Marcela Rebelo
Special Report

Santiago (Chile) – The inauguration of the first woman to head the government of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, will take place on Saturday (March 11). Among the heads of state attending will be the presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; Venezuela, Hugo Chávez; Argentina, Néstor Kirchner; and Bolivia, Evo Morales.

The presence of Morales is significant. It is the first time a president of Bolivia has attended an inauguration in Chile. The two countries engaged in a war in the nineteenth century (the War of the Pacific - 1879-84) at the end of which both Peru and Bolivia were forced to cede territory to Chile. Bolivia turned over its Pacific coast province of Litoral and has been a landlocked nation ever since. The Bolivians continue to claim the area, known as the Atacama corridor, but Chile refuses to negotiate.

Morales is scheduled to have private talks with both the outgoing president of Chile, Ricardo Lagos, and Bachelet.

The United States will be represented by Secretary of State, Condolezza Rice. Yesterday there were protests in Santiago where an American flag was burned by a group of communist youths. The protesters also delivered a letter to the Chiliean government complaining that the US interferes illegally in the affairs of other nations. The letter specifically says that US foreign policy threatens the independence of nations such as Argentina, Bolivia and Colombia.

Translation: Allen Bennett