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- Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive
- Path: sparky!uunet!gatech!ukma!mont!pencil.cs.missouri.edu!rich
- From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
- Subject: HONDURAS: ARMY CHIEF DENIES PLAN TO TOPPLE GOVERNMENT
- Message-ID: <1992Aug22.204821.29520@mont.cs.missouri.edu>
- Followup-To: alt.activism.d
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- Organization: PACH
- Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1992 20:48:21 GMT
- Approved: map@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
- Lines: 84
-
- /** reg.honduras: 48.0 **/
- ** Topic: IPS:Army Chief Denies Plan **
- ** Written 12:11 pm Aug 16, 1992 by hrcoord in cdp:reg.honduras **
- From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
- Subject: IPS:Army Chief Denies Plan
-
- /* Written 12:17 am Aug 16, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
- Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved. Permission to re-
- print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.
-
- Title: HONDURAS: ARMY CHIEF DENIES PLAN TO TOPPLE GOVERNMENT
-
- tegucigalpa, aug 13 (ips) -- the honduran armed forces thursday
- denied allegations they were preparing to overthrow the country's
- democratic government and said they supported the re-election of
- president rafael callejas.
-
- the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, general luis
- alonso discua, said in reference to the military coup
- allegations, ''we will never support such acts, because we are
- advocates of free elections and believe the position of president
- should alternate.
-
- ''i want to make it clear to the citizens and to the
- candidates in the presidential elections that the armed forces
- will never take part in any action that violates the honduran
- constitution.''
-
- honduras reverted to democratically-elected government in
- 1980, after decades of military rule.
-
- in the past few weeks, opposition political and social groups
- had suggested that the ruling national party (pn) would like
- to re-elect callejas, in order to enable him to continue with
- his economic adjustment programme and consolidate party unity.
-
- the re-election of callejas, these groups had claimed, would
- also result in a possible re-appointment of general discua,
- whose 36-month term as commander-in-chief concludes early
- next year.
-
- discua has now denied these allegations.
-
- he told reporters that he considered himself to be a ''serious
- military person'' who respected the armed forces' institutions.
- under no circumstances would he reach any alliance with callejas
- in order to enhance his own position.
-
- turning to statements made earlier this week by u.s.
- ambassador to honduras crescencio arcos, about the possibility of
- reducing the numerical strength of the armed forces, discua said,
- ''we have sufficient reason to justify our existence.''
-
- he said honduras had three territorial borders--with
- guatemala, el salvador and nicaragua--and two maritime
- borders--in the caribbean sea and the pacific ocean--to defend.
-
- and he reminded reporters that the constitution empowered
- the armed forces to be ''administrators of the peace and to
- maintain internal order.'' (more/ips)
-
-
- honduras: military (2)
-
- the honduran presidential, parliamentary and municipal
- elections are scheduled to take place in november 1993. the
- new government will be installed in january 1994.
-
- but the political ferment which goes with the election
- campaign has already started.
-
- the main opposition to the pn comes from the liberal party
- (pl), but at least four other opposition political groups are
- expected to contest the elections.
-
- about 2.7 million, of the country's 4.8 million people, will
- be eligible to vote. the proportion of eligible voters who
- actually cast their ballots has averaged 63 percent in the last
- two elections--according to government statistics.
- (ends/ips/tr/esp/np/tm/ug/it)
-
-
-
- ** End of text from cdp:reg.honduras **
-