MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivia insists in access to the Pacific.

Bolivia's caretaker president Carlos Mesa said in Montevideo that his landlocked nation will never give up its claim to at least a piece of the Pacific coastline lost to Chile following the Pacific war of 1879. Mr. Mesa also appealed to Brazil to use its diplomatic influence to help resolve the dispute.

Bolivia's quest for access to the sea is a 19th-century issue that can be "diplomatically solved with a 21st-century spirit", indicated Mr. Mesa, who nevertheless stressed that his country will not give up its claims.

"For Bolivia, it's not an issue of the past or belonging to history, it's a foremost non renounce able national cause" he said.

Bolivia lost its access to the Pacific in a war waged with Peru against Chile between 1879 and 1883. Chile marched all the way to Lima defeating Bolivian and Peruvian troops and finally occupied Peru's capital for a couple of years.

Santiago and La Paz broke off diplomatic relations in 1962, resuming ties for a brief period from 1975 to 1978 during the military dictatorships of Generals Augusto Pinochet in Chile and Hugo Banzer in Bolivia.

"I think it's important that Chile, a country which has been investing so heavily on modernity, be ready to dialogue on the issue" stressed Mr. Mesa, adding that the issue must be solved diplomatically. "The balance and stability of the region depends on solving the matter of Bolivia's coastal access". President Mesa also talked about the leading position of Brazil in Mercosur saying that even when a balance is always desirable, "facts tend to be stubborn" and "one must acknowledge that Brazil wields a great deal of political power because of its size and economic weight". "In the South American context, a yes or no from Brazil is crucial, and this is extensive to regional integration since partners must find a balance between interaction among equals, and Brazil's dominant role".

Chilean president Ricardo Lagos in Santiago said he had the "best disposition" to examine the issue with his Bolivian counterpart, but "no sovereignty will be on the table". "I think we can listen, look and as a result of listening and looking we can talk", stressed Mr. Lagos.

Chilean governments have repeatedly insisted that boundaries with Bolivia were definitively settled by the 1904 Treaty.

Last November a Chilean public opinion poll indicated that 47% of Chileans favour giving Bolivia greater access to Chilean ports, however this must be done "without granting any territory" or "imperilling Chilean sovereignty".