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Peru negotiates with town's violent protesters


Ilave, Wednesday
A woman passes Peruvian soldiers in Ilave, 565 miles (910 kilometers) southeast of Lima, Peru, on Wednesday.
start quoteLying journalists -- we are going to kill you.end quote
-- Some protesters shouted this on Tuesday night in the city of Puno
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ILAVE, Peru (AP) -- Hundreds of military and police commandos entered this town near Lake Titicaca Wednesday to enforce an agreement reached hours earlier to end nearly two months of violent protests that included the murder of the mayor last month.

Community leader Julian Rivera said the protest would end at midday Wednesday, but it was unclear how much control the leaders who signed the agreement with government officials had over the protesters, mostly Aymara Indians from hamlets surrounding Ilave.

"We have entered into an agreement that the government will remove the army troops so that there won't be problems," Rivera told Radioprograma in Ilave, a highland town 565 miles (900 kilometers) southeast of Lima.

Protesters had been demanding the release of the deputy mayor and six others jailed in connection with the mayor's murder. A mob beat Mayor Cirilo Robles to death on April 26 after three weeks of protests demanding his resignation for alleged corruption.

The agreement reached Tuesday night did not mention the men's release.

The federal government sent in hundreds of army troops to quell the unrest. Deputy Interior Minister Richard Diaz, the lead state negotiator, said the government had agreed to "progressively reduce" the military and police presence in Ilave once peace was secured.

The decision to end protests came after talks with government negotiators Tuesday night in the city of Puno, 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of Ilave.

On Tuesday, roving groups of protesters shouted at news photographers on the outskirts of town. Others used slingshots to launch rocks at the journalists. "Lying journalists -- we are going to kill you," some shouted.

The streets in Ilave were calm early Wednesday with police and military commandos on foot patrolling the main plaza.

Diaz said the protest leaders were expected to present the peace agreement to crowds in Ilave's main plaza Wednesday afternoon.

An adviser to Diaz told The Associated Press that 300 marine, army and police commandos arrived in Puno overnight to enforce the agreement if necessary. They joined another 600 regular army troops and riot police already in the area.

The protest leaders were also expected to present crowds in Ilave with a decision by election officials to install a transitional mayor recently named by elections officials. New elections have been called for October.

Diaz said the designated mayor, Ramon Arias, decided to not accept the job until "normalcy" returned to Ilave.

Elections officials have been unable to name a replacement for Robles. The remaining municipal officials who could have taken his place were either followers of Robles or of the deputy mayor, Alberto Sandoval, now imprisoned on suspicion of inciting the lynch mob.



Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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