Peru admits CIA Helped In Phone Tapping

President Alan García has admitted that the CIA trained Peruvian military personnel in telephone tapping and personnel of the Spanish firm Telefónica S.A. participated in telephone interception with elements of Peruvian Marines.

We are always looking for the most advanced countries to collaborate with in training, he said, condemning those who had used these skills for criminal ends. Such collaboration was also ongoing with other European and Middle Eastern (Israel?) countries, according to the Peruvian President. The role of the Spanish firm in all this was being investigated, he said. Peru was cleaning up its act on telephone espionage, according to Mr García.

The Peruvian publication Primera, journalists on which are being harassed by the authorities linking them to FARC based on information supplied by Colombia, has revealed the espionage activities aided by the CIA in Peru. It was quoting a veteran Peruvian Marine.

The García regime is developing close relations with the U.S. military and possibly Israel. It is on the point of letting U.S. soldiers set foot on its soil in the name of training exercise and there are rumours that Washington plans to relocate the Manta base in Ecuador to Peru.

The CIA was said to be linked to telephone espionage activity in the past with the disgraced Peruvian intelligence boss Vladimir Montesinos and his close associates. Apparently before fleeing Peruvian justice, Montesinos made sure all material was handed over to the U.S. embassy.

Back To Home Page