MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Gas crisis: situation will stabilize in 2005/06

“The only thing we can do is feeling ashamed, and apologize”, said Argentine Minister of Interior Anibal Fernandez who defended Argentina's decision to limit natural gas supply to Chile, simultaneously admitting that there's no close end to the energy crisis.

Mr. Fernández met the press this Monday in Santiago de Chile where he is participating in a Mercosur event.

The Argentine official talked extensively about the origin of the crisis but underlined that Argentina "will do its utmost" to avoid "any conflict with the Chilean people".

Mr. Fernández denied bilateral relations had cooled because of the natural gas crisis and insisted that "they've never been better", adding that with Chilean Minister of Interior Jose Miguel Insulza, "we've agreed not to "gas" any points of the bilateral agenda".

However Mr. Fernandez was unable to give a date or timetable for the ending of the crisis but underlined that the situation will stabilize in 2005 and by 2006, "Argentina will have ample energy resources for export".

As to Santiago's annoyance when Argentina recently signed a contract to purchase Bolivian natural gas conditioned to "not one molecule of Bolivian gas going to Chile", Mr. Fernandez said President Kirchner administration acted seriously with great respect for both countries, "and we feel the contract is not damaging for our close relation with Chile".

Mercosur representatives are meeting in Santiago de Chile to address migratory problems in the region, particularly immigrants' human rights and their contribution to cultural, social and economic development of recipient countries.