Foreign relations of Chile

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Chile
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Since its return to democracy in 1990, Chile has been an active participant in the international political arena. Chile assumed a two-year non-permanent position on the UN Security Council in January 2003 and is an active member of the UN family of agencies, serving as a member of the Commission on Human Rights and participating in UN peacekeeping activities. Chile hosted the second Summit of the Americas in 1998, was the chair of the Rio Group in 2001, hosted the Defense Ministerial of the Americas in 2002, and the APEC summit and related meetings in 2004. In 2005 hosted the Community of Democracies ministerial conference. An associate member of Mercosur and a full member of APEC, Chile and has been an important actor on international economic issues and hemispheric free trade. The Chilean Government has diplomatic relations with most countries.

1 Relations with Argentina
2 Relations with Bolivia
3 Relations with Peru
4 Diplomatic relations
5 References
6 Further reading
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] Relations with Argentina

Main article: Argentina - Chile Relations

Chile and Argentina were close allies during the independence wars against Spain. Argentinean General José de San Martín crossed the Andes with Chilean independence hero Bernardo O'Higgins and together they defeated the Spaniards. However, after independence relations soured. This was primarily due to a border dispute: both nations claimed the totality of the Patagonia.

Attempts to clear up the dispute were unsuccessful until 1881, when Chile was at war with both Bolivia and Peru. In order to avoid fighting Argentina as well, Chilean President Aníbal Pinto authorized his envoy, Diego Barros Arana to hand over as much territory as was needed to avoid Argentina siding with Bolivia and Peru. Barros succeeded in his mission: Argentina received the Atlantic coast and Chile the Pacific coast.

However, border disputes continued. In 1902, war was again avoided when British King Edward VII agreed to mediate between the two nations. He established the current border in the Patagonia region. Trouble once again began to brew in the 1960s, when Argentina began to claim that the Picton, Lennox and Nueva islands in the Beagle Channel were rightfully hers, although this was in direct contradiction of the 1884 treaty.

The Argentina military junta led by General Jorge Videla intensified their claim over the islands. War was imminent during the 1970s. In 1978, Argentina was ready to begin an invasion of the disputed islands, but the invasion was halted due to stormy weather conditions. In December that year, moments before Videla signed a declaration of war against Chile, Pope John Paul II agreed to mediate between the two nations. The Pope's envoy, Antonio Samoré, successfully averted war and proposed a new definitive boundary in which the three disputed islands would remain Chilean. Argentina and Chile both agreed to Samoré's proposal and signed the 1984 Peace and Friendship Treaty, ending that dispute.

In the 1990s, under presidents Frei and Menem both countries solved almost all of the remaining border disputes on billateral talks. They also agreed to submit Laguna del Desierto to internations arbitration in 1994. The entire disputed area was awarded to Argentina.

The last border dispute are 50 kim in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field‎ from Mount Fitzroy to Mount Daudet that is still officially undefined.^[1]^[2] In August of 2006, however, in Argentina was published a tourist map of placing the disputed region within the borders of Argentina. Chile filed an official complaint, sparking renewed efforts to settle the dispute which the Argentine government supports and urged Chile to finish quick as possible the demarcation of the international border.^[3].

Since democratisation in the 1980s both countries began a close integration an economical, political (with Chile being an associated member of Mercosur) and defense cooperation and friendship policy.

[edit] Relations with Bolivia

Relations with Bolivia have been strained ever since the independence wars because of the Atacama border dispute (Bolivia claims a corridor to the Pacific Ocean). The Spaniards never bothered to definitely establish a border between Chile and Bolivia. Chile claimed its limit with Peru ran through the Loa River and that Bolivia was therefore landlocked, while Bolivia claimed it did have a coast and that the limit with Chile ran along the Salado River. The border remained vague throughout the 19th century. Finally, Bolivia and Chile agreed, in 1866, to allow Bolivia access to the Pacific and that the limit of the two countries would run along the 24th parallel. The area between the 25th and 23rd parallel would remain demilitarized and both nations would be allowed to mine there. It was also agreed that taxes on the exportation of saltpeter would not increase.

However, in 1879, Bolivian dictator General Hilarión Daza increased the taxes on the exportation of saltpeter, violating the 1866 treaty. When Chilean-owned saltpeter companies protested, Daza expropriated their companies and sold them in a public auction. Daza then put an end to all commerce with Chile and exiled all Chilean residents in Bolivia (the Bolivian port of Antofagasta had more Chileans than Bolivians). In response, Chile declared war on Bolivia and occupied Bolivia's coast. Peru had, in 1873, signed a secret pact with Bolivia in which the two countries agreed to fight together against any nation that threatened either of them. When Peru refused to be neutral in the conflict between Chile and Bolivia, Chile declared war on Peru. Chile defeated both countries and annexed the coast claimed by Bolivia. This was ratified in a 1904 treaty.

