PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF CHILE

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF CHILE

Chile was showing itself capable of shouldering its international obligations, the President of Chile, Ricardo Lagos, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon, outlining his country’s role in restoration of peace and stability in Haiti.

Believing in the central role of the United Nations, Chile had decided to take an active part in Haiti, he said.  “Coherence” was Chile’s guiding word in its work at the United Nations.

Welcoming President Lagos, who was also joined by Chile’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Heraldo Muñoz, the Director of the News Division of the Department of Public information, Ahmad Fawzi, said the President was at the United Nations to advance the international community’s efforts in support of multilateralism and the promotion of peace and international security, with particular emphasis on themes related to socio-economic development and in achieving the objectives of the Millennium Declaration. 

President Lagos had had an intensive interactive dialogue this morning on the initiative to fight poverty and hunger, which was an initiative undertaken by Brazil’s President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and subscribed to by the Presidents of Chile and France, said Mr. Fawzi.  The initiative had also been recently adopted by the head of Government of Spain and supported by the Secretary-General.

A lawyer, academic and long-time political activist, President Lagos had become Chile’s first President of the twenty-first century when he was elected in January 2000, he added.  Throughout the 1980s, he had played a very important role in the struggle to return his country to democracy.  He had led the charge to encourage people to vote in the 1987 referendum that ultimately led to the ousting of Pinochet.  He was the founder of the “Partido por la Democracia” now a central part of Chile’s governing coalition.  Throughout the 1990s, Mr. Lagos had served in various key government ministries, including as Minister of Education and Minister of Public Works.

Describing his activities today, President Lagos said he had had an extensive exchange of views this morning with the Secretary-General’s high-level panel on United Nations reform in the face of new challenges and threats to security, as well as a dialogue on President Lula da Silva’s initiative against poverty and hunger.  He had met also with Romania’s Permanent Representative in his capacity as President of the Security Council, and with Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Concerning Haiti, he said he had had discussions with the Secretary-General and his newly appointed representative.  In light of the donor conference taking place this afternoon in Washington, D.C., Chile wished to see rapid and tangible progress towards improving Haiti’s very difficult living conditions.  The Secretary-General had noted the need to speed up the sending of a battalion of  150 engineers, 80 of whom would be Chilean, to address the work of reconstructing Haiti’s infrastructure.  Chile would also accelerate the dispatch of 36 Chilean police officers to train Haitian police, with others that might come from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).  He was also on his way to Kingston, Jamaica, where he would hold discussions with Jamaican Prime Minister Patterson, and later on, Port-au-Prince.

Among other topics reviewed today with the Secretary-General was the situation in Iraq, President Lagos said.  The Secretary-General had described how he saw progress towards an electoral process in the country and had spoken of Iraq’s security conditions.  In that context, the Secretary-General had noted the request for Chilean electoral expertise, a request which Chile hoped to be able to meet.

He said they had also briefly discussed Middle East developments, expressing concern that the Quartet’s work was becoming increasingly difficult and complex.  The meetings held this morning had been particularly valuable and interesting.

Questioned about the allegations of corruption directed against General Pinochet, President Lagos said no one in Chile was above the law.  In the current case, as in any other, Chile’s institutions had to operate properly.  Before he had left, the independent organ that was examining the situation had been investigating evidence gathered.

Concerning the Sudan, and the possible introduction of sanctions against the Government, should the Security Council take a tougher approach, or should the Government be given more time to carry out its commitment to resolving the crisis? a correspondent asked.

Responding, President Lagos said he wanted to hear the Secretary-General’s recommendations on the matter following his trip to the Sudan.  If sanctions could achieve progress, he would welcome it.  Given Sudan’s fragile state, however, he did not know what could be accomplished with sanctions.  Nevertheless, he wanted to hear what the Secretary-General would have to say.

Asked to comment on Chile’s troop contributions in Haiti, he said the 150 people sent to Haiti would be army personnel.  A company consisted of 150 men, so the United Nations was asking for a company.  They were also looking at other armies from other Latin American countries.  He hoped to have the “OK” for the company, and its composition, which would all be under the Chilean flag.

Asked how much the Chilean operation would cost, he said some $3 million had already been dispersed.  While the figure would go up, there would also be some reimbursement. 

Also responding to the question, Ambassador Muñoz said it would depend on the material involved.  A helicopter unit, for example, was completely reimbursed by the United Nations.  Other units, however, had lower rates of reimbursement.  Reimbursement rates varied.

Noting the fragile state of democracy in many Latin American countries, a correspondent asked if countries such as Chile, where democracy was consolidated, had a new responsibility to address the problem of fragile democracies in surrounding countries. 

President Lagos said he did not see Chile as having a “new responsibility”.  In addition to growth, without public policies to ensure that part of the growth reached the lower income groups, democracies would remain fragile.  A little more social justice was needed.  Chile was sometimes presented as the best student in the class.  He was not talking about a welfare State, as in Europe.  In the end, people’s everyday lives needed to be changed.  Chile had had growth, and had been able to reduce poverty and misery.  That was important.  Such change could not be brought about only by the market, but by policy.

Did he fear a wave of dictators in Latin America if economies and the well-being of people did not improve? a correspondent asked.  The danger was not the return of military dictators, he responded, but the return of old populist practices and the thinking that there was a short cut for solving issues.

Regarding General Pinochet, he noted that tribunals did function in Chile.  Some members of the armed forces, mostly retired, were being prosecuted in Chilean courts.  Chile’s judiciary was independent from the executive power, as it should be.  He would not comment further on the issue.

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