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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release April 22, 1996

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

The United States views the present situation in Paraguay with grave concern. The United States fully supports President Juan Carlos Wasmosy -- the first democratically elected civilian leader of Paraguay in more than 40 years -- and his Government. We recognize the important role the Paraguayan armed forces have played in the transition to democracy and call upon all Paraguayan military to abide by the constitutional order. Any resort to extraconstitutional action will be completely unacceptable to the United States as it will be to the other democratic countries in the hemisphere.

All these governments reaffirmed this joint commitment to democracy at the Summit of the Americas and in the Organization of American States. We will continue to monitor the situation in Paraguay and, in consultation with our OAS partners, will review the full range of necessary actions.

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