Latin America Condemns
Murder of Bhutto
Latin American countries
Thursday expressed
unanimous condemnation
of the assassination of
Pakistan's opposition
leader and former prime
minister Benazir Bhutto.
Bhutto, 54, was killed
Thursday evening in a
suicide bombing attack
during her election
rally at the Liaquat
Bagh park in Rawalpindi,
some 30 km south of the
Pakistani capital
Islamabad. At least 20
others were killed in
the attack.
The Mexican Foreign
Ministry said in a
statement that Mexico
condemned the violent
acts and deplored the
loss of human lives,
adding that it rejects
terrorist acts in all
forms. It also expressed
condolences to the
families of all those
killed in the attack.
Chilean President
Michelle Bachelet
expressed her strong
condemnation of the
assassination. "As
president I reject any
act of this nature,
where political violence
reaches the level of
killing an opposition
leader and a group of
people."
Argentine President
Cristina Fernandez said
her government offered
its sincerest
condolences to the
families of Bhutto and
other victims and to the
Pakistani people.
Brazilian President Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva
sent a letter to his
Pakistani counterpart
Pervez Musharraf, saying
he heard of the
terrorist attack with
"great sadness and
indignation."
The Brazilian Foreign
Ministry expressed its
condemnation of the
murder and called for
dialogue in Pakistan.
The Venezuelan Foreign
Ministry said it
rejected and condemned
the "blind act of
violence" that killed
Bhutto and other
innocent men and women.
Peruvian President Alan
Garcia ordered the
nation's flags to be
flown at half mast and
condemned the
assassination as "a
repulsive murder."
Dominican Republic
Foreign Minister Carlos
Morales, whose country
currently holds the
rotating presidency of
the Group of Rio,
expressed the group's
"deep pains" in hearing
the murder of Bhutto and
its dismay over the
"barbarous acts."
Rosario Murillo,
Nicaragua's presidential
spokeswoman, expressed
her country's
condemnation of the
murder.
Rejecting the use of
violence as a way to
eradicate political
differences, the
Panamanian government
said it was saddened by
the fact that violence
had shortened the life
of a selfless fighter
for democracy.
Thursday's suicide
attack was the second
one against Bhutto since
she returned home in
October from eight years
in exile. The first
struck a welcome-home
rally just after her
return, killing 139
people.
Bhutto was sworn in as
prime minister of
Pakistan in December
1988, becoming the first
woman to head that
country. But her
government was dismissed
in 1990 amid corruption
allegations. Bhutto's
father, also a prime
minister, was hanged by
the military in 1979.
Re-elected in 1993, she
was thrown out again
three years later on
further graft charges,
and went into exile in
April 1999.
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