Premier Quits, Cites ‘Constant Disputes’

Peru’s prime minister stepped down after serving only two months, saying he could not stay in power given his differences with the government of President Alberto Fujimori. Javier Valle Riestra said in Lima that the Peruvian president had accepted his resignation and will announce his replacement in the coming days. Valle Riestra said he was resigning because of repeated clashes with hard-liners in Fujimori’s government and the armed forces. “I cannot live among these constant disputes. I am a democrat, and here there is a totalitarian spirit,” he said.