Paraguay's president-elect appoints former leftist militant as Cabinet chief (US air base)

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Paraguay's president-elect appoints former leftist militant as Cabinet chief
The Associated Press
Published: June 14, 2008

ASUNCION, Paraguay: President-elect Fernando Lugo, whose historic election ended six decades of one-party rule in Paraguay, on Friday named a former leftist militant to head his Cabinet when he takes office on Aug. 15.

Miguel Lopez Perito, 57, was one of the leaders of Paraguay's leftist Military Political Organization, which plotted to violently overthrow dictator Gen. Alfredo Stroessner in the mid-1970s.

Many of the militants were captured by Stroessner's secret police before their plan bore fruit, however, and disappeared during a region-wide clampdown on leftist militants during the 1970s.

Lopez Perito, who is a sociologist, said his militancy during that time was "part of the fight for democracy, social justice and to bring an end to the repression of the peasants, students, workers and the opposition."

"Now we live in different times," the Cabinet-chief-in-waiting said Friday.


Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/13/america/LA-GEN-Paraguay-Cabinet-Militant.php

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Mariscal Estigarribia airbase in Paraguay
U.S. Military in Paraguay Prepares To “Spread Democracy”
Benjamin Dangl

From "Upside Down World"

Controversy is raging in Paraguay, where the U.S. military is conducting secretive operations. 500 U.S. troops arrived in the country on July 1st with planes, weapons and ammunition. Eyewitness reports prove that an airbase exists in Mariscal Estigarribia, Paraguay, which is 200 kilometers from the border with Bolivia and may be utilized by the U.S. military. Officials in Paraguay claim the military operations are routine humanitarian efforts and deny that any plans are underway for a U.S. base. Yet human rights groups in the area are deeply worried.

White House officials are using rhetoric about terrorist threats in the tri-border region (where Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina meet) in order to build their case for military operations, in many ways reminiscent to the build up to the invasion of Iraq. (1)

The tri-border area is home to the Guarani Aquifer, one of the world’s largest reserves of water. Near the Estigarribia airbase are Bolivia’s natural gas reserves, the second largest in Latin America. Political analysts believe U.S. operations in Paraguay are part of a preventative war to control these natural resources and suppress social uprisings in Bolivia.

Argentine Nobel Peace Prize laureate Adolfo Perez Esquivel commented on the situation in Paraguay, "Once the United States arrives, it takes it a long time to leave. And that really frightens me." (2)

The Estigarribia airbase was constructed in the 1980s for U.S. technicians hired by the Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner, and is capable of housing 16,000 troops. A journalist writing for the Argentine newspaper Clarin, recently visited the base and reported it to be in perfect condition, capable of handling large military planes. It’s oversized for the Paraguayan air force, which only has a handful of small aircraft. The base has an enormous radar system, huge hangars and an air traffic control tower. The airstrip itself is larger than the one at the international airport in Asuncion, the Paraguayan capital. Near the base is a military camp which has recently grown in size. (3)

More:
http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-bin/blogs/voices.php/2006/09/15/title_23

[ellenfl]

1. i guess the bush twins were scouting for living quarters

when they were there? i hope the leadership in paraguay takes over that area before bushco moves in.

ellen fl

[robinlynne]

2. Paraguay is the poorest country in south America. If there is a vulnerable country, it is Paraguay.

[Kaleko]

3. Ominous. We'll only find out what they are up to

when it's too late, I suppose.

Recommended. Thanks, Judi Lynn!