MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bachelet under flak at home because of Mercosur summit

Chile's Executive branch spokesperson highlighted President Michelle Bachelet's role in the recent Mercosur Cordoba summit and the meetings held with her counterparts from Argentina and Bolivia, countries with which Chile has pending discrepancies.

Spokesperson Ricardo Lagos Weber said that following the meeting with President Bachelet, Argentina is committed to maintain a "normal" provision of natural gas for residential and business consumption.

Regarding criticisms from the opposition claiming that President Bachelet's "discolored protagonism" in the Mercosur summit had her "under the table" most of the time, Lagos Weber insisted that Chile "is a respected country in the region", something which did not happen under the previous military regime.

"Chile has a serious, reliable, state foreign policy; we are correctly represented in the different international forums. Chile is today a country with world acknowledgement in the entire globe, not like not so long ago when presidents "were returned" from the countries they wished to visit".

Further expanding on the issue of foreign policy Lagos Weber called on the political spectrum "to address the issue with seriousness and underline the role played by President Bachelet".

As to Venezuela's candidacy for the non permanent United Nations Security Council seat, which was sponsored by the Mercosur block in the Cordoba summit declaration, Lagos Weber said that the decision will be announced "at its right moment".

Chile's Foreign Affairs minister Alejandro Foxley had advanced that Santiago might follow the Mercosur "consensus position" in the issue. The Venezuela vote is very much contested inside the Chilean ruling coalition with junior member Conservative Christian Democrats warning about support for the Chavez regime.

"I want to reiterate what has been said by the administration. The decision will be taken when the moment comes, sometime next October, but even more important than that is the fact that Chile will decide on the vote taking into account the country's national interests", he emphasized.

Marcelo Forni head of the opposition in the Lower House said President Bachelet "was not respected in the recent Mercosur summit".

"It's evident she was not at ease. We've had arrogant presidents who faced with this situation at least they had the courage to bang the table, but this time our president was under the table", pointed out Forni. "When the administration signs free trade agreements which prove successful the ruling coalition hails them as victories for the government, however when things go sour as happened in the Mercosur summit, they argue that foreign policy is state policy and we're all responsible" added Forni. "We're not going to accept that anymore because what happened in Cordoba was frustrating and a major flop of Chilean foreign policy", insisted the opposition leader.

The latest Mercosur summit was shadowed by the presence of Fidel Castro from Cuba and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez who openly criticized market oriented policies and links with United States. Chile which has the lowest tariffs and the most open economy in the region is an associate member of Mercosur.

Meantime Chile's Communist party called on President Bachelet to advance with determination to a full integration with the region in the fields of energy, education, health, trade, "since we're becoming mere spectators because of our ambiguous foreign policy".

"We're too closely exposed to pressures and bilateral links with the United States. We have a submission relation", claimed Guillermo Teillier, Communist Party chairman.