Bolivia will soon return to the Pacific shores
August 16, 2007
At our times of the accelerated globalisation such situation seems to be an anachronism and calls for search of well-wishing mutually accepted compromise. Needs of regional integration, interdependence of the continent states in trade-economic, financial and energy spheres determined, without any doubt, the determination of Chile and Bolivia «to untie the knot of contradictions» once and forever.
The weighty argument for Chile was a power problem: the need of the country in gas and oil, against the background of the depleted power resources of Argentine, traditional supplier of gas to Chile, made the proud Chileans start secret negotiations with La Paz about providing to Bolivia a «corridor» to the Pacific ocean. «Informational leaks» that have been recently made by the Bolivian side, make it possible to assume, that comprehensive agreement between Bolivia and Chile in this issue can be signed in the first half-middle of 2008.
Consul general of Bolivia (now already former) in Santiago de Chile Roberto Finot stressed that the future agreement was not simply getting by Bolivia a «corridor» to the ocean. It would be directed to attributing to the former conflict issue the positive integrating beginning for the western region of Bolivia, north of Chile and Peruvian south. «It is going to be a kind of marriage, that excludes divorce (in future)», stressed Finot.
The said agreement should be tested by a referendum in the both countries, after which, in case of favourable will of the nations, it will be clearly and successively implemented to life.
All these premature revelations of the consul caused understandable discontent in Bolivia, and he was displaced from his post (declarations of such calibre should be made by more competent politicians and not unilaterally).
Nevertheless, Bolivia foreign minister David Choquehuanca confirmed several days after the «trick» of Finot, that the agreement was really very close as never before, and soon the dream of the Bolivians about having an exit to the sea would come true. In the same manner the president himself Evo Morales recently spoke.
Chileans, however, do not share such optimism of Bolivians. The representative of Chile Foreign Office Alberto van Klaveren declared: «We cannot speak about inevitability of agreement; here (in Chile) there is own position». He called this discussion of diplomatic representatives of the two countries a «dialogue, very deep, very productive, but a dialogue».
In any case, the winds of change in Bolivian-Chilean relations blow ever stronger. On the both sides of the border they understand: agreement must be reached and as soon as possible. Even the climatic factor pushes super careful Chileans to search of compromise: the present cold winter can repeat...