MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“Malvinas for Argentina and sea for Bolivia” battle cry at next OAS assembly

Bolivian president Morales whose country is hosting the OAS meeting

Bolivian president Evo Morales announced on Monday he will request at the coming Organization of American States, OAS General Assembly to be held in Cochabamba that the issues of Malvinas Argentine sovereignty and a sea outlet for Bolivia be discussed.

“Two things, Malvinas for Argentina, and sea for Bolivia, for the debate must continue at the international community” said Morales during a meeting he held over the weekend with Argentine Vice-president Amado Boudou, some of the contents of which were released on Monday by the Bolivian government official news agency, ABI.

Next week, from June 3 to 5, OAS will be holding its annual assembly hosted by Bolivia and representatives from over thirty countries will be present, “an excellent opportunity to discuss the two issues”, anticipated President Morales.

Last week end Boudou met with Morales for a Bolivian national celebration at Cochabamba, the same city where the OAS assembly will take place, and publicly thanked La Paz for its long standing position in support of the Argentine claim over the Falklands/Malvinas, under British sovereignty.

Morales is also very much interested in addressing at the OAS summit the issue of Bolivia’s outlet to the sea, which it has been claiming for over a century and is a standing conflict with Chile.

The Bolivian leader argues that the OAS declaration approved in 1979 stating that “it is of permanent hemispheric interest to find a fair solution by which Bolivia can have sovereign and useful access to the Pacific Ocean” remains effective but undelivered.

Bolivian Foreign Affairs minister David Choquehuanca said over the weekend that the sea outlet La Paz is claiming will be one of the issues to be on the table at the general assembly. “We’re going to be there with all our strength and patriotic fervour to claim the legitimate and historic right that belongs to Bolivia”.

Morales over a year ago said he would appeal to international courts to recover the sea outlet lost at the end of the XIX century during the Pacific War in which Chile ended up with 400 kilometres of coast and 120.000 square kilometres of annexed Bolivian territory.

The announcement caused disappointment with the Chilean administration of President Sebastian Piñera that has insistently argued that there are no pending issues with Bolivia and anyway if it was the case it is “bilateral”.

Even when the 42nd general assembly motive is “Food security and sovereignty”, in previous meetings other countries have anticipated they will take advantage of such a qualified presence of representatives to address other issues of regional interest.