MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Kirchner will visit Chile end of the month.

Argentine president Nestor Kirchner will finally be making a state visit to Chile next November 30, revealed Argentine Defence Minister Jose Pampuro.

When Chilean president Ricardo Lagos receives Mr. Kirchner in Santiago at the end of the month, it should signal the end an accumulation of incidents during several months which soured diplomatic bilateral relations.

Buenos Aires and Santiago relations have been under strain following last winter's natural gas crisis when Argentina unilaterally restricted supplies to energy dependent Chile and further on with the naming of Ignacio Walker as Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Walker, a political science academic and analyst during the energy crisis and when he did not belong to Mr. Lagos cabinet, wrote a scathing article in El Mercurio blaming Peronism for Argentina's problems and describing Mr. Kirchner as a "populist", both of which infuriated the Argentine president who suspended the scheduled state visit.

After the initial reactions and following Mr. Walker's repeated apologies, both presidents tried to cool the situation.

Defence minister Pampuro made the announcement in Quito, Ecuador where he is participating together with Chilean Defence minister Jaime Ravinet in the VI Defence Ministers Conference of the Americas.