New Colombian Defense Minister Chosen
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<i> Reuters</i>
BOGOTA, Colombia — President Andres Pastrana picked a close political ally Saturday to replace the defense minister, who resigned in protest of the government’s handling of peace talks with Marxist rebels.
Pastrana chose Luis Fernando Ramirez, 40, a former Labor minister and longtime political collaborator, to replace Rodrigo Lloreda, whose departure Wednesday triggered a short-lived crisis in the military.
Ramirez, 40, was Pastrana’s running mate in 1994, when Pastrana narrowly lost to scandal-plagued ex-President Ernesto Samper.
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