MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
In a public release Piñera tells president Fernandez MYOB, abstain from comments on Chilean domestic policy
Despite the comments, president Alberto Fernández said he has a good relation with Sebastián Piñera In a formal public release, the Chilean Foreign office demanded that Argentine president Alberto Fernandez avoid making comments about the internal affairs of the country, following Fernandez statements during a television interview that the international community was not so critical of Chile as it is of Venezuela.
Chile reported that foreign minister Teodoro Ribera contacted his Argentine peer, Felipe Solá to express his “surprise” and “concern” regarding president Fernandez comments and recalled the “convenience of not making comments about domestic policy situations in either countries”.
In a television interview, president Fernandez referred to the Chilean and Venezuelan situations and said that the international community talks “far less” about human rights violations,
allegedly committed in Chile, compared to other similar situations in other countries.
“I recall a few days ago when I received human rights organizations from Venezuela, when back in 2013 following street protests Maduro jailed 800 people. Piñera arrested 2.500 and nothing happens, not a word is said. Let us be fair, let us say the whole picture” Fernandez stated adding that he has a good relation with Piñera.
Foreign minister Ribera repeated to Solá the content of the release and that “in Chile the rule of the law prevails and it is not the president, but police forces, the Prosecution Office, the courts,
that have the attributions to arrest, investigate, take to court, prosecute, convict those responsible for crimes”
The alleged human rights abuses committed by Chilean security forces have been denounced by different local and international organizations such as Amnesty International, the Inter American human rights Commission. President Piñera has admitted specific cases of abuses by the forces, but has denied point blank “any systematic policy to attack protestors”
According to the latest report from Chile's Human Rights Institute, between 18 October and 30 November, some 8.492 people have been detained, among which 1.013 under age or adolescents. There are also 943 complaints filed against Carabineros of which 750 for alleged torture and 134 for sexual violence. The number of dead since the social upheaval took off is in discussion, 24 according to the Chilean government, 28 say human rights organizations.
Even when Ribera and Sola agreed to meet in the near future to address the bilateral agenda, the Alberto Fernandez administration has had a bumpy start in foreign policy. Besides putting democratic Chile and authoritarian Venezuela at the same level, relations with Brazil's Bolsonaro are certainly not the best, or the approach to Mercosur. Likewise relations with Washington are somehow strained, with neighboring Uruguay, Fernandez openly supported the losing candidate in the recent presidential election, and with Paraguay there is also a clear difference regarding economic policy.
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Dec 26th, 2019 - 03:01 pm 0Alberto Fernandez began his government in the worst way. In the economy, he promoted exorbitant taxes, unfair freezes, increased public spending, parallel dollars, etc.
In international affairs ha was even worse. Only three Heads of State were present at his assumption: the President of Cuba, the President of Paraguay and the President of Uruguay. Nobody else.
They have left him alone and isolated since the “zero minute”. It is logical, the World already knows Peronism and does not bet an Argentine peso for them.
The Chancellor, Felipe Sola, is a traditional right-wing politician who does not speak English and does not understand the World. Nor does Alberto Fernandez.
Having a bit of prudence in international relations is a very good thing. Mostly when Argentina is a country whose economic and political status “hangs by a thread”. Argentina need the help of many countries and many governments pretty soon....
“the international community was not so critical of Chile as it is of Venezuela.”
Dec 26th, 2019 - 03:54 pm 0Neighbouring countries are not hosting millions of Chilean refugees.
But zero surprise Piñera has criticised Argentina and other countries himself, lol.
@pgerman
Dec 27th, 2019 - 05:05 am 0German's comment is telling and shows the attitude of a certain sector of the Argentina's society.
Our friend believes that if “only three Heads of State” attended Alberto Fernandez' swear-in ceremony, his presidency is in trouble.
This is the sort of submissive, dependent attitude towards developed countries on which some Argentines believe the country's future depends on. This sort of defeatist attitude has significantly damaged the country through the years.
“Argentina need the help of many countries and many governments,” german noted in his posting above.
Fortunately, president Alberto Fernandez' program does not include going hat in hand begging for help from those “many countries.” On the contrary, Fernandez believes in mutually beneficial, bilateral and multilateral relationships based on respect.
When talking economics, pgerman resorts to the falsehoods propagated these days by Macrists and their friendly media:
”(Fernandez) promoted exorbitant taxes, unfair freezes, increased public spending, parallel dollars, etc.“ our new white knight for people's rights proclaims.
In reality, Fernandez has said Argentina will not borrow any more money. Unlike Macri, this president of 16 days will install or re-install higher taxes for those who can pay -- instead of increasing public services costs hitting the poorest. Public spending cannot increase much because now Argentina will live and grow based on its own means instead of borrowing like a drunken sailor as Macri did.
”Parallel dollars.“ Ridiculous, but not as ridiculous as noting that foreign affairs minister Felipe Sola ”does not speak English.”
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