Oggi il premier del governo peruviano, Pandolfi, si e' espresso pubblicamente per una soluzione pacifica della crisi, e continua la trattativa ufficiosa condotta dal ministro della pubblica istruzione, malgrado la rigidita' di Fujimori che vuol prendere per stanchezza i commandos del MRTA, ma soprattutto vuol far scemare l'attenzione dei media per tentare una soluzione militare, che si puo' facilmente intuire si risolvera' in un bagno di sangue.
Peru's Fujimori Stands Firm In Guerrilla Siege January 7, 1997 Web posted at: 10:00 p.m. EST (1500 GMT) LIMA, Peru (Reuter) -- Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori pledged Tuesday to stand firm against "terrorist blackmail" by Marxist guerrillas holding 74 hostages at the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima. "We maintain a firm position of not giving in to blackmail from the terrorists," Fujimori told reporters during a surprise visit to a Lima shantytown. But he expressed hope for a peaceful solution to the three-week-old crisis, and said the "physical well-being" of the hostages was assured "because there are not going to be acts of blood." Fujimori, who had ended his regular visits to shantytowns when the crisis began, said his trip Tuesday was intended to show the world that life continued as normal in Peru despite the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement's (MRTA) takeover of the residence. "We should not transmit the image that in Peru we are living a situation of terrorism," he said. Asked for his current stand in the crisis, he said: "A mixture of firmness in our position -- and in this sense the non-liberation of MRTA prisoners -- and at the same time prudence." The rebels have demanded from the outset that the government free all of their roughly 400 jailed comrades. During a frenetic tour of the city's outskirts, Fujimori also visited a jail, passing by a wing holding MRTA members. Journalists Slip Into Compound As his tour was under way, the guerrillas put up two new signs at a window of the residence inviting local journalist Guido Lombardi to enter for an interview. "Panorama must give the right to reply," read one of the signs, in reference to Lombardi's weekly television program. Minutes later, Lombardi rejected the offer from a group that, he said, is "armed to the teeth" and "never gave a right of reply to its kidnap or murder victims." About 3 p.m., a cameraman and a reporter from the Japanese television station Asahi entered the residence at the invitation of the MRTA rebels, after sneaking into the compound through an adjoining house. They left about two hours later, only to be arrested and driven by anti-terrorism police to their headquarters in central Lima. Rebel Fired Early-Morning Shots An MRTA fighter fired two gunshots into the air shortly before dawn, shattering the edgy peace around the residence in the upscale San Isidro district. Two guerrillas slipped out of the building toward cars in the driveway, then fired a warning salvo as they went back inside, witnesses said. Reuters Television images filmed from a vantage point above the residence showed a man dressed in combat gear and carrying an automatic rifle running across the driveway at the front of the compound shortly before the explosions. "I think the guerrillas were trying to get one of the car batteries, but they made a noise and decided to abort the operation, firing a couple of shots after they reached the house again," Reuters cameraman Carlos Valdez said. Police In State Of Alert Police surrounding the residence moved to a state of alert and speculated the MRTA was trying to make its presence felt. "We think it was a psychological tactic to let us know that they're there," one policeman said. Red Cross spokesman Jean-Pierre Sharer later confirmed the shots were outside the house, and there were no injuries to the hostages, who spent the morning writing letters to families. The explosions underscored the delicately balanced nature of the crisis, which began on December 17 when about 20 heavily armed MRTA rebels stormed a cocktail party at the residence and took more than 500 guests hostage. (Source: CNN, http://cnn.com) ---- Free All Political Prisoners! MRTA Solidarity Page - http://burn.ucsd.edu/~ats/mrta.htm