MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile and Asian contacts, priority for Peruvian foreign policy

Peru's future Foreign Affairs minister Jose Antonio Garcia Belaunde accused the current Peruvian administration of “unnecessarily ill-treating” relations with Chile, which he identified as one of the incoming government's top foreign policy priorities.
Next July 28, elected president Alan García will be taking office in Peru.

Garcia Belaunde admitted the existence of discrepancies with Chile but he emphasised that the neighbouring country is "one of our foreign policy priorities because they are going to help us with our relations with Asia, and we would like to see them back in the Andean Community of Nations".

Chile and Peru have several pending border, political and military differences dating back to the late XIX century as a consequence of the Pacific war of 1879.

As to former president Alberto Fujimori currently retained in Chile awaiting extradition procedures to Peru, the future Foreign Secretary described the matter as "strictly judicial" and should "not be made political".

Garcia Belaunde admitted that Japan is also one of the weak points of Peru's foreign relations since Tokyo repeatedly refused all extradition requests for Fujimori who on fleeing the country in 2000 took refuge in the Far East, from where his ancestors come.

Japan all along argued Mr Fujimori was a Japanese citizen with a Japanese passport.

"It's imperative to overcome this uncomfortable situation", admitted Garcia Belaunde.

The future administration of Alan Garcia also is determined to normalize relations with Venezuela following the recent disputes with President Hugo Chavez which made both countries call their ambassadors back home.

"The Peruvian decision and willingness is to improve relations with Venezuela" said Garcia Belaunde who admitted "excesses" from both sides and revealed that the incoming president has requested a meeting with Venezuela's Chavez.

The Venezuelan president first called "traitor" and taunted his Peruvian counterpart Alejandro Toledo for signing a free trade agreement with United States.

Incoming Garcia exchanged foul language with Chavez whom he accused of meddling in Peruvian affairs by openly supporting the defeated candidate Ollanta Humala.

Chavez said he was certain of a Humala victory and promised an end to all relations with Peru if Alan Garcia was the winner, "a candidate who could only become president through electoral fraud".

Garcia described Chavez as a "clown" with "dwarf Napoleon aspirations" who was famous for beating his wife.

Garcia Belaunde said that promoting trade with the Pacific Rim was crucial for Peru and that President Garcia had instructed him to start working on a trade agreement with all Latinamerican countries with Pacific coast, from Chile to Mexico.

However Brazil is also expected to play a leading role in trade and investment.

Another area of great concern for the incoming administration is drugs and organizing a summit with the participation of the two leading world producers Colombia and Peru and the two leading consumer regions, United States and European Union.

"We must work together in a joint drugs war agenda and incorporating the European Union is crucial since consumers must share the responsibility with producing countries".

Peruvian officials revealed that Peru is second only to Colombia in the production of coke and cocaine and that 15% of Peruvian cocaine ends in the US, the rest, "85% is shipped to Europe through Brazil".