Suriname Government

This formerly Dutch outpost on South America's northeast shoulder Monday marked the fifth anniversary of a revolution that has gone awry but won't go away. Lt. Col. Desi Bouterse, the 39-year-old strongman, declared the day a holiday, to be celebrated with a military parade, a music festival and a public rally in grassy Independence Square. In a speech at the rally, Bouterse said his government will move toward democracy, but he added: "We are not talking about any foreign model of democracy.

The army commander who led two coups in Suriname resigned as head of the military Friday amid reports that he used his position to enrich himself, the official Suriname News Agency said. Col. Desi Bouterse rejected suggestions that he is the nation's richest man and denied a Dutch news report this week charging that he used state funds to amass his wealth, SNA said. Bouterse dominated much of the history of Suriname after it became independent from the Netherlands in 1975.

The Suriname army chief who led a bloodless Christmas Eve coup pledged Tuesday to relinquish power to an elected government within 100 days and denied that an ousted dictator was involved. "The army is not bent on having and keeping power," Cmdr. Ivan Graanoogst said on state-run radio, a day after he and other officers overthrew the elected 3-year-old government of President Ramsewak Shankar.

The U.S. Agency for International Development announced it was suspending aid to Suriname because of a December coup by the army that toppled a democratically elected government. In a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Paramaribo, Suriname, the agency said it was suspending aid under provisions of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Appropriations Act because of the coup that deposed President Ramsewak Shankar, who was voted into office in 1987.

Suriname's Parliament unanimously elected a former agriculture minister as president, making him the first civilian leader of the South American nation since a military takeover in February, 1980. Ramashewak Shankar was the only presidential candidate, having been picked by the Front for Democracy and Development, the three-party coalition that took 40 of the 51 seats in the National Assembly in the Nov. 25 election. Military strongman Lt. Col.

The Organization of American States, meeting in Washington, deplored the military coup in Suriname and called for restoration of democracy in the former Dutch colony in South America. In Paramaribo, Suriname's capital, politicians and army leaders held frantic talks to find a successor to President Ramsewak Shankar, who resigned after this week's bloodless coup. Military leaders promised that elections will be held within 100 days.

The U.S. Agency for International Development announced it was suspending aid to Suriname because of a December coup by the army that toppled a democratically elected government. In a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Paramaribo, Suriname, the agency said it was suspending aid under provisions of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Appropriations Act because of the coup that deposed President Ramsewak Shankar, who was voted into office in 1987.

The Organization of American States called a special session for today to discuss the situation in Suriname, where military leaders ousted the elected civilian government in a coup on Christmas Eve. Venezuela requested the extraordinary session, which will be held at OAS headquarters here.

The army commander who led two coups in Suriname resigned as head of the military Friday amid reports that he used his position to enrich himself, the official Suriname News Agency said. Col. Desi Bouterse rejected suggestions that he is the nation's richest man and denied a Dutch news report this week charging that he used state funds to amass his wealth, SNA said. Bouterse dominated much of the history of Suriname after it became independent from the Netherlands in 1975.

The Organization of American States, meeting in Washington, deplored the military coup in Suriname and called for restoration of democracy in the former Dutch colony in South America. In Paramaribo, Suriname's capital, politicians and army leaders held frantic talks to find a successor to President Ramsewak Shankar, who resigned after this week's bloodless coup. Military leaders promised that elections will be held within 100 days.

The Organization of American States called a special session for today to discuss the situation in Suriname, where military leaders ousted the elected civilian government in a coup on Christmas Eve. Venezuela requested the extraordinary session, which will be held at OAS headquarters here.

The Suriname army chief who led a bloodless Christmas Eve coup pledged Tuesday to relinquish power to an elected government within 100 days and denied that an ousted dictator was involved. "The army is not bent on having and keeping power," Cmdr. Ivan Graanoogst said on state-run radio, a day after he and other officers overthrew the elected 3-year-old government of President Ramsewak Shankar.

A fragile accord setting out conditions for ending Suriname's 3-year-old guerrilla war is testing the civilian government's authority over the army, which previously ruled the former Dutch colony. The government of President Ramsewak Shankar signed a preliminary accord with the warring Jungle Commando in July, despite the army's objections that the agreement failed to disarm the guerrillas and could place too much power in the hands of rebel leader Ronny Brunswijk. Lt. Col.

Hindu businessman Ramshewak Shankar was sworn in as the new president of Suriname, ending nearly eight years of military rule in the small South American nation with a call for improved relations with the Netherlands and the United States. Shankar, 50, the son of Indian immigrants, replaces military strongman Lt. Col. Desi Bouterse as head of government.