MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivia sea outlet negotiation with Chile inconclusive, next week in La Paz

Chilean president Sebastián Piñera

The meeting between Chile and Bolivia’s foreign ministers was temporarily suspended as the pair attended the inauguration of a new border post between the two countries in Chungará.

A disagreement over phrasing in the document to resolve the maritime dispute caused an additional meeting to be scheduled for Monday, with negotiations potentially extending until Wednesday of next week.

Fernando Schmidt, Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative, and his Bolivian counterpart, Mónica Soriano, had originally called a press conference to announce the results of the negotiations last Monday, but cancelled it due to lack of definite conclusions drawn.

“We have so much to do still. There are many elements to discuss, and obviously there will be differences in objectives for Bolivia and Chile, but none that should hinder our ability to resolve those differences in the long run,” said Schmidt at the border post inauguration in Chungará.

Points still under debate are the Bolivia’s maritime territory demands, which President Piñera seems more disposed to discuss, but still unlikely to cede any land to Bolivia, water usage from the Silala River, and port restoration in Iquique to facilitate commercial trade from Bolivia.

Negotiations will continue in La Paz until next week.

By Christine Mehta – Santiago Times