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LETTER N° 38

From 16 to 22 September

16
Costa Rica

PLN Party:Internal primary provincial elections. Results :

All the candidates elected in the convention (3d of June) have been confirmed.

16
Japan

Tokushima, Ibaraki governors election. Results :

In Tokushima Prefecture, incumbent Governor Toshio Endo, 58, beat off a challenge from Tadashi Ota, a 58-year-old rookie. Endo was backed by the tripartite ruling coalition - the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party - as well as the Liberal Party. Endo won 178,141 votes while Ota won 146,394. Voter turnout was 49.74 percent, up 6.82 percentage points from the previous election.

In Ibaraki Prefecture, incumbent Masaru Hashimoto, 55, secured his third four-year term as governor in a landslide victory over his rival, 70-year-old lawyer Naoto Nakata. Hashimoto, who enjoyed backing from the three coalition parties as well as the Democratic Party of Japan and the Social Democratic Party, pulled in 561,825 votes. Nakata won 129,134. Voter turnout was a paltry 29.93 percent, breaking the previous record low of 30.89 percent in the gubernatorial election held in 1991.

17
Northern Ireland

John Hume is quitting as leader of Northern Ireland's Social Democratic and Labour Party.

Profile : Mr. John Hume was born on January 18, 1937 in a working class Catholic family in Derry, Northern Ireland. Education : St Columb's College, Derry National University of Ireland. Teacher. He founded the Social Democratic and Labour Party in 1970. First elected as an Independent to Northern Ireland Parliament - 1969. Co-founded SDLP 1970. Elected to NI Assembly 1973. Served as Minister of Commerce - 1974 (Power-Sharing Executive). Elected to NI Convention 1975. Elected to European Parliament in first direct elections, 1979. Elected to Westminster 1983. Member of New Ireland Forum - 1983/1984. His dialogue with Gerry Adams proved to be a key factor in the Peace Process leading to a cessation of violence declared in 1994. Member of Forum for Peace and Reconciliation convened following ceasefires in 1994. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1998.

17
OAU

Organization of African Unity: Amara Essy takes office as secretary-general.

Profile : Born in December 20th 1944 in Bouaké (Côte d'Ivoire). Degree from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (Diplomacy). Post Graduate Degree in public. Bachelor's Degree in public law. 1971 - 1973 First Counselor at the Embassy of Cote d'Ivoire in Brazil 1973 - 1975 Counselor at the Permanent Mission of Cote d'Ivoire to the United Nations 1975 - 1978 Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Cote d'ivoire at the Eurpean Office at United Nations in Geneva and UNIDO in Vienna. Ambassador of Cote d'Ivoire in Switzerland (Bern) 1977 - 1978 President of the group of 77 in Geneva. 1981 - 1990 Ambassador, permanent Representative of Cote d'Ivoire to the United Nations in New York City, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Argentina and Cuba, with residence in New York. 1988 - 1989 Vice President of the 40th Session of the Un General Assembly. 1990 - 1998 Minister of Foreign Affairs, Côte d'Ivoire. 1994 - 1995 President 49th Session of UN General Assembly. Janvier 1990 President of the Un Security Council. 1998 - 2000 Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Charge of International Cooperation. Languages : French, English, Portuguese.

18
Poland

Summit in Tallinn on regional cooperation with president Meri (Estonia), Vika-Freiberga (Latvia), Adamkus (Lithuania) and Polish Président Kwasniewski.

19
Georgia

(République d'Abkhazie)

Abkhaz President Vladislav Ardzinba scheduled parliamentary elections for 24 November.

Abkhazian Statehood stretches over 12 centuries of history. For centuries the people of Abkhazia have had to struggle to preserve their independence. Since the start of the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the people of Abkhazia have intensified their struggle for their lost State independence. The adoption on 25th August 1990 of the "Declaration of State Sovereignty" by the Supreme Council of Abkhazia was a first step to its restoration. The disruption of state-legal relations between Abkhazia and Georgia initiated by the Georgian authorities and the subsequent Abkhazo-Georgian war of 1992-1993 resulted in the independence of Abkhazia both de facto and de jure. The Constitution of the Republic of Abkhazia, adopted by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Abkhazia on 26th November 1994, became the legal basis for the independent State - the Republic of Abkhazia (Apsny), already created de facto. On 3rd October 1999 a referendum was held to ascertain the citizens' attitude to the current Constitution. On the referendum day there lived on the territory of Abkhazia 219,534 citizens eligible to vote, i.e. 58.5% of the pre-war number of voters. 87.6% of the registered voters took part in the referendum, which comprised more than half of the pre-war number of voters. 97.7% of the voters approved the Constitution currently in force. Under the Constitution and the Law of the Republic of Abkhazia On National Voting (Referendum), democratic rule shall form the basis of the state authority in the Republic of Abkhazia; the people shall exercise their power either directly by means of referendum or through their representatives. Proceeding from the above, we appeal to the UN, OSCE, and to all States of the world to recognise the independent State created by the people of Abkhazia on the basis of the right of nations to free self-determination.

