Peru's Spy Chief Flees; Opposition Angry

L I M A, Peru, Sept. 25 -- Peru’s opposition is blasting President Alberto Fujimori for allowing his deposed spy chief to flee the country and dodge a bribery scandal.

However, analysts said the removal of the secretive power broker would help repair the country’s tattered democracy.

The mysterious flight of Vladimiro Montesinos raised new tensions as Fujimori and his foes seek an amicable end to his 10-year hold on power. Negotiations between the government and theopposition were to begin today in Lima.

Montesinos, at the center of an alleged corruption scandal that is cutting short Fujimori’s presidency, arrived Sunday in Panama, where the government appeared almost certain to bow tointernational pressure and grant him political asylum.

A Minor Disruption?

By fleeing, Montesinos avoided accusations stemming from a leaked videotape that apparently showed him bribing an opposition congressman to join the president’s legislative alliance. The video ignited the crisis that led Fujimori to announce surprise earlyelections in which he would not run.

But Montesinos’ flight did not appear to threaten negotiations between Fujimori’s government and the opposition, who were scheduled to resume today in Lima, with mediation by the Organization of American States.

Analysts said both sides stood to benefit from the removal of Montesinos, who many feared would rally his powerful military allies to his side against Fujimori.

“Apparently the danger of a military coup has been defused and it also shows that Fujimori is attempting to control the transition,” said Peru expert Julio Carrion at the University ofDelaware.

Nonetheless, Fujimori has been weakened by the scandal leading to Montesinos’ ouster, Carrion said. “Now that the picture is a little clearer, the opposition is going to demand real progress for a free and fair electoral process.”

Smear Attacks and Dirty Tricks

Montesinos was accused of masterminding a campaign of smearattacks and dirty tricks to assure Fujimori’s victory this year toan unprecedented third five-year term in an internationallycriticized election marred by fraud allegations.