Peruvia

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Toledo At United Nations: Xinhua Net reports on President Toledo’s talk at opening of the 59th session of the United Nations General Assembly where he called for an enlarged UN Security Council and declared, "The present situation takes place in a crisis of multilateralism, in a context where no isolated power can assure global governance." NOTE: Toledo stated that United Nations’ “decisions must also produce a broader democratic legitimacy and be realistic and pragmatic so that its effectiveness is assured in the maintenance of peace and international security." Separately, the Voice of America reported that in his UN speech, Toledo demanded that Japan extradite the “fugitive ex-President, Alberto Fujimori." NOTE: “Lima submitted a 700-page extradition request to Tokyo last year, but Japanese officials last month asked Peru for more details on its demand.” PHOTOS: Agence France Press, Reuters and the Associated Press all have photos of Toledo at the UN podium; Reuters has him in the Great Hall; the Associated Press has photographs of AToledo, EKarp and KAnnan as well as Toledo/Annan shots.

Toledo at DC Museum: Bloomberg, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the USA government's Washington File all report that President Toledo was a main speaker at the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian. Quotes by Toledo are cited in Bloomberg ("It has come time to put a human face on globalization and recognize the need for the mutual respect of our cultural diversities") and the New York Times (the museum is a "profound symbol of reconciliation.") The Washington File (followed by PolitInfo) has more detail, reporting that Toledo said "Peru is committed to creating a sustainable development model that integrates native people into its economy [and that] policies that promote the inclusion of indigenous people into the world's economies will allow governments to 'put a human face' on globalization." Most articles mention that he was present because he was "Peru's first popularly elected indigenous leader." The Baltimore Sun called Toledo "a member of the Quechua tribe." The San Diego Union Tribune adds that “the crowd gave [Toledo] a standing ovation.” The Knight Ridder papers report that Toledo “delivered the day's most pointed plea for fighting the structural problems of poverty.” They over-reach however suggesting the Incas had democracy when they note that he's "the first Peruvian Indian elected to lead that country in 500 years.” See Also: 'Toledo in USA' in yesterday's Peruvia and 'Toledo in DC' in Sept. 20's Peruvia. The Associated Press and Reuters have photos of Toledo near the US Capitol, in a hug by Peruvian Naz Turpo, with EKarp and the Smithsonian president, and with USA Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell. The Associated Press has other Peru-related photographs of the ceremonies including Juan Quispe Huatta, Quechua Indian break dancers (Damian dela Cruz and Sebastian Paitan) among other Quechuas.

Toledo Criticizes: Dow Jones and the Miami Herald report that Latin American leaders "united to criticize globalization for failing to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, and urged global lenders like the International Monetary Fund to allow them to spend more on social projects and infrastructure." The Miami Herald cites Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Argentina's Néstor Kirchner speaking to the United Nations and says that "a similar call came from Peru's president, Alejandro Toledo. 'How much poverty for how much longer can Latin American democracies resist?' he asked a gathering at George Washington University. Toledo said leaders should 'entertain the possibility' of doing a swap between foreign debt and investment in education'." Dow Jones notes Lula's talk at the UN and then focuses on Toledo's remarks, made after accepting an award from George Washington University: "People will not wait 20 more years for better lives. We need to find innovative ways to invest more ... If we don't do that, democratic governability in the region is at risk." Toledo explained his low polling declaring, "I have paid a high political price to reach this point of economic growth." Toledo joked that his latest standing in the polls are up 100% to around 15%. Reuters has photographs of Toledo at George Washington University.

Polling Toledo: Canada's Centre for Public Opinion and Democracy relates the new Universidad de Lima poll which shows "14.9% of respondents in the cities of Lima and Callao approve of Toledo’s performance, a 0.3% drop since August." Methodology: "Interviews to 428 adults residents of Lima and Callao, conducted on Sept. 4 and Sept. 5, 2004. Margin of error is 4.8%." In Spanish: See the Universidad de Lima poll here.

