Chile Information Project -- "Santiago Times" -- Political, Environment, Human Rights, Economic News
January 17, 1997
January 17, 1997
*
HEADLINE: CARTER PRAISES HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRESS
Says Pinochet's Retirement Will Help Democratic Transition
KEYWORDS: POLITICS
SOURCE: LA NACION
TEXT: Former U.S. President James Carter praised Chile Thursday for
its advances in the area of human rights and said the retirement of
former military dictator and current Army Commander-in-Chief Gen.
Augusto Pinochet in March 1998 will enhance the country's
democratization process.
Carter is in Chile as part of a Latin American tour to prepare
for the meeting "Agenda for the Americas for the 21st Century,"
sponsored by the Carter Center. The meeting, to be held in April, is
itself a preparatory event for the Second Summit of the Americas,
which will be held in Santiago in March 1998. Carter will also travel
to Argentina, Brazil and Jamaica.
The Carter Center was founded in Atlanta in 1982 and is
formed by 27 key figures, former presidents and prime ministers of
the hemisphere, including former Chilean President Patricio Aylwin.
Carter met with Aylwin and current President Eduardo Frei
Thursday, after which he held a press conference. Accompanying
him in La Moneda was Robert Pastor, a noted political scientist and
director of the Carter Center's Latin America Program.
The former U.S. leader said Chile's respect for human rights had
progressed effectively and in the most acceptable way possible.
Carter was a harsh critic of the military regime while president from
1976-1980, during which time U.S. arms sales to Latin America were
restricted and relations between the Americas were cool.
In a speech in 1980, Carter said, "The future of our hemisphere
is not in authoritarianism that wears the mask of order, nor in
authoritarianism that wears the mask of justice."
In addition to Gen. Pinochet's retirement, Carter said the Frei
Administration's plans to eliminate the designated senators - through
a bill to reform the Constitution of 1980 - would further propel
Chile's "exemplary" charge toward democracy. He referred to the
arms sales ban, saying any continued restriction should be the
product of a multilateral consensus.
Carter also praised the improved relations between Chile and
Argentina, and offered the assistance of his foundation for the
resolution of disputes in the region. Chile and Argentina nearly went
to war in 1978, and the United States acted as a sort of mediator to
keep the conflict from escalating.
Chile's accession to the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) was another key issue Carter addressed in the press
conference. He committed to pressing congressional Democrats and
Republicans to approve Fast Track soon and predicted Chile would be
a member by the time of the Second Summit of the Americas.
*
HEADLINE: JUDGE REQUESTS TAPE OF PRISON ESCAPE
May Order New Reconstruction Of Escape
KEYWORDS: JUSTICE
SOURCE: LA NACION
SOURCE: EL MERCURIO
TEXT: Judge Lamberto Cisternas, investigating the Dec. 30 prisoin
escape of four members of the Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front,
requested Thursday a copy of a fortuitous tape recording of the
event and may consider ordering a second reconstruction of the
escape.
A chance tape recording by a prisoner at the moment the
rescue took place captured the sound of the helicopter suspended in
the air at a low height as well as the exchange of gunfire between
guards and Frente operatives.
The tape, which was aired during the National Television news
hour Thursday night, confirms that the entire rescue mission lasted
just under one minute, from the time the helicopter entered the
Maximum Security Prison air space until it vanished into the sky
with the four prisoners.
The sequence of shots, the number of rounds fired, and the
duration of the confrontation are among other new information the
tape could supply Judge Cisternos.
Cisternas suggested that he may order a second reconstruction
of the rescue, on the basis of new evidence the tape recording could
provide.
"Put yourself in my spot," Cisternas said. "If you were
investigating the case and new leads surface, you would have to
make a new reconstruction of the scene".
Carabineros police chief Fernando Cordero termed the audio
tape "very important" to the case.
Yesterday the judge returned to the Tobalaba Airport where he
met with managers of the company that rented out the helicopter to
the group. Later he conferred with experts at the Police Criminalistic
Lab who had prepared a report on the investigation as it has
developed thus far.
*
HEADLINE: NO ADVANCE IN HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES IN 1996
Says New Report From Christian Foundation
KEYWORDS: HUMAN RIGHTS; JUSTICE
SOURCE: LA NACION
TEXT: Chile showed poor progress in 1996 in clarifying human rights
violations which occurred during the military regime from 1973-
1990, according to a new report from the legal team of the Christian
Churches Social Assistance Foundation (Fasic).
Attorneys Alberto Espinoza, Nelson Caucoto, Veronica Reyna,
Hector Salazar and Sergio Concha said pending human rights cases
have been "erased" from the national debate.
