Special report: Garcia reelected Peruvian president

   LIMA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The international community on Monday congratulated Peruvian president-elect Alan Garcia after he won Sunday's presidential election, but it also urged him to avoid "the errors of the past."

    Garcia, a social democrat from the Peru Aprist Party, won 54.69 percent of the vote, defeating his rival Ollanta Humala, who garnered 45.30 percent in the runoff election after 91 percent of the vote was counted.

    Costa Rica's President Oscar Arias congratulated Garcia on his victory, but also warned "we hope that he bears the errors of the past in his mind and will not repeat them."

    Garcia held Peru's presidency from 1985 to 1990, during which the Latin American country was mired in guerrilla violence and economic chaos. But he said during the election campaign that he had learned from the mistakes of his previous term and would better manage Peru's economy.

    Bolivia's Foreign Minister Juan Quintana said, along with his congratulations, that he hoped Garcia would strengthen the Andean Community of Nations, which was weakened in April when Venezuela said it would leave.

    Argentina's President Nestor Kirchner said he was sure that thetwo nations would work together closely to strengthen bilateral relations, adding that he "earnestly hoped" that democracy, human rights and general well-being would improve in Peru.

    Both Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and his Mexican counterpart Vicente Fox greeted Garcia personally by telephone, and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero sent him acongratulatory telegram.

    The State Department of the United States congratulated both Garcia and outgoing president Alejandro Toledo, the latter for "making it all possible."

    Meanwhile, Venezuela said despite their current difficulties, it would fulfill the commitments agreed to by both nations.

    Leaders of Venezuela and Peru were in conflict through the election campaign after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez openly backed the nationalist Humala. Chavez had called Garcia "irresponsible" and "a bandit" and the two countries had recalled their ambassadors from each other's capitals.

    The Organization of American States's (OAS) observer mission, led by former foreign ministers, Argentina's Rafael Bielsa and Canada's Lloyd Axworthy, said the election was transparent, democratic and clean. Enditem