MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

President Piñera’s cousin and Senator says the Kirchners are not to be trusted

Senator Andres Chadwick and Minister Timerman, in short circuit

A leading Chilean Conservative Senator said on Tuesday it is going to be very difficult to have a confidence relation “with the Argentine government, the President and the Kirchner couple” and described Foreign Affairs minister Hector Timerman as someone who lacks “human and intellectual category”.

The serious exchange was triggered by Argentina’s decision to deny extradition of a Chilean guerrilla fighter Sergio Galbarino Apablaza Guerra charged for allegedly killing a Senator and kidnapping the son of the owner of El Mercurio back in 1991 when democracy had been restored and Chile was ruled by democratically elected President Patricio Aylwin.

Senator Andres Chadwick Piñera from the ruling coalition and cousin of President Sebastian Piñera deplored the Argentine decision granting asylum to Apablaza saying it was not based on law but on political and electoral speculation.

On Monday Timerman described statements from Senator Chadwick as “nonsense and an embarrassment” and went further by wondering “who this Senator was, because I’ve never heard of him”.

Earlier Tuesday Senator Chadwick replied to Monday’s remarks made by Timerman saying he “felt sorry” for him, adding that the minister’s remarks were a “serious insult” to his country. The senator’s remarks were published in the Buenos Aires press.

“The Argentine Foreign Minister must be going through quite a predicament since he is expected to explain something that has no explanation to begin with. How do you explain granting political asylum to a person accused of being involved in two serious crimes?” he wondered. “I feel sorry for him,” he stated.

Chadwick added that the government of Cristina Kirchner didn’t dare extradite Galbarino Apablaza because it feared “an electoral backlash from Hebe de Bonifani (human rights activists) and other left wing organizations next year”

The Senator said that Timerman’s words “had a big impact in Chile since we are not used to that type of language or expressions”. He added “it’s hard to understand how Argentina can have a Foreign Secretary who only disqualifies people; it sounds like total madness”.

“People act that way when they don’t have arguments, feel complicated, nervous, stressed, uncomfortable or so mixed up for having to justify what is non justifiable; for people who don’t have human or intellectual category it’s much easier to disqualify”, continued Chadwick.

The Senator said Timerman might be feeling uncomfortable because he was really out of the issue since it was all handled by “Oscar Parrilli, Secretary General of the Executive instead of going through the Foreign Affairs ministry”.

“It could have been a good excuse for him to admit he was out of the controversy. And if he was honest and said the truth, ‘I’m not aware of the issue’ it would have been a most respected decision, but maybe since they didn’t consult him or consider him, that is the reason for his reaction”.

As to an official communication from Argentina’s Foreign Affairs ministry, Chadwick said that “no civilized country conscious of respect for people and of the value and significance of diplomacy reacts the way the minister reacted”.

Regarding relations Senator Chadwick said that “currently we are in a formal diplomatic situation. All the programmed agenda between both countries has been suspended”.

He regretted that “formal relations that had been growing with time, a good way of relating between the two governments, even when they are of opposite political colours, had achieved a bond of confidence, credibility, predictability: but is all over, trusting the Argentina government, its president, the Kirchner couple is going to be most difficult”.

Finally in a kind of personal message to Timerman, Chadwick said that “whoever apologizes, and does it publicly honours his post and does not diminish it. I would recommend him, for the good of the post he occupies, the dignity of that seat that he would apologize to all Chilean senators”.