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Breaking News from Chile

Headlines: Cruise season at full steam; Spanish frigate in Punta Arenas; Chile-EU sign agreement.

Cruise season at full steam

Punta Arenas received over the weekend two cruise vessels. The first was Panama flagged "Zenith" with 1,282 passengers, mostly British and Germans, who spent eight hours visiting the city and surrounding areas including a ferry to the island of Magdalena a natural reserve. "Zenith" has a crew of 654 and sailed in from Puerto Montt, with final destination Ushuaia. The second cruise vessel was "Nordnorge". Punta Arenas officials also announced that this week the Chilean ferry "Mare Australis" that will be operating in the Tierra del Fuego channels and Cape Horn, will be arriving to port for its official baptism and inauguration of season tours. The ten million US dollars "Mare Australis" is 72 meters long, can carry 132 passengers and was built in the Valdivia shipyards. Arturo Storaker, Cruceros Australis CEO told the Punta Arenas press that the brand new ferry has twenty trips scheduled for this season totalizing 2,800 passengers. "Mare Australis" replaces "Terra Australis" that was a total loss after a fire broke out in the engine room. Meantime in Montevideo the arrival last weekend of "Silver Shadow" from Silversea Cruises, marked the beginning of the cruise season in the River Plate.

Spanish frigate in Punta Arenas

The Spanish frigate "Reina Sofía" is currently moored in Punta Arenas, the first man-o-war from Spain to visit Chile since the 1998 incident when on request from a Spanish Judge former dictator Augusto Pinochet was detained in Britain. The twelve years old FSC frigate is 140 meters long, has a crew of 167, including 23 women, and was involved in the annual Unitas exercises in the South Atlantic sponsored by the United States Navy and with the participation of the Brazilian, Uruguayan and Argentine navies. "Reina Sofía" will be leaving Punta Arenas for Talcahuano to hold joint exercises with a Chilean squadron and then to Valparaiso to the Naval Expo 2002 scheduled in the second half of December. She's under the command of Captain Fernando de Querol who spent time in the Chilean Naval Joint Staff Academy. In Santiago Spanish military attaché Antonio Carrasco Gomez, indicated it was the beginning of a new friendship with a long background "that should have never been lost". Mr. Carrasco Gómez revealed that there are ongoing talks with the Chilean Navy for the possible acquisition of Spanish frigates, "a very attractive proposal that includes off-sets". The Chilean Navy has also shown interest in British frigates, particularly HMS Sheffield recently decommissioned.

Chile-EU sign agreement

After months of negotiations Chile and the European Union formally signed this Monday in Brussels the Political, Trade and Cooperation Association Agreement that becomes effective in 2003. Foreign Relations Minister Soledad Alvear headed the Chilean delegation and on the European side most of the fifteen Foreign Affairs Ministers and Chris Patten, EU Foreign Relations Commissar. The agreement is considered "the most ambitious ever signed by Europe" with a country not wanting to join the EU and covers almost 90% of the current bilateral trade, services and investment fields. Chile expects the agreement will enable the country to diversify and expand its sales to Europe as tariffs are gradually reduced and different areas opened to Chilean exports. The agreement also contemplates geographical origin recognition for wines and other spirits and opens Chilean fisheries to EU investment. On the political side, the agreement establishes dialogue mechanisms and a full commitment to democracy and rule of the law. EU is Chile's main foreign investor with 17,5 billion US dollars in the 27 years between 1974 and 2001, half of which belong to Spain. Regarding trade, in 2001 Chilean sales to EU reached 4,6 billion US dollars