Béjar's resignation originated after a media revealed some statements he gave, when he was not yet foreign minister, where he exposed the participation of the CIA and Peruvian intelligence to divide the left. | Photo: El Comercio

Lima, August 17 (RHC)-- The Peruvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Héctor Béjar, presented this Tuesday his irrevocable resignation of his position after an intense defamation campaign where statements he gave years ago to local media were manipulated.

According to a press release from the Secretariat of Strategic Communications and Press of the Presidential Office, after the resignation letter presented by Béjar (who only lasted 18 days as foreign minister), the head of State Pedro Castillo accepted it.  It is estimated that in the next few days the new Minister of Foreign Affairs will be known.

Bejar's resignation originated after a media report revealed some declarations he gave, when he was not yet foreign minister, where he exposed the participation of the CIA and the Peruvian intelligence to divide the left, as well as the alleged participation of the Navy in terrorism in Peru.

"I am convinced, I cannot prove it, of two things: one, that Sendero Luminoso has been in great part the work of the CIA and the intelligence services; and two, a great part of the operations to divide the left have something to do with the enemy intelligence services (...) terrorism in Peru was initiated by the Navy, that can be historically demonstrated," revealed a local media of Béjar's statements.

After the publication of the statements and the call of opposition sectors in Congress to request a motion of censure, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a statement last Monday, stating that this is due to a campaign of manipulation and discredit of Hector Bejar.

"The same that have been manipulated, edited, cut and taken out of context with the purpose of discrediting him and obtaining the censure of the Minister of Foreign Affairs (...) This systematic campaign of editing old statements and taking them out of context has the purpose of confusing the public opinion and presenting the foreign minister as offending the Armed Forces and the Peruvian Navy," stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Ministry recalled that Béjar was promoting an international agenda based on the respect for the sovereignty and self-determination of the people.   "The Minister expresses his full willingness to work with all institutions on a foreign policy agenda for the benefit of the country,"