MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina, Chile to create joint peace corps

Argentina and Chile signed an agreement yesterday to create a joint peace corps that will be made available to the UN by 2008.

Defence Minister Nilda Garré, her Chilean counterpart Vivianne Blanlot, Foreign Ministers Jorge Taiana of Argentina and Alejandro Foxley of Chile met in Buenos Aires to sign several agreements to "enhance bilateral relations," the most outstanding of which was the creation of the peace corps.

Blanlot and Foxley's visit was part of a programme of ministerial visits organized by Buenos Aires and Santiago called "2+2." Foxley told reporters that during the ministers' meeting there was no talk about the health of Augusto Pinochet, the former Chilean dictator who has been under intensive medical care since the weekend.

Garré and Blanlot said that the creation of the 300-member unit "has no precedents" in the region.

"It is an event that is followed with great interest by other countries in the region," said Garré, who a year ago became the first woman to head the Defence ministry in Argentina. Michelle Bachelet, the Chilean president, was the first woman to hold the position in the neighbouring Andean country.

Taiana praised the creation of the peace corps, which he said sets an example for other countries in the area.

He added that the ministers also talked about other aspects of the political and diplomatic relations, most notably, he said, "The importance of the integration commissions, taking into account that we have one of the world's longest borders."

The two countries are separated by the Andes for over 5,000 kilometres.

Argentina has participated in several UN peace keeping missions in recent years and currently has Blue Helmets in Cyprus and Haiti. Buenos Aires Herald