Associated Press
July 05, 2002
http://www.arizonarepublic.com/news/articles/0705mexprez05.html
MEXICO CITY - Former President Luis Echeverria described himself as "tranquil"
after prosecutors grilled him on possible charges of genocide for a 1968 government
massacre of 300 student demonstrators.
Echeverria, who was interior minister in 1968 and whose 1970-76 term as president
was marked by repression of leftist radicals, has denied responsibility for
the "Tlatelolco massacre," named for after the Mexico City plaza where
it occurred.
"That has to be cleared up, so that it will never happen again," Echeverria said of the massacre. He spoke to local media at a ceremony on Wednesday marking the anniversary of a civil engineering center built during his term.
The 80-year-old Echeverria said, "I feel tranquil," when asked how he had been affected by the hours-long interrogation at prosecutors' offices Tuesday. He said he "just sat and listened," promising to respond later in writing.
But he noted, "I can't talk about it right now, we have to wait a few weeks" until testimony in the case is finished. Echeverria is scheduled to appear before prosecutors again next week to answer questions about a 1971 massacre of 30 students.
The criminal investigation of Echeverria is the first of a former president since the 1930s.
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