MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine/Chilean celebration of 1978 Pope peace mediation

Argentine ambassador in Chile Luis Maira confirmed before Chilean Congress the visit of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner next November to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the 1978 peace mediation brokered by the Vatican which impeded a full fledged war.

Chilean president Michelle Bachelet will host Mrs. Kirchner in Punta Arenas from where they will be flown to the conflict area, the three islands in the Beagle Channel to the south of Tierra del Fuego which international arbitration awarded to Chile in 1977 but the Argentine military regime refused to accept. Following the rejection the Argentine generals and admirals then begun planning and organizing the invasion of the Patagonia region to ensure possession of the disputed islands along the Beagle Channel plus other pending territorial and maritime claims. On 22 December 1978 Argentina started the Operación Soberanía in order to occupy the islands around the Cape Horn and then, in a second phase, to stop or continue according to the Chilean reaction, but few hours later the operation was aborted. In effect when Argentine tanks began rolling the military junta in Buenos Aires accepted Pope John Paul II mediation who had appealed to the leaders of both authoritarian regimes, Generals Jorge Videla and Augusto Pinochet. They would allow the Pope to mediate the dispute through the good offices of Cardinal Anotnio Smaoré, his special envoy who in January 1979 managed to convince both sides to sign the Act of Montevideo pledging a peaceful solution and a return to the military situation of early 1977. The Beagle conflict is seen as the main reason for Chilean support to the United Kingdom three years later during the Falklands War of 1982. Ms. Bachelet and Mrs. Kirchner will lay the founding stone for a monument dedicated to the memory of Pope John Paul II for his efforts in preventing a war between neighboring countries. But in spite of the good offices of the Vatican, significant tension remained between Argentina and Chile until the democratically elected government of Raul Alfonsin took office in Argentina in December 1983. Still isolated diplomatically due to the aftermath of the Falklands war, the Alfonsin administration made great efforts to stabilize the border situation. Without the support of the opposition, president Alfonsín called for a national plebiscite on 25th November 1984 when 80% of the Argentine electorate voted to accept the Vatican-mediated compromise. Ms. Bachelet and Mrs. Kirchner have a good personal relation and are expected to make further announcements concerning infrastructure works and other border issues. Argentine ambassador Luis Maira addressing the Chilean congressional committee involved in the preparations of the coming celebration described bilateral elections as "excellent" with many joint undertakings planned ahead. Although he admitted "leaving aside the problems generated by the scarce provision of Argentine natural gas to Chilean consumers".