MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bachelet meets Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle

“Chilean British relations are excellent” said President Michelle Bachelet following the half hour private meeting on Friday with Queen Elizabeth II in Windsor Castle. Ms Bachelet is on an official visit to Britain that includes her participation in a political conference of centre left leaders hosted by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Ms Bachelet recalled the close links of Britain and Chile, a country the Queen visited in 1968 with Prince Philip and which other royals have toured extensively. "Chile was visited by the Queen in 1968 together with her husband. Chile is a country that has been visited by her children and even a grandson and a country with which she underscored we have splendid historic relations", said Ms Bachelet. The Chilean president also pointed out how informed Her Majesty was about current affairs in Chile. "She was very well updated about these two years of government" and the sovereign "asked quite a few interesting questions about these two years, and several different situations we have gone through". The Chilean president also revealed that among other issues they talked about the progressive leaders' conference hosted by PM Brown. "She wished all Chileans in the representation of her President, the best prospects of growth and development, and hoped that we will keep advancing on all the joint tasks we are addressing with the United Kingdom", said Bachelet. Chilean diplomatic sources said that having received President Bachelet at Windsor Castle was a very special regal honor, since she was the only leader that traveled to London for the progressive governance conference to have been invited to a private interview with the Queen. In the morning Ms Bachelet shared a work breakfast with the editors of The Guardian, The Times, Financial Times, The Independent and The Economist. Later in the morning the Chilean president was the main speaker at the event organized by the London School of Economics and Political Science, "Free and Fair: an agenda for democratic transformation". "For so long in Latinamerica we have been fighting to be free that in several ways we've forgotten to be fair. We've forgotten that a fair democracy needs equal opportunities for all which is born with access to education, health, social security and housing", emphasized Ms Bachelet.