19-21
UN

UN General Assembly postpones Special Session on Children

The UN Special Session on Children was to have taken place at the United Nations complex in New York City. The summit was to have reviewed global progress for children since 1990 and set new goals for the decade ahead. A UN report released earlier in the summer showed that many of the world's goals for children, set at the 1990 World Summit for Children, had not been fully achieved and that much work remained.

20
Venezuela

Former president (1952-58) Marcos Pérez Jiménez dies.

Profile : Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez was born in Michelena, Edo. Táchira (Venezuela), on April 25, 1914. In 1931, he joined the Military School of Venezuela, where he received the grade sub-lieutenant in 1934. He was promoted to the grade of lieutenant in 1936. Subsequently, il especialized in Peru : at the Application School of Artillery, between March 19 and October 31, 1939. There he attended a course at the Command and General Staff H.Q in the Higher School of war in Chorrillos since Aug.1939, and was promoted to the rank of capitain in 1941, until December 1943. His military career came to an end when he served the public national administratión. He became a Major and held the important duty Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces between October 1945 and July 1946. Chief of the General Staff until June 30, 1948, he subsequently was entrusted with the Ministry of Defense. Promoted as a lieutenant colonel, he was one of the leaders of the coup which ousted president Rómulo Gallegos in November de 1948. Member ever since of the Military Assembly of the Government, he carried on holding the Defense Portfolio until December 2, 1952, when he assumed a provisional presidency of the Republic. On April 19, 1953, following his election by the National Constituent Assembly, he was at 39, president over the constitutional term 1953-1958, that is the youngest chief of State of the world, at the time. He was promoted as a brigade general (1955) then, general of división (1957), and was at the origin of the December 1957 plebiscite and was proclaimed presidente of the Repúblic for the constitutional term 1958-1963. He was, however, deposed by the cívico-military movement of January 23, 1958 and consequently had to leave the country with his family and take refuge in the US. Marcos Pérez Jiménez died from a heart attack on Sept.2o, 2001 at his La Moraleja home, in Madrid,Spain.

21
EU

Extraordinary European Council Meeting

The European Union leaders will meet in an emergency summit to discuss anti-terrorist measures and show solidarity with the United States after the attacks on its soil.

21
Barbados

House of Assembly byelection. Results : Next week

21
Estonia

A special government assembly made up of 101 parliamentarians and 266 local government delegates convenes to elect the next president after Parliament failed in August to reach a decision on the matter. In the first round of voting Arnold Rüütel receives 114 votes, followed by Toomas Savi (90), Peeter Tulviste (89), and Peeter Kreitzberg (72). In the following runoff Rüütel wins over Savi 186-155. He will be sworn in on October 8.

THIS WEEK'S STORY

September 19, 1955

Perón deposed in Argentina

After a decade of rule, Argentine President Juan Domingo Perón is deposed in a military coup.

