MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile and Bolivia meet in La Paz to discuss maritime dispute

Bolivian Vice-president and Foreign minister, David Choquehuanca

Chilean and Bolivian Foreign Ministers gathered in La Paz, Bolivia on Monday to discuss resolving a decades-old maritime dispute.

Hours before representatives of the Chilean and Bolivian governments were to begin negotiations, Bolivia’s Minister of the Presidential Office, Oscar Coca, said he “was very concerned about addressing the agenda, and hopes for positive results from the negotiations.”

He added that Bolivia is looking for President Piñera’s government to outline concrete measures to advance the 13-points included in the agenda for discussion between the two countries, the most crucial point being Bolivia’s demand for access to the Pacific Ocean. This 13 point agenda was first produced and agreed upon during the administration of former President Michelle Bachelet.

One of the Bolivian objectives during preliminary discussions was to gauge how disposed the Chilean government was to cede sovereignty of parts of its coast to allow Bolivia access to the sea. Chile had already stated that it would not give land to Bolivia, but over the last few weeks has made friendly gestures to La Paz, such as inviting the Bolivian vice-president, Alvaro Garcia Linera to a meeting in La Moneda, the presidential palace in Santiago.

Foreign Vice-ministers Mónica Soriano, of Bolivia, and Chile’s Fernando Schmidt held a private meeting Monday to discuss the bilateral working group trip to Tambo Quemado, a town on the border of Chile and Bolivia, in late July. The two officials were joined during the talks by a representative from the Bolivian consulate, Jorge Canelas, the director of Border Relations, Pedro Suckel, the director of Border Customs Aselmo Pommes, and the executive director of the Cooperation Agency, Cristina Lazo. On Schmidt’s agenda was restoring an Iquique port in order to facilitate free trade with Bolivia.

Of the 13 key points expected to have been discussed, the most hotly debated issue is the maritime dispute, a conflict dating back to 1879 when Bolivia lost its coastal territory to Chile in the War of the Pacific. Recovery of the lost ocean front property is being touted by the Bolivian Vice-president and Foreign minister, David Choquehuanca, as Bolivia’s most important objective. He denied having received a negative Chilean response. Still, a critical senator from Bolivia, Franz Choque, called the foreign minister a “liar” and announced Friday that the Chilean government was not disposed to submitting to Bolivia’s maritime territorial demands.

“The minister has lied, he said that Chile is disposed to negotiate port access for Bolivia,” said Choque.

Choque’s strong words were inflamed by an article published in last week’s ‘El Mercurio’ stating that Chilean Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno had informed Congress’s External Relations Commission that President Piñera had explicitly told Bolivian vice-president García, in his visit to Santiago last week, that Chile would not negotiate ceding territory to Bolivia.
However, negotiations will continue, starting with the scheduled trip to the border between Chile and Bolivia to inaugurate a new border passage between the two countries, and to discuss smoothing the customs process for travellers between Bolivia and Chile.

By Christine Mehta – Santiago Times