This situation, they wrote, is evidence that "there is a
cohabitation of military and civilian power, within a system of
restricted freedom, in which the military has gradually gained a
considerable weight." They added that the government has ceded
ground to the military, contributing to the erosion of the credibility
of institutions and authorities.
Fasic harshly criticized the members of the Supreme Court for
deferring to military courts when the latter have competed
jurisdictionally to try human rights cases. While the criminal courts
and appeals courts have shown a willingness to investigate human
rights cases, the foundation said, the Supreme Court is reticent to
apply international law to "serious violations of the law which
compromise Chile's international responsibility."
Fasic nonetheless praised the work of the Reparation and
Reconciliation Corporation, the human rights investigative agency
which reached the end of its mandate in December. The agency
identified 899 new cases of serious human rights violations and
reactivated 123 cases in the courts, the Fasic report said.
Presently there are 145 human rights cases involving 482
victims being tried nationwide, according to data from the
corporation. Of these cases, 39 are in military courts and 106 are in
civilian courts.
*
HEADLINE: STUDENTS PREFER TRADITIONAL UNIVERSITIES
Poll Indicates Strong Preference For U Chile And La Catolica
KEYWORDS: EDUCATION
SOURCE: LA EPOCA
SOURCE: EL MERCURIO
TEXT: The University of Chile and Catholic University continue to
lead the list of preferences for college-bound students, a poll
released Wednesday indicates.
Despite the recent proliferation of private universities, Chile's
students believe the country's traditional institutions of higher
learning offer the greatest opportunities for high quality education,
Market Opinion Research International (MORI) found.
Between November 28 and December 11, 1996, MORI
associates polled persons 18 years or older in Chilean cities of more
than 40,000 inhabitants. The survey is considered representative of
67 percent of the national population and its margin of error is
estimated at 2.8 percent.
When asked what Chilean university offers the greatest
opportunities for success, 34 percent mentioned Catholic University,
and 29 percent the University of Chile. The Universities of Santiago
and Concepcion, where many middle class students attend college,
were the choices of 4 percent.
Among lower income groups, however, 19 percent did not
know what was the best university.
According to survey results, the high regard for quality of
education at Catholic University is shared by all socio-economic
groups. Eduardo Echeverria, La Catolica's public relations officer,
says the poll results dispell the myth of Catholic University as an
elitist school. "Any student with a good college entrance exam (PAA)
score can get in, regardless of socio-economic background," he says.
The esteem with which the University of Chile is held,
however, appears to increase with the level of education of the
person polled. Of professionals with college degrees, 38 percent
believe the U Chile is the best, as do 39 percent of respondents
between 26 and 40 years old. MORI director Marta Lagos says this
may be a reflection of the past prestige of this state university
among those who studied there during its better times.
Chancellor Eduardo Morales of the University of Santiago, on
the other hand, said the low polling preference for the USACH does
not reflect its "broad academic, research, and extension
opportunities."
Medicine, computer sciences, law and civil engineering are the
careers that hold most promise, according to young people who
participated in the survey. Following close behind are other
engineering fields, architecture, and business administration.
Marta Lagos said that private universities are still too new to
gain confidence from Chileans. Outside of Santiago's upper class
neighborhoods, no respondent mentioned them as colleges of choice.
*
HEADLINE: EXPERTS WORRY ABOUT VANISHING PUDO
Habitat For World's Smallest Deer Is Disappearing
KEYWORDS: ENVIRONMENT
SOURCE: CHIP
TEXT: Inside the disappearing native forests of southern Chile lives
the pudu, the smallest species of deer in the world. It is one of
three deer species native to Chile, along with the huemul and the
tabuca.
Juan Carlos Torres-Mura, a biologist at Chile's National Museum
of Natural History, says the crisis occurring with Chile's native forest
is causing a rapid decline in the pudu population.
"The pudu prefers to live in the natural cover of Chile's
temperate forests," says Torres-Mura. "The pudu adapts well to
changes in its habitat, but not all changes. There are limits. It
cannot adapt to pine or eucalyptus tree plantations."
Chile's pudu is found only in native forests. It ranges as far
north as the wildlife reserves near Curico and Talca, and as far south
as the Strait of Magellan. The principal population of pudus is in
Chile's lake district in Region X. Additionally, some pudus may be
found in Argentina from the southwestern province of Nequen to the
southwestern province of Santa Cruz.
