|
After thanking all of his supporters and the soldiers for their loyalty and courage in the rescue operation, Correa said he had just lived through the saddest day of his government by seeing how Ecuadorian brothers had uselessly spelt their blood.
Quito, Oct 1 (Prensa Latina) - After being rescued by elite soldiers from the Metropolitan Police Hospital, where he had been sequestered, Ecuador´s President Rafael Correa triumphantly addressed the nation from the balcony of the Presidential Palace.
A cheering crowd of thousands of people gathered in front of the palace in downtown Quito to express their support for the Ecuadorian leader who blamed the aborted coup on the evil machinations of "known conspirators".
Amidst chants of "Lucio murderer" by a frenzied crowd, Correa charged opponent and former president Lucio Gutierrez with plotting the coup and inciting part of the police to insubordination.
Gutierrez is the head of the opposing conservative Patriotic Society Party that has been held responsible for being behind the plot and the coup attempt.
The events began in the morning with hundreds of police officers revolting and carrying out disorderly actions in Quito and other cities under the pretext of protesting a law, passed Wednesday, that cuts benefits and eliminate perks for public servants.
He was sequestered at Quito´s police hospital where he was taken for treatment after he twisted the leg on which he had recently undergone surgery. He injured the leg when he was attacked with tear gas after attempting to talk to the insubordinate police officers at their main headquarters in the capital.
"We came this morning, as our custom is, to talk and explain what we wanted to do, because no one has supported the police nor has raised their salaries so much as this Government," he told the crowd.
"And after seeing the reaction of a group of them, I felt betrayed," he stressed, adding that those responsible for the coup attempt will be punished.
After thanking all of his supporters and the soldiers for their loyalty and courage in the rescue operation, Correa said he had just lived through the saddest day of his government by seeing how Ecuadorian brothers had uselessly spelt their blood.
He also thanked "profoundly" the thousands of Ecuadorians who peacefully came unarmed to rescue him from the clinic, the presidential body guards and the ministers who were with him, "all willing to die if it was necessary," he stressed.
President Correa also thanked the many countries and organizations that had conveyed their support for him and his Government. Before closing his emotional speech, he called on the people to unite to beat the conspirators and push ahead the Citizens Revolution.
|
President Correa addresses his supporters in Ecuador and from around the world as he returned to the Presidential Palace unscathed
Back To The Main Page
Iran Professional Services
|
|
