Peru to ask allies to help cope with embassy thousands

Press, 10 April 1980, Page 9

Peru to ask allies to help cope with embassy thousands

NZPA-Reuter Lima, Peru Peru plans to appeal to its Andean Pact allies today for help in coping with thousands of Cubans who crowded into its embassy in Havana in the hope of being allowed to leave the country.

President Fidel Castro has said the Cubans, who re-

ports from Havana say have Ip endured appalling conditions, fa with little food, almost no s sanitation, and a constant't risk of disease,- can go as-1 soon as another country |1 gives them entry visas. . is But the Peruvian Foreign if Minister (Mr Arturo Garcia) : a told reporters earlier that. Peru would be able to grant I visas only to some of them, i He called on other countries I to do the same. J Peru called an emergency ] meeting of Foreign Ministers f of the five-nation Andean Pact, which groups Peru, i Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, s and Colombia, for today to 1 discuss the crisis. I Mr Garcia said that Peru;; was not responsible for theil plight of “those poor people; at present suffering in our i embassy.” •‘ The Cubans poured intoj the embassy last week after;: Dr Castro’s Government'' withdrew its police guard onii the building, apparently inh protest at the death of a; guard when six refugees l ' seeking political asylum!: crashed into the embassy!; grounds in a vehicle. I:

The ,-Cuban Government; 1 has since reimposed its n police cordon round the em-; bassy Ind has introduced ail system of passes so that i those already inside could ; leave ’the building without | losing asylum rights. Thou- i I sands have refused to leave Ifor fear of not being re-i: 'admitted. , Mr Garcia said that Cuba ; had turned down an offer of immediate help from the i International Red Cross, arguing tbit it was already ; providing the Cubans with food and nedicine. The Peruvian Red Cross, ’ which ha> been ready to send foot, medicine, and medical tennis to Havana fori the last tvo days, was still iawaiting ilearance from the I Havana aithorities. ; Mr Grcia said other international aid organisations appoached by the Peruvian Government had also | agree I t> help. “They are ‘only wating for a green I light fron the Cuban Gov'emment,* he said, i Three Peruvian diplomats ‘left yest<rday for Havana to I reinforce the embassy staff, I at present reduced to a isingle oficial, and to start!

taking a census of the would-be emigrants. The planned Andean Pact meeting was expected to reaffirm its members’ conception of the right of political asylum, which lies at the heart of the dispute. Cuba has accused Peru iand Venezuela of legalising crime by giving diplomatic i protection to Cubans who | forced their way into their [embassies to seek asylum. The Venezuelan Foreign Minister (Mr Jose Zambrano) said yesterday that there were 15’Cubans in the Venezuelan embassy in Hav na waiting for safe conducts to leave the country. I Meanwhile, an American Cuban exile delegation — its aid for the Cubans at the embassy rejected by thg Castro Government — has left Miami to deliver 200 tonnes of relief supplies to Peru. Manuel Antonio de Varona, a former Prime. Minister of Cuba, headed a delegation that hoped to meet with officials from Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador, land Colombia after arriving lin Lima aboard a charter (flight.