MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivia, Chile presidents to meet for sea access at CSN summit

Chile's President Michelle Bachelet will meet her Bolivian counterpart Evo Morales on the sidelines of the South American Community of Nations (CSN) meeting Chile's Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley said on Wednesday.

The Chile-Bolivia meeting, which is to be held in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba, will have a 13-point agenda, including Bolivia's claim to Pacific Ocean access.

Other points include allowing Bolivian fishermen to use the Chilean port of Iquique, and the delivery of 5 million U.S. dollars for the Arica-La Paz railroad.

Foxley noted that the sea access discussions were at a very preliminary stage.

Bolivia lost its sea outlet to Chile in an 1880s war and has demanded an access to the Pacific Ocean since then. The two countries broke off diplomatic relations in 1978 following the breakdown of the then ocean access negotiations.

In previous statements, Chile has dismissed ceding sovereignty, but has talked about facilitating access for Bolivian products to Ocean trading routes.

Foxley said that the two-day summit will also build regional links, integrate energy and boost political and social inclusion.

At the 12-nation CSN summit, which will begin on Friday, Bachelet will also hold meetings with her Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and the newly elected president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, who begins his five-year term on Jan. 10.