Mrs Peron submits to army pressure

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33934, 29 August 1975, Page 9

Mrs Peron submits to army pressure

Bl ENOS \IRES. Uigusl 28. General Jorge \ idela. a leader of the group of 23 senior Ulcers who have been pressing tor the dismissal of the \t gentme Army commander. General \lberlo Numa I aplane. will today succeed him as the new head of the force.

Well-informed sources say that the decision to replace General Laplane was made at the end of a marathon meeting during which President Maria Estela Peron met in turn Cabinet Ministers, labour leaders, the Presidents of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies. provincial governors, and the Commander of the Navy (Admiral Emilio Massera).

The decision capped a dramatic day, during which the Commanding Officer, Third Army Corps (General Carlos Delia Larroca), served an ultimatum on the Executive Branch to force it Ito relieve General Laplane of his duties, and retire him. General Larroca was one of the group of influential army officers who bitterly criticised General Laplan’e for his authorisation of Colonel Vicente Damasco’s appointment as Minister of the Interior in the present Government while remaining on active duty. The “rebel” officers felt that Colonel Damasco’s double status made it appear that the army was meddling I in politics. Colonel Damasco is also reported to be on the way out.

General Larroca arrived in Buenos Aires from his Cordoba headquarters early yesterday, and established temporary headquarters in the nearby Camp de Mayo, so that he could put pressure on the Executive Branch to cede to the “rebel” officers’ demands that General Laplane and Colonel Damasco be dismissed.

Earlier, General Videla, had gone to the Campo de Mayo, and had told the Minister of Defence in a special message that the army respected republican institutions and the Constitution.

When the marathon Government meeting began yesterday, General Laplane had already requested, for the second time, that he be retired. President Peron had rejected his initial request,

saying that she intended to keep him in his post. The "rebel" officers an reported to have also 1 wanted President Peron to take a long leave of absence, or even to resign, but they

bate apptentlv given up that The President I ,i- issued < ' communique ealeguru ails denting that sh ever ir. tended to request a leave