MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chilean president-elect criticizes Castro and reaffirms support of Peru, Bolivia

Sebastián Piñera: “there’s no democracy in Cuba”

Chile’s President-elect Sebastian Piñera affirmed that his government will strongly defend human rights once taking power on March 11 by giving much more attention to Cuba than did his predecessors from the centre-left Concertacion coalition.

“There is no democracy in Cuba and they don’t respect human rights or civil liberties,” Piñera said this week in an interview with The Miami Herald.

“I aspire to do as much as I am able to do to see that the Organization of American States Charter and the OAS mandate protect democracy and human rights and I will make sure that the OAS will be more effective in the future.”

Still, the President-elect did not rule out a future official visit to Cuba and stated his willingness to meet with leading Cuban authorities and with Cuban dissidents.

Critics, however, noted that during a 1995 business trip to Cuba the billionaire Chilean businessman met with Cuban government representatives, but not with government opponents.

Piñera has previously criticized current president Michelle Bachelet’s for refusing to meet with Cuban dissidents on her last official visit to the nation last year.

The future president of Chile also commented that his administration will attempt to strengthen relations with Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.

Jose Antonio Garcia Belaunde, Peru’s foreign minister, confirmed that both Chile and Peru should be in a position to begin rebuilding relations after an extended (and still unresolved) dispute over maritime fishing rights.

Piñera also stated that he hopes to maintain an active dialogue with Bolivian President Evo Morales to resolve diplomatic relations between the two nations.

The President-elect on Friday strongly backed Jose Miguel Insulza’s bid for a second term as head of the Organization of American States (OAS) in March, adding that it was a matter of national pride to have a Chilean in such an important international position.

By Paul Herbert (editor@santiagotimes.cl)