Diplomatic relations with Bolivia continued to be strained because of Bolivia's continuing aspiration to the sea. In 1964, Bolivian President Víctor Paz Estenssoro severed diplomatic relations with Chile. Generals Augusto Pinochet and Hugo Banzer resumed diplomatic relations and attempted to settle territorial disputes. The secret negotiations started in 1973 and in 1975 diplomatic relations between Chile and Bolivia were established. That year, Pinochet and Banzer met in the Bolivian border town of Chañara. Pinochet agreed to give Bolivia a small strip of land running between the Chilean city of Arica and the Peruvian border. However the Treaty of Lima between Peru and Chile specified that Chile must consult Peru before granting any land to a third party in the area of Tarapacá. Peruvian President General Francisco Morales Bermúdez did not agree with the Chañara proposal and instead drafted his own proposal, in which the three nations would share administration of the port of Arica and the sea immeadiately in front of it. Pinochet refused this agreement, and Banzer broke ties with Chile again in 1978. The failure of the Chañara accords was one of the reasons of Banzer's downfall that very year.

Chile and Bolivia maintain consular relations, and appear to have become friendlier. Former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos attanded the inauguration of current Bolivian President Evo Morales. Morales has repeatedly announced his intention to establish diplomatic relations with Chile once more, but has still not given up Bolivia's claim to the sea.

[edit] Relations with Peru

Chile and Peru had excellent relations at the time of independence, and Chilean independence hero Bernardo O'Higgins actively participated in the liberation of Peru. Chile was a staunch ally of Peru aganst Spain the 1864-1866 war over the Chincha Islands, and the Chilean port of Valparaíso was even bombed by Spain during the conflict. Nevertheless, in 1873 Peru signed a secret pact with Bolivia in which it agreed to help that nation in case of war. The moment came in 1879, when the War of the Pacific began. Peru refused to be neutral and Chile declared war on both Peru and Bolivia. Chile won a decisive victory, and even reached Lima and proceeded to occupy Peru for a few years.

In 1883, Chile and Peru signed the Treaty of Ancón in which Peru handed over the Province of Tarapacá. Peru also had to hand over the departments of Arica and Tacna. These would remain under Chilean control until a later date, when there would be a plebiscite to decide which nation would maintain control over Arica and Tacna. Chile and Peru, however, were unable to agree on how or when to hold the plebiscite, and in 1929, both countries signed the Treaty of Lima, in which Peru gained Tacna and Chile maintained control of Arica.

Relations have remained sour because of the war. In 1974, both countries were in the brink of war, only a few years before the centennial of the War of the Pacific. The conflict was fueled by ideological disputes: Peruvian General Juan Velasco was a left-winger while Chilean General Augusto Pinochet was a right-winger. Velasco, backed by Cuba, set the date for invasion on August 8. However, he was successfully dissuaded from starting the invasion on that date by his advisor, General Francisco Morales Bermúdez. Velasco later fell ill and was deposed by a group of generals whol proclaimed Morales Bermúdez president.

Morales Bermúdez assured the Chilean government that Peru had no plans for an invasion. Tensions mounted again when a Chilean spy mission in Peru was discovered. Morales Bermúdez was again able to avert war, despite pressure from Velasco's ultranationalist followers.

Relations between the two nations have since mostly recovered. In 2005, the Peruvian Congress unilaterally approved a new law which modified the sea limit with Chile. Peru's position was that the border has never been fully demarcated, but Chile disagreed. The border problem has still not been solved. However, Chile's Michelle Bachelet and Peru's Alan García have established a positive diplomatic relationship, and it is very unlikely any hostilities will break out because of the dispute.

Nevertheless, in early April 2007, Peruvian nationalistic sectors, mainly represented by left wing ex-presidential candidate Ollanta Humala decided to congregate at 'hito uno' rigth at the border with Chile, in a symbolic attempt to claim sovereignty over a maritime area known in Peru as Mar de Grau (Grau's Sea)just west of the Chilean city of Arica. Peruvian police stoppped a group of nearly 2,000 people just 10 klms from the border, preventing them from reaching their intended destination. Despite these incidents, the presidents of both Chile and Peru have confirmed their intentions to improve the relationships between the two countries.

[edit] Diplomatic relations

Chile does not currently maintain diplomatic relations with Benin, Bolivia, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Comoros, Cyprus (although , Chilean soldiers served in the UN's Argentine Army battalion stationed there) , Djibouti, Eritrea, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Macedonia, Niger, San Marino, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Togo, Taiwan, or Yemen. Regarding Western Sahara, Chile has sent contradictory comments. Chile's Senate speaker Sergio Romero has said that Chile does not recognize Western Sahara's independence [1] [2], but Chile's Ministry of Foreign Relations website includes Western Sahara as an independent country with which Chile has no diplomatic relations.