MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile-Peru war of words becomes louder.

Outstanding politicians and diplomats from Chile and Peru joined the maritime border controversy between both countries which is increasingly straining bilateral relations.

Former Peruvian presidents Alan Garcia and Valentin Paniagua coincided that Peru must stand strong and insist in demanding negotiations with Chile to find a solution to the issue. Chile rejects negotiations since its official position is that there is no borders litigation pending with its neighbors.

Mr. García who leads in the public opinion polls said the maritime border was "a matter of injustice" towards Peru, but we still have "the diplomatic card to play".

Peru insists in opening the issue since it was never "discussed bilaterally" and Chile argues the maritime frontier zones differences were sealed by the 1952 accord that included Ecuador.

Basically Peru is demanding the equidistant line for the maritime borders ignoring the parallel line which is Chile's position.

"The Chilean position ignores reality", said former president Valentin Paniagua.

According to a public opinion poll 67% of Lima residents support their government's position regarding the issue and the dispute with Chile.

The situation became tenser when in an interview with a Bolivian newspaper Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo said that Chile and Peru had began negotiations to consider the possible review of the Borders Treaty of 1929 which involves territorial disputes between Chile, Peru and Bolivia.

However Peruvian Foreign Affairs Minister Manuel Rodríguez later stated that the 1929 Treaty was "intangible and perpetual".

In a strong reply to Chilean President Ricardo Lagos who said the Peruvian government was playing the foreign affairs "comics" card to shadow internal disputes, second Peruvian vice-president David Waisman replied "Peruvians are not Mickey Mouse and I believe the Chilean president is looking at the wrong movie form the wrong seat".

Last week also Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo when the inauguration of the country's major energy project and pipeline in the Amazon area confirmed landlocked Bolivia had agreed to export its vast natural gas reserves through Peruvian territory instead of Chile.

Statements from both sides have been followed by tanks rolling and jet fighters breaking the sound barrier. Last week Chile's most modern and sophisticated armored and mechanized brigades were involved in exercises a few miles away from the Peruvian border and Peruvian Mirage jet fighters based close by, replied screeching along the border line.

"Military exercises on land and in the air had been long programmed" said both sides.

Peru and Bolivia fought the Pacific war against Chile in 1879, and in 1929 signed a Borders Treaty that sealed the dispute ensuring Chile some of the conquered territories.