Posted on 09/25/2006 2:46:04 PM PDT by StJacques
Bachelet's price for supporting Chavez After the speech of the Venezuelan president, the critical comments of the [Venezuelan] Ambassador in Santiago Victor Delgado are what has endangered the inclination of the Chief Executive for this country [to support Venezuela's candidacy for a seat on the UN Security Council] By Sergio Espinosa V. When Hugo Chavez abandoned the podium of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Wednesday the 20th, the echo of his inflammatory speech against the President of the United States, George W. Bush, and his histrionic gestures still resounded in the ears of incredulous listeners. The members of the Chilean delegation who are escorting President Michelle Bachelet count themselves among them. In later conversations in the corridor, the subject was broached between the delegates of different countries, and several Chilean diplomats criticized the attacks of the Venezuelan ruler. "Here several countries who are with Venezuela told us that they are now revising their support," one of them assured (see picture box). But, as the same witness remembered, far from adding to the chorus of criticism, Bachelet showed herself less emphatic and adopted a neutral posture. "At no time did she openly reproach him," the same source maintained. An attitude which continues down the footpath of inscrutability that was shown regarding the decision which will have to be taken with respect to supporting Venezuela or Guatemala for the Security Council of the organizational body. And on which her inclination for the first country [Venezuela] is a source of friction within the government. But if Chavez's anti-imperialist diatribes were not sufficient to change her mind, a few hours later the less subdued comments of the [Venezuelan] ambassador in Santiago managed to irritate her in the extreme. Darts without Diplomacy "We are learning who our true friends are, and many of those who opposed the entry of Venezuela to the Security Council supported the coup d'état against Chavez in April, 2002." The interview granted by the Venezuelan Ambassador Victor Delgado to the [internet] portal Terra provoked a strong reaction in [the Chilean presidential palace of] La Moneda. Especially because the [Venezuelan] representative left no doubts about the correct interpretation of his statements. "The 12th of April, the communiqué of the U.S. Department of State, supporting the coup d'état against Chavez, was the same text of the Chilean Chancellery," he explained with respect to what occurred in April, 2002. His darts were aimed even further, when he openly criticized the clear rejection of Christian Democracy favoring Caracas in the voting of next October 16 [for the UN Security Council]. "The position of the Christian Democrats towards Chavez is the same that they had towards President Allende. This attitude does not surprise me, the Christian Democrats were themselves opposed to Allende's socialist, progressive, and renewing project, and they are resisting the same project of President Chavez. There is an international organization which is called ODCA [i.e. American Christian Democratic Organization], whose president is the husband of Mrs. Alvear, Gutenberg Martinez, who supported the coup d'état in Venezuela," he concluded. As the news reports advanced last Sunday, the chavista government still does not pardon the Martinez-Alvear marriage, which unites the principal detractors of the Caracas government in our country. But what were mere accusations up to now covered up as "off the record," in the mouth of the ambassador they recovered their nerve and, even more so, they drew a direct line with Chavez himself. Losing patience Bachelet was furious. Finishing an act of tribute to the ex Chancellor Orlando Letelier on the new premises of the Chilean mission before the UN, she held a meeting in an office with Chancellor Alejandro Foxley, the Director of Foreign Policy Carlos Portales, and her "second floor" advisor in international affairs, Marcos Robledo. There, the four of them prepared the strong declaration with which the [Chilean] government would respond to Delgado. After determining who would read it, whether Foxley himself from New York or the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (RR.EE.), Alberto van Klaveren in Santiago. Finally, they opted for the latter so that it did not seem that the minister -- of Christian Democratic sympathies -- was defending his own party. For Bachelet, the affair was much more than this: an open rupture with the principles that govern diplomatic performance and a flagrant interference in the internal affairs of Chile. "Irreparable" is the term with which the Chancellery qualified the damage provoked by the ambassador from Caracas. For the same reason, the tough communiqué endorsed by the President left no doubts about her final intention: Chavez must remove Delgado because "the terms used by him are disqualifying for an ambassador and, if he does not return to his country, this [affair] will convert itself into a permanent problem between both nations," a high functionary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained. Bachelet insists In addition to the attacks on a pro-government Senator, the diplomat's darts also left Bachelet in an uncomfortable situation facing a key party of [her coalition] government and they hit the target in ex President Lagos. An explosive cocktail that explained the President's discomfort and the toughness of the response. Friday, in New York, at the end of an Ibero-American Community lunch, a pressurized Foxley prepared to go to the airport to take a return flight to Santiago. He then received the message by which his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, wanted to meet with him. Already notified of the tough communiqué emitted by Van Klaveren -- to which a timid apology for Delgado followed -- the minister understood that Venezuela desired to explore the Chilean will to negotiate a way out of the conflict. Nevertheless, he could not miss his flight and it was the Ambassador to the UN, Heraldo Muñoz, who finally received the Vice Chancellor of the petroleum-producing country. Following the instructions ordered by Bachelet -- who at that hour had already landed in Santiago -- he insisted to his interlocutor