From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: BRAZIL: NEW ACCUSATIONS THREATEN GOVERNMENT STABILITY
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 09:23:23 GMT

/** reg.samerica: 134.0 **/
** Topic: IPS: Brazil - New Threats **
** Written  7:11 am  Jul 23, 1992 by hrcoord in cdp:reg.samerica **
From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: IPS: Brazil - New Threats

/* Written 12:12 am  Jul 23, 1992 by newsdesk in
cdp:ips.englibrary */ Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all
rights reserved.  Permission to re- print within 7 days of
original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: BRAZIL: NEW ACCUSATIONS THREATEN GOVERNMENT STABILITY

rio de janeiro, jul 20 (ips) -- serious accusations levelled at
president fernando collor de mello by right-wing politician
sebastiao curio, threaten to destablise the brazilian government
for the second time in less than one month.

curio, a former federal deputy and reserve army officer, admitted
monday that he had accepted a 120,000 dollar donation from
businessman paulo cesar farias during the 1990 electoral campaign,
at president collor's request.

''i taped those conversations because it was an important
political deal,'' said curio, who handed over the tapes to the
president of the chamber of deputies, ibsen pinheiros.

curio has also offered to submit two tape recordings to the
parliamentary commission of inquiry (cpi) which is currently
investigating cases of corruption within the government and
farias' alledged links with president collor.

the tapes contain recordings of conversations curio held with
former justice minister bernardo cabral and paulo cesar farias, in
september 1990.

although the tapes do not specifically mention president collor by
name, the weekly magazine ''veja'', which published a
transcription of the tapes last sunday, insists that the numerous
references to ''him'' in the tapes correspond to the president.

curio, a former member of a repressive army unit during the
military dictatorship of the 1970's, admitted that in accepting
the donation he had committed an electoral offence, but said he
had decided report the matter for reasons of ''conscience''.

the former deputy was subjected to tough questioning by local
journalists, who were surprised that a former member of collor's
own party (the national reconstruction party) would accuse the
president and implicate himself in political wrong-doing.

curio was the former federal deputy of the northern state of para
from 1982-83, and built his electoral base in the 'cerro pelado'
gold-mining area, where ''garimpeiros' conducted illegal mining
during the 1980's.

''i'm prepared to testify. i'm on my own. there's nobody behind
me,'' curio told the cpi's vice-president, senator mauricio
correia.

during the last days of june and the first days of july, several
opposition politicians and representatives of different social
sectors called for collor's resignation after serious accusations
were levelled against him.

despite collor's firm public denial of the charges and widepread
support for him among the private business sector, the latest
accusations are likely to debilitate his government and further
weaken his own position. (more/ips)
----

brazil: new (2)

in a recent opinion poll conducted among 1707 voters in rio de
janeiro and sao paulo, brazil's two largest cities, more than half
of those questioned said president collor should resign or be
suspended.

the poll, taken on july 14 and published monday in the daily
newspaper ''folha de sao paul'', showed that 36 percent of voters
favour collor's resignation and 16 percent believe he should be
suspended from the presidency until the cpi has concluded its
investigations.

however, 67 percent of those polled were doubtful that the cpi
investigation would produce concrete results.
(ends/ips/trd/gc/sfi/cg/92)
----
** End of text from cdp:reg.samerica **

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