the Supreme Court asking it to silence former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori to avoid creating problems between Chile and Peru.

"Some of the statements that are now flooding the media are not positive... neither for Peru which is in the middle of holding important elections, nor for Chile-Peru relations," Bachelet told a press conference.

Bachelet was responding to a letter delivered to the Chilean ambassador in Lima, in which the Peruvian government said it was unhappy with Fujimori's public statements.

The government had asked the tribunal to "take the measures it deems necessary" to bring this situation to an end.

Chilean judges are examining an extradition petition issued by the Peruvian government for Fujimori, who ruled there from 1990 to 2000. Peru wants to try him for alleged human rights abuses and corruption.

Fujimori arrived in Chile last November from Tokyo, saying he was ending five years of exile in Japan and seeking to run in Peru's presidential elections. He was arrested upon arrival after the Peruvian government requested his extradition.

Fujimori was released last week after spending six months in a Chilean prison, and he has since given a series of interviews.

Bachelet said her government had sent the court request, because Chile wants to make sure that Fujimori's public statements "don't affect the Chile-Peru relationship."

In Lima, Peru's Justice Minister Alejandro Tudela made a public statement, saying that "the head of state's swift response shows how false Fujimori's statements are."

He said Fujimori will soon have to be silent on anything that affects the interests of Peru and Chile.