Peru's Espionage Accusations Won't Alter Trade-Chile Officials
SANTIAGO -(Dow Jones)- Chile's foreign minister Mariano Fernandez sent a clear
message on Thursday that trade with Peru wouldn't be damaged, at least for now,
because of Peru's accusations of Chilean espionage in their country.
Last week Peruvian authorities detained Peruvian military official Victor
Ariza Mendoza, alleging he had spied for neighboring Chile. The escalation of
verbal hostilities reached a new high when some members of Peru's Parliament
asked for the bilateral trade agreement with Chile to be revoked.
Fernandez said that reason will at some point prevail in Peru, leading
authorities to see the importance of Chile's economic contribution through
commerce. Chile is also the second biggest foreign investor in Peru, he added.
Chile's chief trade negotiator, Carlos Furche, said "from a trade point of
view, Chile is more important for Peru and if we take into consideration
investments, there is no doubt, because there are some $7 billion of Chilean
investment in Peru."
In 2008, Chile exported $1.5 billion's worth of goods to Peru, while importing
$1.8 billion in goods from Peru.
The espionage allegations have led Peru's nationalist party to demand that
Peru's government retaliate on the economic front.
"What we have asked for is a suspension of the free trade deal with Chile,"
nationalist party leader Ollanta Humala said Tuesday in a broadcast interview.
Relations between the two countries have been especially cool this year
because of increased Chilean arms purchases, and Peru's demands at the
International Court of Justice at The Hague over a maritime border Chile
considers its own.
Earlier this week Alberto Van Klaveren, Chile's Foreign Relations Under
Secretary, left his post to be exclusively in charge of representing Chile at
The Hague.
-By Anthony Esposito, Dow Jones Newswires; 56-2-820-4241; anthony.esposito@
dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
11-19-091457ET
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