Samper May Be Willing To Resign

President Ernesto Samper, who is embroiled in accusations that his 1994 election campaign solicited some $6.1 million from drug traffickers, on Tuesday maintained that he was innocent but opened the possibility he would step down if Congress decided he should.

In an emotional half-hour address opening a special session of Congress that will examine his campaign finances - and may decide whether or not to impeach him - the president said he was becoming the victim of a political “lynching.”

He asked the Congress to decide his fate “quickly, for a definitive solution to this crisis.”