MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile not expected to comply de-mining by 2012 deadline

Chile is working hard in the elimination of land mines along its borders with Argentina, Peru and Bolivia but still has over 100.000 explosives to deactivate, which at the current rate won't make the 2012 deadline, according to reports in the Buenos Aires press.

"In spite of the strong boost to mine sweeping, it's highly improbable that the 2012 target will be accomplished" said Marcela Rios, member of the United Nations Development Program Governance Department currently in the Argentine capital. Apparently a total of 106.894 mines, planted during the regime of dictator Augusto Pinochet remain in 168 fields distributed along the extreme south border of Chile with Argentina and to the north next to Peru and Bolivia. Chile and Argentina were on the verge of war in late 1978 when both countries under military rule were squabbling over limits and a few islands in Tierra del Fuego Beagle Channel, a conflict which was finally resolved by the intervention and mediation of then Pope John Paul II. Since 2003 when Chile admitted the existence of 123.443 land mines the number had been reduced constantly to the number last admitted in May, 106.894. In five years Chile annulled the destruction capacity of almost 13% of the total of mines planted, which according to Ms Rios "will probably make it necessary" to extend the 2012 timetable. The numbers were checked at the United Nations Disarmament Office site where there's a special report on the National Committee for Humanitarian De-mining, created by Chile to comply with the Ottawa convention which bans the use and production of antipersonnel explosives. As to the stored mines which numbered 300.039, according to the same report from the Chilean Commission they have all been destroyed.