Peru and Chile: ISI Emerging Markets reports that President Toledo and his Chilean counterpart, Ricardo Lagos, "announced Monday that Chile and Peru will soon take the first steps to begin working on a bilateral free trade agreement" as they met during their visit to the United Nations in New York. NOTE: "Toledo added that Chile and Peru complement each other and share common interests as regards accessing US, European and Asian markets." ALSO: "According to Lagos, Chile and Peru currently share an Economic Complementation Agreement (ECA), an accord which prevents double taxation and a third which protects investors." NOTE: "Currently trade between Chile and Peru totals US$1 billion annually. Chile's investment in Peru reach US$700 million each year."

Peru vs. Chile? Jane's Defence Weekly reports that earlier this month, the Peruvian National Police "received the first of 24 upgraded Bell UH-1HP Huey II helicopters provided by the US government. The remainder will be provided by 2007." Separately: Jane's also reported that "the Chilean Army and Air Force are considering the joint acquisition of up to eight refurbished Boeing CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, sources in Santiago told JDW. The helicopters are to be acquired under a plan to bolster the rotary-wing capabilities of both services with a single aircraft type."

Currency Worries: Reuters reports that "Peru's Central Bank is struggling to brake the sol currency's rise against the dollar, despite record purchases of the greenback this year, and analysts said the official inflation goal of 3.5% could be in jeopardy." NOTE: "The sol was trading on Tuesday around 3.35 to the dollar -- levels not seen for more than five years." ALSO: "Peru's economy is awash in dollars because of an export boom and that has pushed the sol higher. CITED: Former central bank president Jorge Chavez declared, "There's an existential crisis on the central bank's board. They don't know where to go because sometimes they are concerned with sticking to the inflation target and others they are trying to put a floor on the currency." Chavez now leads Maximixe. Also Cited: Claudia Cooper (Banco de Credito) said "central bank dollar purchases would not be considered bad if they were temporary and not too expensive in terms of high interest rates on its certificates auctions" and Oscar M. Jasaui Sabat (Duff & Phelps) said, "We're having too much export success and the central bank can't change the law of gravity." See Also: Jasaui's 'Clasificacion de Riesgo' presentation here.

Peruvian University Sold: Laureate Education announced in a press release they purchased an 80% interest in Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC), an accredited university with two Lima campuses. NOTE: “Founded in 1994, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs in Business, Engineering, Law, Communications, and Architecture to approximately 4,500 students.” CITED: William Dennis, President of Latin America Operations for Laureate, declared that "Peru's public university system faces challenges similar to those of other growing countries where the demand for higher education far exceeds available capacity. In Peru's public higher education system, only 17% of university applicants are accepted.” ALSO: In 2003, "UPC generated revenues of $24.1 million driven by enrollment of more than 5,000 students.”

MORE MINING:

Shell Finished in Peru: Dow Jones, the New York Times and a Shell press release report on the assets sales by Royal Dutch/Shell group. "The company's decision to sell some Latin American downstream businesses, including its retail business in Peru, for example, 'suggests to us the first possible moves in a staged withdrawal from Latin American downstream activities,' according to Merrill Lynch," in the New York Times. See Also: 'Shell to Sell Peruvian Assets' in July 1's Peruvia.

CPizarro is Back: Reuters and a wire story in the Los Angeles Times report that "Claudio Pizarro, the Peruvian striker playing his second match following a long recovery from a cracked skull in July, had two goals for Bayern Munich." The Associated Press has a few celebratory photographs.

Dining in Maryland: The Baltimore Sun reviews the fourth Chicken Rico restaurant, "recently expanded from three D.C.-area locations to a fourth in Highlandtown, sets a high standard for the genre." NOTE: "Chicken Rico has a sunny atmosphere, enhanced by tapestries depicting life and landscapes in Peru." ALSO: "An ample side order of plantains would make a full-course vegetarian meal. The coleslaw, alas, was unspectacular."

On and On: The Korean Central News Agency offers news on Peru. Their complete story is as follows: "The Peruvian Group for the Study of Kimilsungism issued an information bulletin on September 3 on the occasion of the 56th birthday of the DPRK. It contains articles titled "Songun policy and Democratic People's Republic of Korea", "DPRK, a dignified member of the Non-alignment," "Happy Youth Day," "DPRK-Russia friendship growing stronger" and "Bush, tyrant and dictator" and so on."