San Domingo Might Keep Troops

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31079, 7 June 1966, Page 13

San Domingo Might Keep Troops

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) SANTO DOMINGO, June 6. The President-elect, Mr Joaquin Balaguer, said yesterday he believed that foreign troops might have to remain in the country after his Government was installed on July 1.

He said their stay depended on the solving of such important problems as the disarmament of the civilian population and the integration of Constitutionalist troops into the regular armed forces.

When the National Electoral junta confirmed his election, he would invite the defeated Presidential candidate, Mr Juan Bosch, of the Do-

minican Revolutionary Party, to collaborate with him in the new Government. “I believe that the interAmerican Peace Forces would have to remain in the country,” Mr Balaguer said, “until the problems of civilian disarmament and reintegration of the. Constitutionalist troops are resolved.' It also depends on the situation in general.” Santo Domingo was quiet after a day of sporadic and minor disturbances in which police had to fire into the air to disperse agitators. There were no casualties, police said. Two Problems Civilian disarmament and integration of the Constitutionalist soldiers who joined the Bosch side of the April, 1965, revolt are two problems the . Provisional Government has not solved. Armed forces leaders claim that about 5000 weapons were taken from arsenals at the start of the fighting. Only a few have been turned in.

A self-styled “candidate of peace,” Mr Balaguer will take office trailing an impressive list of promised reforms. He

has nearly everything at his disposal to carry them out: the State already owns a large portion of the country’s productive land and controls some of the most important industrial and commercial operations, including 60 per cent of the sugar industry, the chief producer of dollar revenue.