MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Strong “dissuasive” Chilean signal to Peru.

After several weeks of difficult diplomatic exchanges with Peru repeatedly calling for a review of maritime borders, Chile sent a “dissuasive” signal to its northern neighbor with a military display just across the border.

According to the Santiago press the Chilean Army's most modern tanks were involved in a full fledged military exercise in Iquique, a few miles away from Peru, with the presence of Defence Minister Michelle Bachelet, the Army Commander in Chief and foreign officers currently studying in Chilean military schools.

Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo during the last two weeks has been insisting in negotiations for a review of maritime borders that Peru considers still undefined but for Chile were definitively sealed with the 1952 Maritime Frontier Zone treaty and the 1954 Accord on Maritime Special Frontier Zone, signed by Peru, Chile and Ecuador.

According to Chilean government sources, although the exercises had been long planned it was "a strong and clear dissuasive signal" to neighboring countries adding that Chile responds not only with statements but "with it has to show".

Last week Peruvian Defence Minister Roberto Chiabra when asked about the maritime border controversy replied that the country "was prepared" in the event of an armed conflict. His strong words were supported this week by second vicepresident David Waisman.

Just in case, the conflict hypothesis in Iquique was that Chilean troops had to contain the advance of a coalition of enemy countries, one of which had "the objective of grabbing access to the sea with the purpose of exporting natural gas".

A clear signal according to the Santiago press, for Bolivia that is claiming a strip of land leading to a Pacific outlet and has traditionally sided with Peru on the issue.

In 1879 Bolivia and Peru attacked Chile with the purpose of conquering the north of the country rich in fertilizer deposits. However the Chileans finally defeated the coalition cutting Bolivia from its Pacific outlet and retaining a southern province of Peru.

Chile's historic position has been that the borders and sovereignty of those territories, now under Chilean rule, are not negotiable.

But Peru has been insisting in a review of maritime borders and Bolivia claiming a "sovereign" outlet to the Pacific for the export of its natural gas.

Chile has offered "non sovereign" facilities to Bolivia including a strip of land to the Pacific.

President Toledo's administration is facing mounting resistance since he lost control of Congress and his family is under investigation for alleged graft and corruption charges.