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Peru: Pedro Castillo lost his foreign minister, questioned by statements about terrorism

2021-08-17T22:15:28.099Z


Former guerrilla in the 1960s, Héctor Béjar attributed to the Navy the beginning of 'terrorism' in times of the Shining Path.


08/17/2021 19:03

  • Clarín.com

  • World

Updated 08/17/2021 19:06

The Government of Peru had its first loss

with the resignation of Foreign Minister Héctor Béjar,

hours after having opened a bitter controversy over some statements in February in which he attributed the start of "terrorism" in the country to the Navy, which he multiplied the questions of the opposition, which in itself already criticized him for his guerrilla past.

Béjar's departure came a day after his meeting with President Pedro Castillo and just hours after the Chief of Staff, Guido Bellido, published a message that the Government would have

"the changes for the progress of the country." .

And that the Minister of the Interior, Juan Carrasco Millones, express his support for the security forces and his rejection of terrorism and clarify that

"each minister responds for his opinions."

The sites of the newspapers

La República

and

El Comercio

reported that over the weekend a television station brought to light some statements by Béjar from February, during the electoral campaign, in which he spoke of the role that the Navy would have played in the struggle. against Shining Path.

Former Foreign Minister Héctor Béjar.

Photo EFE

"Terrorism in Peru

was initiated by the Navy and that can be proven historically

. I am convinced, although I cannot prove it, that the Shining Path has been largely the product of the services of the CIA and North American Intelligence. I cannot prove it, but I am convinced of that, "said the now former chancellor.

In reality, the demands for Béjar to leave the headquarters of Foreign Relations

come from before

because the opposition questioned his insurgent past from the first minute.

The man

A university professor, writer and sociologist, the resigning official

was the founder in the 1960s of the

short-lived National Liberation Army (ELN) during the dictatorship of General Juan Velasco Alvarado (1968-1975).

Several media discounted that Béjar

would not be able to get through the censorship of the Congress

, which will receive the full cabinet next Thursday the 26th and must decide with one vote whether or not to approve the Castillo government.

The Peruvian Navy itself was the first to express

its rejection

and warn that this false statement violates the honor of those who were part of this institution and fought against the Shining Path.

Retired military protests against Béjar.

Reuters photo

"The Peruvian Navy rejects the aforementioned statement, which is absolutely lacking in veracity; the same that constitutes an affront against the

men and women who fought

and continue to fight against terrorist crime, against the widows, orphans and relatives who are victims of that execrable action, "said the force.

This morning, while criticism of Béjar was taking place,

there was a meeting

in the Government Palace in which the Minister of Defense, Walter Ayala, representatives of the Armed Forces and former Foreign Minister Manuel Rodríguez Cuadros participated.

Upon his departure, the diplomat

excused himself

from giving details about the meeting he had with the president.

"The only thing I want to point out is that I have not come for an important matter and obviously an offer to assume as chancellor would be extraordinarily important and

it is not like that,

" he said.

Senderista violence

The Transparency Civil Association, meanwhile, indicated that it cannot be debated how the attacks, combats and wave of violence that hit the country began, an issue

that it considered already settled

by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CVR), which attributed this responsibility to the Maoist organization Sendero Luminoso.

The Foreign Ministry tried to relativize Béjar's words with a statement in which he complained that the words of the outgoing foreign minister were being "manipulated, edited, cut and taken out of context" to confuse public opinion and

"obtain the censure of the Minister of Relations. Foreign ".

Carrasco Millones, head of the Ministry of the Interior, on the other hand, expressed his

"total support"

to the Armed Forces and the National Police.

"I am emphatic in pointing out that

we will never agree with terrorism

, drug trafficking or corruption, which is the terrorism of the 21st century; if we manage to reduce corruption we will achieve a great goal to look to a better future," he said, according to the agency of Andean state news.

The parliamentarian of Avanza País Patricia Chirinos, for her part, sent an urgent letter to the president of Congress, the opposition member María del Carmen Alva, to request that the Board of Spokespersons be convened to

discuss what measures to adopt for the statements .

Other legislators, in parallel, prepared before the official resignation a request for interpellation to Béjar and the spokesman for the Fujimorista Popular Force bench, Hernando Guerra-García, considered that the best thing was for the now former foreign minister to take "

a step aside.

, to alleviate the crisis that it has generated in the Council of Ministers ".

Meanwhile, the ruling party, Peru Libre, chose to dismiss the now former foreign minister on Twitter with words of recognition and support: "Héctor Béjar

means consequence in ideals and a lot of politics

. He is a man of his time, a worthy representative of his generation. As a teacher he has the respect of thousands of students. As chancellor he demonstrated a vocation to achieve a sovereign country. Thank you, teacher. "

Telam Agency

PB

Look also

Pedro Castillo is the president of Peru with the highest disapproval index at the beginning of his term

Peru, founder of the Lima Group, changes his position on Venezuela with Pedro Castillo

Source: clarin

All news articles on 2021-08-17

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