CHILE’S RELATIONS WITH THE U.S. “COULD NOT BE BETTER”

U.S. Ambassador Craig Kelly Applauds “Win-Win” Relationship

Following a speech entitled “Hurricane Katrina and the Other Tempests: Iraq, Castro, and Chávez,” U.S. Ambassador to Chile Craig Kelly fielded questions on Tuesday about U.S. interests in Chile and explained recent world events from a U.S. government perspective.

Kelly gave a very positive appraisal of U.S.-Chile relations, citing a doubling of commercial enterprises over the past several years between the two countries as a “win-win” situation. “Our relationship could not be any better,” Kelly said.

Media at the meeting questioned the ambassador’s stance, pointing out the tense relationships between the countries after Chile refused to support the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, as well as the recent scandal surrounding the Washington, D.C-based Riggs Bank, which helped former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet launder millions of dollars in illegal weapons sales commissions.

Kelly acknowledged disagreement over the Iraq invasion, but pointed out that Chile is now fully participating in the reconstruction of Iraq. Regarding the Riggs Bank’s participation in hiding Pinochet’s suspect wealth, the ambassador noted that the U.S. has fully cooperated in the investigations into Gen. Pinochet’s secret fortune.

To further bolster his positive assessment of the two nation’s relationship, Kelly noted there has been a doubling in bilateral trade between Chile and the U.S since the two countries signed a free trade agreement in 2003. Prior to that year, U.S. agriculture exports to Chile faced an eight percent tariff that put the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage, behind the European Union, Canada, and Mercosur countries in South America.

According to Kelly, the positive results of Chile’s free trade agreement with the U.S. were an influential factor in helping pass the Central America-Dominican Republic-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) in the U.S. House of Representatives this past July. The controversial trade agreement was narrowly passed by one vote.

While increased U.S. business relations between the countries was the meeting’s focal point, other issues touched upon included the upcoming elections in Chile, as well as questions related to U.S. views of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and the U.S. embargo on Cuba.

Ambassador Kelly refused to make any specific statement about Chile’s upcoming December elections, which will likely be won by center-left Concertación leader Michelle Bachelet. He said that any comments by the U.S. ambassador could be seen as intervention in Chile’s national politics. However, Kelly did say that he believed the election was “another indication of the strong democracy here in Chile.”

When asked about the U.S. position regarding the democratically elected government of Hugo Chávez, Kelly stuck to the State Department line that “democratically elected countries should govern democratically.”

Relations between the U.S. and Venezuela have been strained since allegations that the George W. Bush administration helped fund opposition groups that briefly overthrew Chavez in April, 2002. Most recently, U.S. Evangelical Christian preacher Pat Robertson called on the Bush administration to assassinate Chavez, because it would be “a whole lot cheaper than starting a war” (ST, Aug. 25). U.S. government officials called Robertson’s remarks “completely baseless and without fact” and said they “do not represent the views of the United States.”

Journalists at the meeting also questioned Kelly regarding the U.S. embargo on Cuba. Last week, several leaders of Iberoamerican states condemned the embargo at the annual Iberoamerican Summit in Salamanca, Spain (ST, Oct. 11). When asked what he thought about the condemnation, Kelly simply laughed off the question. “It’s not the first time we have heard this criticism,” he said.