Profile : Born in Lobos, Buenos Aires Province, on Oct. 8, 1895, Perón was educated at the Colegio Militar (1911-13) and at the Escuela Superior de Guerra (1926-29). In 1930 he took part in a military uprising against President Hipólito Irigoyen and was appointed private secretary of the minister of war (1930-35). He later taught at the Escuela Superior de Guerra, spent a year in Chile as military attaché, published five books on military history, and traveled to Italy to study alpine military methods. Upon his return to Argentina in 1941, Perón, an admirer of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, joined other officers in a secret military lodge that staged a coup d'état in June 1943. He took over the department of labor and proceeded to transform the labor movement by weakening the influence of left-wing parties on it, enacting new laws and implementing old ones, and creating new unions. As his power grew-he was made vice-president as well as minister of war-opposition within the armed forces became widespread. On Oct. 9, 1945, he was forced to resign his posts, then was imprisoned. Perón's resignation triggered a government crisis that was resolved on October 17, when his labor supporters obtained his release. A widower, he married his mistress, Mariá Eva Duarte, who became fondly known as Evita, four days later. Elected president in 1946, Perón pursued prolabor, pronationalist policies, helped by his wife. In the early 1950s, benefits to labor began to diminish. The death of Evita (1952), economic difficulties, labor unrest, and his excommunication by the Roman Catholic church further weakened Perón, and in 1955 he was ousted by the military. Through 18 years of exile, however, Perón retained his labor support and influence in Argentine politics. He was finally allowed to return in 1973 and was then elected president, with his third wife, Isabel, as vice-president. He died in office on July 1, 1974.

ALSO SEE

Chiefs of State and Heads of Government Foreign Affairs World Parliaments Federated States and Provinces World Governments International Organizations

