MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile/Argentina bilateral relations sailing into rough waters

Galvarino Apablaza Guerra accused of killing a Chilean elected right wing Senator in 1991

The Argentine/Chilean bilateral relationship could be sailing into rough waters following reports in the Chilean press about the terms used by Buenos Aires to justify the non extradition of a former guerrilla Galvarino Apablaza Guerra accused of killing a Chilean senator in democracy.

According to Chilean newspaper La Tercera, the Argentine Government justified the decision for not extraditing former guerrilla Apablaza Guerra, because the imputations against him “should not be considered as terrorist acts as they had no international consequences.”

The Chilean tabloid said the phrase is part of the government's 36-page statement used to defend the political asylum of Apablaza in Argentina.

Reports in El Mercurio, quoting Chilean government sources, said that a formal protest note is to be delivered this week to the Casa Rosada, which could be accompanied by other measures that demonstrate the negative impact this will have on the bilateral relationship.

“The government will mark a before and after in the way of relating to Argentina” underlined a Chilean government source.

La Tercera alleges to have had access to the dossier that was handed to the Chilean Government by the Argentine National Commission for Refugees (CONARE), regarding the situation of Apablaza, who was a member of the dissolved Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front (FPMR) and is accused of murdering right-wing senator Jaime Guzmán, and kidnapping media businessman Christian Edwards del Río, son of the owner of El Mercurio newspaper, in 1991 and during democracy.

”The acts committed by the asylum's petitioner (Apablaza) should not be considered terrorists acts,” said the CONARE in its recommendation to the Argentine government, which finally decided to give political asylum to the former guerrilla member, and by-pass the extradition order that the Supreme Court had endorsed.