that the damage was irreparable and that an apology was not enough. "Heraldo clearly sent the message for which we had hoped," the Chancellery related. Something that the President herself would take charge of stating. After finalizing an act in [the Chilean presidential palace of] La Moneda, she went with Van Klaveren by the presidential elevator up to his office. There both agreed upon that which the Undersecretary would say to the press 30 minutes later, contradicting the ambassador's excuse of having been distorted and insisting that they would wait for the response from Caracas to the formal complaint brought by the government. In diplomatic language, they were awaiting Delgado's recall. Two members of the Chilean delegation in New York confirmed that the Venezuelan Vice Chancellor advanced to Muñoz that in the short term there would be a reparatory gesture dealing with the Chilean complaint. But he did not specify what. The Scales Balance Curiously, whether or not this gesture is what La Moneda is waiting for, in the Christian Democratic Party itself they are not preoccupied with it. The words of Senator Jorge Pizarro, demanding the exit of the [Venezuelan] diplomat, were a personal view but were stated collectively. "It does not matter to us that Delgado remains, because as much as Chavez's speech in the UN the critical comments of the ambassador have made it very difficult to continue thinking that we can vote for Venezuela," a member of the party's directorate commented graphically. "If before this 90% of Chileans opposed it, it now must be 99%," he adds. While Alvear follows the episode from the U.S., where she journeyed with her husband to visit her son, the party received the government's message which included the ill feelings of the Christian Democrats, but which would not insist on an anti-Chavez vote. The recall of the ambassador is not a collective negotiation. Precisely because the fear of the Chancellery -- which is aligned behind Foxley in his rejection of favoring Chavez's pretensions -- is that the toughness demonstrated by Bachelet, her insistence in not recognizing Delgado as interlocutor and his possible return to Caracas, might end the crisis. And, what is even worse, the newly-balanced scales favor Venezuela. "If Delgado goes, there are those who believe that Bachelet will have an argument to justify anew the Chilean vote for that country [i.e. Venezuela]," a highly-placed person in the Ministry of Affairs admitted. Chavez knows that the ambassador's head is worth a vote, but neither the Chancellery nor the Christian Democrats knows whether it agrees to accept that price. Measuring Strength: How the voting for Venezuela and Guatemala will come before the UN The forecasts which were made this week at the UN -- prior to Chavez's speech -- pointed to Guatemala gathering 80 votes and Venezuela 40, with a little more than 60 countries who still had not made a decision or would vote without manifesting their preference for filling the non-permanent posts in the Security Council of the organization for the next two years. For the same reason, according to these calculations neither country would bring together the two thirds necessary to prevail the first time around, and several rounds of voting will probably be necessary to determine the winner. With all this, the interceding intervention of the Venezuelan ruler in the General Assembly could alter things if some supporters already won by him change their minds at the last minute. The man charged with voting on the 16th of October in Chile's name will be Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz, who will maintain a direct line with Santiago while the voting lasts. As soon as Bachelet officializes here decision in favor of Venezuela or Guatemala, Foxley will transmit it to Muñoz and thus will he proceed to vote. In any case, the competition between the two Latin American countries to accompany Peru in the two seats assigned to the region is not the only one [taking place at the UN]. While the rest of the regions have a consensus candidate, Asia is also living through a dispute between Indonesia and Nepal for being seated in this body. During the two days the General Assembly lasted, the Presidents, Chancellors, and Ambassadors of both countries undertook an intense lobbying effort with the rest of the nations to assure the necessary votes. Nevertheless, in this case the result is also uncertain, according to a Chilean diplomat.
ping
This fat mental case's moment in the sun is quickly coming to an end. His military will probably overthrow him some time in the near future.
Interesting, and a good analysis also.
I figured Hugo was playing to the base and solidified his support for the Security Council with his speech.
Chile was a stated vote for Venezuela.
Something to be proud of, in retrospect.
So the question is, now, who is Venezuela's Pinochet.
Great article. It sounds like Chavez is not very popular in his own continent anymore. I guess he's looking for a slap on the back elsewhere.
There was someone from Colombia (the President?) being interviewed on TV the other day (Neil Cavuto's program IIRC)...he made it sound like the seat had been promised to Guatemala some time ago, but that Chavez suddenly decided he wanted it...Colombia would honor its original commitment to vote for Guatemala.
Chile would never support Chavez. Chavez was openly instigating war with Peru and Ecuador against Chile until the recent elections, when Chavez' puppet lost the Peruvian presidential election (humala).
Sounds like America just needs to do a wait and see down there nd things will begin to work themselves out "naturally".
I was hoping to hear more news from the Venezuelan people, do you know how they reacted, generally?
You probably won't, given the way Chavez has been running the country, like a mini Fidel Castro. And also bear in mind the way the MSM tends to bury such things, especially if it's even remotely favorable to President Bush.
'Nuff said!
If one reads over the news from both Venezuela ... and Bolivia you can see that things are not rosy in either country. Much strife ... and opposition.
I didn't think that even Chavez was that stupid. Aside from being a natural fortress the Chilean military is the best in South America.
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