MAYBE HE HAS A FUTURE IN CHILEAN POLITICS?

Fujimori's Detention in Chile Was Just Part of His Plan, Allies Say (Juan Forero, New York Times, 11/10/05)

Mr. Fujimori, who fled Peru for Japan in 2000 after his 10-year quasidictatorship collapsed in scandal, has said repeatedly that he intends to return triumphantly to run in Peru's presidential election next April.

"It's all part of a strategy, and he's the conductor of the orchestra," said Carlos Raffo, a close associate in Lima who helped plan the return. "Fujimori always said his stay in Tokyo would be temporary."

In Peru, where he is wanted on 22 charges ranging from hijacking democracy to directing death squads, the news of Mr. Fujimori's arrival in Santiago, the Chilean capital, brought headlines like "No Way Out" and "Downfall."

But his associates and some legal and political analysts who closely followed the former president's machinations said he had carefully weighed the risks, choosing Chile, the continent's most solid democracy, because it afforded him the best guarantees.

"This could be a master move," said José Miguel Vivanco, a Chilean who directs the Americas division of Human Rights Watch, a New York-based group that has closely cataloged the crimes of which Mr. Fujimori is accused. "He plans every move carefully, and I do not think he would end up in Chile by accident."

Mr. Fujimori's allies in Peru say Chile was chosen over other countries because the judges who will analyze Lima's extradition request will want a detailed analysis of the evidence Peruvian prosecutors have collected. The minimal formalities that usually characterize extradition requests in most countries will not do, legal experts said.

That could pose problems for the Peruvian judiciary, which has had serious difficulties mounting cases against figures from Mr. Fujimori's scandal-plagued government.

Peru-Chile Rivalry Backdrop for Fujimori (Rick Vecchio, Associated Press, 11/09/05)

Former President Alberto Fujimori couldn't have picked a more dramatic stage for his extradition fight than Chile, a country that has incited passionate mistrust in Peruvians since a war more than a century ago.

The long-running grudge has flared up in disputes over everything from fishing rights to the name of a fiery grape brandy.

Fujimori's arrival in Chile on Sunday came at a time when the two countries are involved in a dispute over Peru's desire to reset the nations' maritime border.

That's no mistake, say Peruvian protesters who want Chile to skip a lengthy extradition process and deport Fujimori to Peru to face nearly a dozen criminal charges, ranging from corruption and abuse of power to sanctioning a paramilitary death squad.

Fujimori's supporters could just be spinning like mad. Then again, Fujimori's crafty enough that this may well be part of his plan to reinject himself into Peruvian politics.