MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Military crisis brewing

Chilean president Ricardo Lagos is in an uncomfortable situation following the disclosure that the Air Force Commander, General Patricio Ríos, allegedly had knowledge of the resurgence of a “Joint Command” extremist group, closely linked to the force and involving the wife of another Air Force general, but did not report it.

The situation is particularly embarrassing since under the Chilean Constitution, a legacy of the Pinochet regime, president Lagos can't remove any of the three forces and Carabineros Commanders which are nominated by the military, so in spite of all the public opinion pressure General Ríos remains (defiantly) in his post.

General Patricio Ríos attitude also puts a question mark on all the information delivered by the Air Force to the so called "Dialogue Table", a human rights committee, sponsored by the Lagos administration and with military collaboration, that is trying to work out what happened or where are the remains of the hundreds of Chileans disappeared under Pinochet's regime and that remain unaccounted for.

Apparently a former member of the "Joint Command" and on the payroll of the military, "White Tusk", originally from Punta Arenas where he spied on people during the Pinochet regime, revealed that the group was again active and that the wife of Air Force General Patricio Campos was involved.

General Campos resigned but General Ríos kept to his post and even bragged about the incident in an off the record interview with a Santiago newspaper editor whom he locked in his office during the meeting. "You're running head on to trouble", warned the General.

"White Tusk" is in jail, claiming he fears for his life, the Editor published the entire controversial interview and now President Lagos expects the Air Force Commander General Ríos to resign, since he's not entitled to remove him.

The incident once again exposes the urgent need in Chile of a constitutional reform, including the process for nominating Armed Forces Commanders, their compulsory participation in the National Security Council, for life Senators and the electoral system that ensures the conservative opposition blocking power in the Senate.

"This is a entirely anomalous situation, since Chile is Chile presidents can remove Force Commanders; this doesn't happen in any country of the world", remarked president Lagos recalling that since he's been in office on "two occasions Force Commanders should have resigned".

President Lagos revealed he didn't convene the National Security Council on those two occasions because it would have worsened the situation, "and it would have had a negative impact for Chile".

In 1995 a similar situation happened but with Carabineros, and former president Eduardo Frei was unable to remove the Commander, General Rodolfo Stange.