Peru's president-elect Alan Garcia said today he would stop battling Venezuela's populist anti-US leader Hugo Chavez after weeks of public spats that underscored political divisions in Latin America.
"Someone declares war on me and I will declare peace. ... I am not interested in leading some continental anti-Chavez movement," Mr Garcia said in his first news conference since beating a Chavez-backed ex-army nationalist in Sunday's vote.
Mr Chavez, trying to unite Latin American leftists to challenge a US government he brands as imperialist, supported ex-army commander Ollanta Humala and called Garcia "corrupt" and "a thief."
The spat led both nations to withdraw their ambassadors. In blow to Chavez's regional ambitions, Mr Garcia beat Humala after running on a more moderate centrist platform.
"As long as there is no more meddling in our affairs. I think we can have good relations (with Venezuela)," said Mr Garcia, whose 1985-1990 government was marked by economic chaos and Marxist rebel violence.
Peru's election highlighted two emerging camps in Latin America - one band formed by Chavez' allies like Bolivia and Cuba, and another side formed by more moderate center-left governments like Brazil and Chile.
Venezuela's Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez also toned down rhetoric after the election, denying yesterday that Mr Chavez had threatened to break diplomatic relations if Mr Garcia won.
The administration of President George W. Bush, looking for support against Mr Chavez, has welcomed Peru's criticism of Venezuela for meddling in its affairs.
"The divide we now face is not between left and right, but between democrats and authoritarians, whether or not elected," US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick said yesterday.
In his first meeting with the press, Mr Garcia highlighted his attempts to fill a political middle ground. He suggested a new cabinet could exclude both those inclined toward globalization or the state's expansion of the economy.
Mr Garcia also said he would study Peru's free-trade agreement with the United States before he supported its ratification.