MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chilean sovereignty from “Arica to the Southern Pole”

The Chilean Congress Lower House Defence Committee arrived Thursday in Antarctica to strong gusts and freezing temperatures and with the purpose of exercising “Chilean sovereignty” in the midst of a growing controversy over off Antarctica sea bed claims.

The seven parliamentary group had to remain the rest of the day indoors Chile's Eduardo Frei base, hoping that on Friday weather conditions improve so they can be flown on helicopters to oversee the "prolongation of our national territory". "We feel we're exercising sovereignty, here's our flag, here's the people of our Air Force, families with children born here, and we are sharing with them, so we feel we are in Chilean Territory", said Jorge Tarud president of the Defence committee. "Ours is above all a political gesture, a political message, to show this territory is Chilean, and therefore we're acting as elected members of Congress who have come to exercise natural and normal sovereignty over Chilean Antarctic territory", he added. Tarud said that the committee would support a motion in Congress to make these visits more frequent with the purpose of "permanently backing this mission", and "we will also demand more funds for the upgrading of the Frei base. And I think this is the right moment". Finally Tarud in a message to fellow Chileans said that it would be good that "when we talk about our country we get used to say from Arica to the South Pole, instead of Arica to Punta Arenas, because Chilean territory goes as far as the southern pole".