MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile united to defend maritime border dispute with Peru

The political parties of the Chilean ruling coalition Concertación, the opposition Alianza alliance and the Communist Party (PC) gave their full backing Monday to the government's plan to defend Chile's northern maritime border against claims by neighboring Peru. The two countries seek to resolve the maritime issue at the International Court of Justice at The Hague.

The party leaders met with President Michele Bachelet and Foreign Relations Minister Alejandro Foxley Monday morning to discuss the government's position in its case against Peru. Their goal is to present a unified stance during the trial After the meeting, President Bachelet - flanked by the party presidents – said, "Chile is prepared, our legal position is solid, we have the best teams and we have confidence in our arguments." Peru maintains that its maritime border with Chile has never been properly defined. Chile insists the issue was resolved by a pair of treaties signed in 1952 and 1954. Peru's government first indicated that it would take the dispute to The Hague in April of last year, after Bachelet remarked that such an action would be Peru's decision and that both countries had more to gain by moving forward and working together than by fighting legal battles in international courts. The day that Peru proclaimed its intention to bring the lawsuit, hundreds of Peruvians marched from Tacna, Peru's southernmost city, to the border with Chile in a planned protest against Chile's refusal to negotiate the dispute. The marchers clashed with police almost 20 miles from the border, when many of them were arrested for violating laws against "bus-trucks," or trucks that carry people in their beds. The conflict escalated and the police used tear gas on the protestors. Nine months later, Chile's position has not changed. "Our maritime border has been established," said Bachelet, citing the treaties and the current practices of both countries. She also maintained that her government was united in its defense of Chile's position in the dispute, calling the policy "suprapartidista," or above party divisions. "Here there is only one cause, and that cause is Chile," she said. The President also thanked the political parties for their support and emphasized the importance of working together for "something that is common to us, very dear to us." Peru is expected to present its case this week. The Santiago Times