16 Costa Rica		PLN Party:Internal primary provincial elections. Results : All the candidates elected in the convention (3d of June) have been confirmed.
16 Japan		Tokushima, Ibaraki governors election. Results : In Tokushima Prefecture, incumbent Governor Toshio Endo, 58, beat off a challenge from Tadashi Ota, a 58-year-old rookie. Endo was backed by the tripartite ruling coalition - the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party - as well as the Liberal Party. Endo won 178,141 votes while Ota won 146,394. Voter turnout was 49.74 percent, up 6.82 percentage points from the previous election. In Ibaraki Prefecture, incumbent Masaru Hashimoto, 55, secured his third four-year term as governor in a landslide victory over his rival, 70-year-old lawyer Naoto Nakata. Hashimoto, who enjoyed backing from the three coalition parties as well as the Democratic Party of Japan and the Social Democratic Party, pulled in 561,825 votes. Nakata won 129,134. Voter turnout was a paltry 29.93 percent, breaking the previous record low of 30.89 percent in the gubernatorial election held in 1991.
17 Northern Ireland		John Hume is quitting as leader of Northern Ireland's Social Democratic and Labour Party. Profile : Mr. John Hume was born on January 18, 1937 in a working class Catholic family in Derry, Northern Ireland. Education : St Columb's College, Derry National University of Ireland. Teacher. He founded the Social Democratic and Labour Party in 1970. First elected as an Independent to Northern Ireland Parliament - 1969. Co-founded SDLP 1970. Elected to NI Assembly 1973. Served as Minister of Commerce - 1974 (Power-Sharing Executive). Elected to NI Convention 1975. Elected to European Parliament in first direct elections, 1979. Elected to Westminster 1983. Member of New Ireland Forum - 1983/1984. His dialogue with Gerry Adams proved to be a key factor in the Peace Process leading to a cessation of violence declared in 1994. Member of Forum for Peace and Reconciliation convened following ceasefires in 1994. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1998.
17 OAU		Organization of African Unity: Amara Essy takes office as secretary-general. Profile : Born in December 20th 1944 in Bouaké (Côte d'Ivoire). Degree from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (Diplomacy). Post Graduate Degree in public. Bachelor's Degree in public law. 1971 - 1973 First Counselor at the Embassy of Cote d'Ivoire in Brazil 1973 - 1975 Counselor at the Permanent Mission of Cote d'Ivoire to the United Nations 1975 - 1978 Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Cote d'ivoire at the Eurpean Office at United Nations in Geneva and UNIDO in Vienna. Ambassador of Cote d'Ivoire in Switzerland (Bern) 1977 - 1978 President of the group of 77 in Geneva. 1981 - 1990 Ambassador, permanent Representative of Cote d'Ivoire to the United Nations in New York City, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Argentina and Cuba, with residence in New York. 1988 - 1989 Vice President of the 40th Session of the Un General Assembly. 1990 - 1998 Minister of Foreign Affairs, Côte d'Ivoire. 1994 - 1995 President 49th Session of UN General Assembly. Janvier 1990 President of the Un Security Council. 1998 - 2000 Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Charge of International Cooperation. Languages : French, English, Portuguese.
18 Poland		Summit in Tallinn on regional cooperation with president Meri (Estonia), Vika-Freiberga (Latvia), Adamkus (Lithuania) and Polish Président Kwasniewski.
19 Georgia (République d'Abkhazie)		Abkhaz President Vladislav Ardzinba scheduled parliamentary elections for 24 November. Abkhazian Statehood stretches over 12 centuries of history. For centuries the people of Abkhazia have had to struggle to preserve their independence. Since the start of the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the people of Abkhazia have intensified their struggle for their lost State independence. The adoption on 25th August 1990 of the "Declaration of State Sovereignty" by the Supreme Council of Abkhazia was a first step to its restoration. The disruption of state-legal relations between Abkhazia and Georgia initiated by the Georgian authorities and the subsequent Abkhazo-Georgian war of 1992-1993 resulted in the independence of Abkhazia both de facto and de jure. The Constitution of the Republic of Abkhazia, adopted by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Abkhazia on 26th November 1994, became the legal basis for the independent State - the Republic of Abkhazia (Apsny), already created de facto. On 3rd October 1999 a referendum was held to ascertain the citizens' attitude to the current Constitution. On the referendum day there lived on the territory of Abkhazia 219,534 citizens eligible to vote, i.e. 58.5% of the pre-war number of voters. 87.6% of the registered voters took part in the referendum, which comprised more than half of the pre-war number of voters. 97.7% of the voters approved the Constitution currently in force. Under the Constitution and the Law of the Republic of Abkhazia On National Voting (Referendum), democratic rule shall form the basis of the state authority in the Republic of Abkhazia; the people shall exercise their power either directly by means of referendum or through their representatives. Proceeding from the above, we appeal to the UN, OSCE, and to all States of the world to recognise the independent State created by the people of Abkhazia on the basis of the right of nations to free self-determination.
19-21 UN		UN General Assembly postpones Special Session on Children The UN Special Session on Children was to have taken place at the United Nations complex in New York City. The summit was to have reviewed global progress for children since 1990 and set new goals for the decade ahead. A UN report released earlier in the summer showed that many of the world's goals for children, set at the 1990 World Summit for Children, had not been fully achieved and that much work remained.
20 Venezuela		Former president (1952-58) Marcos Pérez Jiménez dies. Profile : Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez was born in Michelena, Edo. Táchira (Venezuela), on April 25, 1914. In 1931, he joined the Military School of Venezuela, where he received the grade sub-lieutenant in 1934. He was promoted to the grade of lieutenant in 1936. Subsequently, il especialized in Peru : at the Application School of Artillery, between March 19 and October 31, 1939. There he attended a course at the Command and General Staff H.Q in the Higher School of war in Chorrillos since Aug.1939, and was promoted to the rank of capitain in 1941, until December 1943. His military career came to an end when he served the public national administratión. He became a Major and held the important duty Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces between October 1945 and July 1946. Chief of the General Staff until June 30, 1948, he subsequently was entrusted with the Ministry of Defense. Promoted as a lieutenant colonel, he was one of the leaders of the coup which ousted president Rómulo Gallegos in November de 1948. Member ever since of the Military Assembly of the Government, he carried on holding the Defense Portfolio until December 2, 1952, when he assumed a provisional presidency of the Republic. On April 19, 1953, following his election by the National Constituent Assembly, he was at 39, president over the constitutional term 1953-1958, that is the youngest chief of State of the world, at the time. He was promoted as a brigade general (1955) then, general of división (1957), and was at the origin of the December 1957 plebiscite and was proclaimed presidente of the Repúblic for the constitutional term 1958-1963. He was, however, deposed by the cívico-military movement of January 23, 1958 and consequently had to leave the country with his family and take refuge in the US. Marcos Pérez Jiménez died from a heart attack on Sept.2o, 2001 at his La Moraleja home, in Madrid,Spain.
21 EU		Extraordinary European Council Meeting The European Union leaders will meet in an emergency summit to discuss anti-terrorist measures and show solidarity with the United States after the attacks on its soil.
21 Barbados		House of Assembly byelection. Results : Next week
21 Estonia		A special government assembly made up of 101 parliamentarians and 266 local government delegates convenes to elect the next president after Parliament failed in August to reach a decision on the matter. In the first round of voting Arnold Rüütel receives 114 votes, followed by Toomas Savi (90), Peeter Tulviste (89), and Peeter Kreitzberg (72). In the following runoff Rüütel wins over Savi 186-155. He will be sworn in on October 8.