COLOMBIA: PRESIDENT SAMPER TO MOVE ABROAD AFTER DEATH THREATS скачать в хорошем качестве

COLOMBIA: PRESIDENT SAMPER TO MOVE ABROAD AFTER DEATH THREATS

(3 Jun 1998) Spanish/Nat Outgoing President Ernesto Samper is to leave Colombia when he steps down in August due to continuing death threats against him. The president spoke about his plans for the future in an interview with A-P-T-V on Monday although he has not yet decided where to go. Exile to the U-S remains out of the question as Samper's visa was revoked due to a scandal in which drug money was found to have financed Samper's 1994 presidential campaign. Ernesto Samper's political legacy is a daunting one for the next president of Colombia. The economy has declined, debt has risen, unemployment has increased to 14.5 per cent and Colombia's allure to foreign investors has dropped. But Samper insists that history will be kind to him once Colombia's political turmoil stabilises. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "Colombia is not an easy country to govern. It is a country with many problems. My predecessors had difficulty governing Colombia and so did I. But I was absolutely conscious that I was in a difficult bullfight and that I had an angry bull. But you know, what I didn't manage to foresee was that I would have to fight six bulls at the same time, which is what finally happened. But - yes absolutely - I would do what I did again." SUPER CAPTION: Ernesto Samper, President of Colombia Colombia's bloody conflict, born out of rebel and paramilitary violence, has perhaps been the greatest thorn in Samper's side. His term in office has coincided with the extension of rebel held territory across huge tracts of country. And the issue of peace talks with rebel organisations such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has proven politically explosive. Samper remained optimistic that such talks would eventually take place. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "I understand that the guerrilla groups do not want to negotiate with a government reaching the end of its term - I accept that. But I do think the conditions are there so that Colombia can move forward quickly." SUPER CAPTION: Ernesto Samper, President of Colombia Drug-trafficking has also been a major blight. The U-S, deeply critical of Samper's efforts to combat the drug trade, decertified the country, withdrawing valuable financial back up. Allegations that Samper's own political campaign in 1994 was funded with drug money led to a ban on his entry into the U-S. But Samper did stiffen prison terms for drug lords and made it easier for the state to seize their assets. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "I would prefer, when the time comes, not to go down in history as the president who got rid of drug trafficking, but rather as the president who got rid of those who controlled and distributed the drugs, which is what I can show you today. Never has a government done so much in the war against drug trafficking." SUPER CAPTION: Ernesto Samper, President of Colombia He appeared steadfast despite the continual weight of criticism levelled against him. Business leaders, the Roman Catholic Church and hundreds of thousands of Colombians clamoured for his resignation early in his term. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "I understand - I understand - look, I understand that people are unsatisfied with the government. There are so many things that we can and should do in Colombia that no president could truthfully say - 'I have now done all I can for the country - you have no right to ask for more - no, here in Colombia there are many things that we need to do. What I also hope is that people will recognise the honesty with which I have tried to put forward, in the midst of so many difficulties and storms." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...