PERU AND CHILE SETTLE DIFFERENCES OVER 1995 ARMS

UNCLAS LIMA 002302 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PE CI SUBJECT: PERU AND CHILE SETTLE DIFFERENCES OVER 1995 ARMS DELIVERY TO ECUADOR REF: A. LIMA 2226 ¶B. SANTIAGO 1070 ¶C. LIMA 2180 ¶D. LIMA 2061 ¶1. SUMMARY: A Joint Declaration, signed by the Foreign Ministers of Peru and Chile on May 22, has settled the bilateral squabble over Chile's delivery of arms to Ecuador during the 1995 Peru-Ecuador border conflict. The Joint Declaration referred to the Chilean Foreign Ministry's Public Declaration of May 11, 2005, added that Foreign Minister Ignacio Walker had formally notified his Peruvian counterpart of Chile's "official explanations and excuses" for the shipment of arms, and concluded that these explanations sufficed to close the matter. The Joint Declaration also noted that the Ministers of Foreign Relations and Defense (known as the "2x2" meetings) of both countries would meet in the coming weeks. An unofficial Embassy translation of the Joint Declaration is at paragraph 4. END SUMMARY. ¶2. Peruvian Prime Minister Carlos Ferrero called a press conference as soon as the Joint Declaration was published to announce that the GOP, "officially declares that the matter is closed." As to the actual dates of the 2x2 meeting, Ferrero said that this would likely be determined following President Alejandro Toledo's early June return from a trip to Israel and China. ¶3. COMMENT: The phrase "official explanations and excuses" seems to have been enough to forge a compromise between the Peruvian Government's prior insistence on a formal apology (Refs A/D) and Chile's position that its explanation in 1995 and its public statement of May 11 were sufficient (Ref B). Peruvian Foreign Minister Manuel Rodriguez' release from a local hospital on May 20, following a lengthy illness, appears to have facilitated the diplomatic negotiations that resolved this latest irritant in an always delicate bilateral relationship. END COMMENT. ¶4. Begin Text of Joint Declaration: The Ministers of Foreign Relations of Peru and Chile, at the express instructions from Presidents Alejandro Toledo and Ricardo Lagos, held conversations over the last days on the sale and delivery of military material from Chile to Ecuador in 1995. In these conversations, the Minister of Foreign Relations of Chile made reference to the Public Declaration of his Foreign Ministry dated May 11, 2005, and officially presented the explanations and excuses for the actions that occurred in January-February 1995. The Ministers of Foreign Relations of Peru and Chile regretted the occurrence of these actions. With these expressions, the Governments of Peru and Chile consider that the situation generated by this matter has been overcome. They also reiterate the spirit that animates their respective governments to conduct bilateral relations on the basis of understanding, cooperation and mutual respect. In this spirit, the Foreign Ministers agreed that, in the following weeks, there will be held a meeting of the Permanent Committee of Political Consultation and Coordination made up of the Ministers of Foreign Relations and Defense of both countries. The Heads of State of Peru and Chile have held conversations and expressed their satisfaction at the resolution of this situation. Lima and Santiago, May 22, 2005. Manuel Rodriguez Cuadros Minister of Foreign Relations of Peru Ignacio Walker Prieto Minister of Foreign Relations of Chile End text. STRUBLE