MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“Leeds Castle”: Foreign Office complains to Chile.

British Ambassador in Santiago Richard Wilkinson expressed the Foreign Office's disappointment to the Chilean Foreign Affairs Ministry for having denied Falklands based patrol vessel “HMS Leeds Castle” authorization to call into Punta Arenas, reported El Mercurio this weekend.

Chile's main daily described the British claim as "discreet", but it included a personal visit of Ambassador Wilkinson to the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Three days before the scheduled arrival of "Leeds Castle" in Punta Arenas on August first, and with a full agenda of activities agreed beforehand, (anticipated in the Chilean Navy website) the Chilean government informed that the authorization had been cancelled and suggested instead Puerto Montt further north.

Royal Navy Falklands based patrol vessels have called regularly and for years in Punta Arenas, granting the crew a period of rest and recreation.

The unexpected decision took the British government by surprise; further more it coincided with a presentation for the sale of three to be decommissioned Royal Navy frigates from the early nineties to Chile.

After consulting with the Embassy in Santiago the British government decided to cancel the "Leeds Castle" visit to all Chilean ports to signal its disappointment. According to El Mercurio Chilean diplomatic sources, apparently the Punta Arenas Argentine consulate complained about the coming August call of the Royal Navy vessel after reading about it in a local newspaper, and a "low ranking" official from the Chilean Foreign Affairs Ministry gave the order canceling the visit. Apparently when the visit to the Ministry the British Ambassador expressed London's concern that this type of actions could have an influence over Chile's foreign policy, reports El Mercurio citing the same sources.

Originally there was speculation that the presence in Punta Arenas of a task force from the Chilean Navy made up of three surface vessels and a submarine when the Royal Navy patrol vessel was scheduled to arrive could have influenced the decision given the limited docking area.

But the Task force actually left early August first the day the "Leeds Castle" was expected and Chilean Navy Commander Admiral Juan Angel Vergara interviewed about the issue said "it was a decision out of the control of the Navy, since it was decided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs".