Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Army officers jailed in plot on Fujimori Date: Sun, 15 Nov 92 16:56:27 EST Message-ID: \SE A;WORLD \SS (WS) \HD Army officers jailed in plot on Fujimori \BY ASSOCIATED PRESS \DT LIMA, Peru LIMA, Peru (AP) - The army's second in command was under house arrest yesterday and about 25 other active and retired army officers had been arrested in what the government said was a failed plot to assassinate President Alberto Fujimori. New details of Friday's attempted coup given by Mr. Fujimori indicated the alleged conspiracy may have been broader than previously thought. Critics of Mr. Fujimori's one-man rule, however, questioned whether the arrests weren't a publicity stunt staged by the president. The government announced the attempted coup after Mr. Fujimori took steps to assume greater control of the military. But the retired commanders charged with leading the revolt denied they tried to overthrow the government. Speaking on a radio talk show yesterday, Mr. Fujimori said three army generals, including No. 2 commander Gen. Jose Valdivia, were under house arrest "until the panorama is clarified." Mr. Fujimori said Gen. Valdivia, one of his most trusted aides, failed to appear for an emergency meeting of the Joint Military Command before dawn Friday, raising the suspicions of other commanders. But the president said that he was sure there was an explanation for Gen. Valdivia's absence and that he still trusted the general. The government sought to portray the attempted coup as a threat to elections scheduled for Nov. 22 to replace Congress, which Mr. Fujimori shut down in April, saying corruption was blocking his war on drugs and terrorism. The elections were called under international pressure, however, and are being boycotted by Peru's two largest political parties, which contend the assembly would only serve to legitimize Mr. Fujimori's dictatorial powers. On the radio talk show, Mr. Fujimori identified more than a dozen officers and civilians allegedly involved in the plot and said three army generals were under house arrest. The National Intelligence Service followed the conspirators' every step, Mr. Fujimori said, and was waiting for them to act Friday while he slipped out of the presidential palace to a safehouse. "We let this sinister plan unfold just as this little group of seditious military men had planned . . . in order to discover all of its repercussions," Mr. Fujimori said. Gustavo Gorriti, a Peruvian journalist and a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, called Mr. Fujimori's detailed account of the plot "plain propaganda." "I wonder to what extent . . . this is a way of indicting and accusing potential leaders in the armed forces and sending a message of intimidation to the rest," Mr. Gorriti said in a telephone interview from Washington, where the foundation is based. Most of the retired generals involved in the plot had been respected commanders sent to early retirement since Mr. Fujimori took office in July 1990. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM