From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord@igc.apc.org>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Date: 14 Aug 92 10:04 PDT
Subject: ARGENTINA: TENSION MOUNTS OVER BORD
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1473800250:000:4712
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!hrcoord    Aug 14 10:04:00 1992


From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: ARGENTINA: TENSION MOUNTS OVER BORD

/* Written 12:11 am  Aug 13, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: ARGENTINA: TENSION MOUNTS OVER BORDER AGREEMENT WITH CHILE


an inter press service feature

by federico ferber

buenos aires, aug 10 (ips) -- amid mounting tension over a draft
border agreement with chile, the argentinian government was
accused monday of planning to drop legislators opposed to the
pact from commissions in which it is soon to come up for
approval.

congressman rafael flores of the ruling justice party, who
made the accusation, also called for the dismissal of foreign
minister guido di tella and urged the government  to seek ''a new
path for negotiations'' with chile to solve ''pending border
problems.''

members of the government ''are talking'' of replacing
''members of the commissions on foreign affairs and defence'' of
the lower house ''with deputies prepared to vote in favour'' of
the agreement on the delimitation of the continental border
zone between the two countries, flores said.

however, the members of the two commissions may not be
replaced without their consent, he recalled.

the debate on the border pact signed by argentina's president
carlos menem and chilean head of state patricio aylwin in 1991
should be suspended until ''the (argentinian) foreign minister is
changed'' and replaced by someone ''with a little more clarity on
the issue,'' the parliamentarian said.

flores is the parliamentary representative of the province of
santa cruz, which includes the disputed zone, a barren,
ice-covered section of the andes located in the extreme southern
part of south america.

he and santa cruz governor ernesto kirschner head the lobby
which has been resisting the accord.

the area in question is located between 49 and 51 degrees
latitude and has an area of 2,287 square kilometres. the
agreement, which has to be ratified by parliament before it can
become effective, awards 1,250 sq. km. to argentina and 1,037 sq.
km. to chile.

in santa cruz public opinion is strongly against the agreement
and the region's five parliamentary representatives, three from
the ruling justice party and two from the main opposition party,
the radical civic union, are united in their opposition to it.

the agreement comes up for approval on aug. 26 in the
commissions on foreign relations and defence, following the
postponement of the vote on friday after a tense debate in
parliament. (more)
----


the inhabitants of santa cruz maintain that the entire area
which the agreement divides between the two countries has always
belonged to argentina.

the delimitation of the border was done by the foreign
ministry in a manner which was ''arbitrary, absurd and without
any scientific basis'' said alfredo lopez, president of the santa
cruz centre for territorial studies.

meanwhile, armed forces chief, admiral emilio osses, said
monday that the military ''respects the decisions of the bodies
which the constitutions has made responsible'' for international
agreements.

osses' declaration came on the heels of a declaration by
defence minister ernan gonzalez, who stressed that ''there is no
type of military anxiety'' with regard to the controversial
border pact.

however, the armed forces head said there was a difference
between the ''respect'' of the armed forces for the resolutions
of the government and parliament and ''support'' for the chile
accord. he declined to make any comment on the accord.

the treaty has galvanized a broad sp
rnment, has called for a postponement of the vote
on the issue.

a senate commission in chile has already approved the pact and
argentina's government hopes to obtain a similar result in the
house of representatives in time for a visit by menem to
santiago, scheduled for early september.

menem and aylwin last year resolved 22 aspects of the border
conflict between their two countries, placed another before an
international arbitration committee and submitted the continental
ice accord to their respective parliaments.

according to di tella, the juridical antecedents with regard
to the icy zone would militate against the argentinian position
if the case has to be submitted to international arbitration.
this will have to be done if argentina's parliament does not
ratify it.

a 1984 peace and friendship treaty signed by the two countries
states that an border conflict on which the two are unable to
reach agreement is to be submitted to international arbitration.
(end/ips/trd/so/ff-sfi/kb/92)
----



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