The pudu is the smallest deer in the world, weighing 10
kilograms. The animals are reddish brown and have very short legs
with a low-slung body. The male pudu has spike antlers. Pudus
never range much higher than 2000 meters and are thus more
common in the native forests of the central valley and the coastal
range.
"There is not a lot of information on how many pudus remain,"
says Victor Valverde, Wildlife Conservation Coordinator for CONAF,
the National Forestry Corporation. "But it is not very many."
Valverde says the main threat to the pudu is the logging of
native forests for wood chips and the replacement of native forests
with exotic tree plantations. Other causes include hunting by
humans and dogs, and the illegal sale of pudus as pets in Europe and
Asia.
The pudu is listed as vulnerable on Chile's Red List of
Terrestrial Vertebrates. In 1994, a new provision was added to the
Chilean hunting law that forbids hunting of native species for the
next twenty years. If the law is violated, hunters must pay fines and
return the animal if alive.
Pudus are internationally protected through the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Valverde says that while Chile enforces this treaty, some
provinces in Argentina do not. "The federal structure of Argentina
makes it possible for provinces to allow the export of pudu for sale
as pets," he says.
Valverde insists that more studies of the pudu are needed to
improve their protection. CONAF wants to raise US$245,000 for a
three-year research project on the pudu in Puyehue National Park.
Because CONAF receives inadequate funding from the government, it
is searching for funds from businesses and international
organizations.
"In the past, companies such as Kodak and Jumbo have been
associated with our wildlife research," says Valverde. "Now we are
looking for more associations with businesses."
Valverde says current law only protects pudus found in
national parks. He believes it is important to have more protected
areas in the native forests of Regions IX and X.
*
HEADLINE: MINING NEWS ROUND UP
KEYWORDS: MINING
SOURCE: EL MERCURIO
SOURCE: EL DIARIO
TEXT: Today's mining news, as it appears in the national media:
-- LUKSIC GROUP SEALS LOS PELAMBRES DEAL. The Los
Pelambres copper mine project will count on the 40 percent joint
venture support of a Japanese investment group which includes
Nippon Mining, Mitsubishi, Mitsui and Marubeni, said a Luksic group
spokesperson Thursday.
The addition of the Japanese associates to the US$1.3 billion Los
Pelambres copper mine has been anticipated for several months now,
and assures the Luksic group entry to an elite group of world-class
copper producers. The Luksic group-owned Antofagasta Holding
Company will produce just under 400,000 mt of fine copper by the
year 2000, or 4 percent of the world's total production.
In addition to the 260,000 mtpy to be produced at Los
Pelambres, the Antofagasta Holding company also controls
production at Tamaya (8,000 mtpy), Michilla (65,000 mtpy) and
Tesoro (60,000 mtpy).
The new Japanese associates in the Los Pelambres copper mine
will hold the following ownership interest in the mine: Nippon
Mining 15 percent, Marubeni 8.75 percent, Mitsui 1.25 percent, and
the Mitsubishi group 15 percent.
While the ownership interest of the Japanese will total 40
percent, the Japanese will receive 50 percent of the production at Los
Pelambres. The amount the Japanese companies will be investing in
Los Pelambres was not revealed.
-- CHILEAN GOLD PRODUCTION GROWING. New gold mine
operations in Chile should push the country's total production to 70
tons per year by the end of the century, a sharp 30 percent increase
over today's current production level of about 50 tons.
A recent report by Consolidated Goldfields anticipates
important new gold production at Refugio, Fachinal, the Escondida
expansion projects, El Bronce, Pullalli and Indio-Tambo. Additional
new production might also occur at Cerro Casale and Marte, said the
study.
Chilean gold mines expected to see a decrease in production
over the next few years include Can Can, Hueso and San Cristobal.
-- MONUMENT DEDICATED TO COPPER WORKERS. Codelco's El
Teniente Division will unveil mid year a monument to copper
workers which will be one of the largest sculptures in the country.
The company will erect the 20-meter high sculpture on lands
belonging to the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) at Las Coloradas on
the northern route to the city of Rancagua, about 50 miles south of
Santiago.
Codelco says the idea is for the work to become a symbol of the
capital of Region VI and a permanent reminder of the country's
admiration for miners.
The artist charged with creating the sculpture is Sergio Castillo,
who began sculpting metal in Italy in 1954. His works include six
sculptures constructed for the cities of Boston - where he teaches -
and Washington, D.C. In Chile, his works include a 16-meter high
sculpture at the main access road to the port city of Talcahuano and
the Christ figure of the School of the Divine Word in Santiago.
The monument will be sculpted from Codelco waste copper,
Castillo says. The base of the sculpture, which will be six meters
high, will hold two smelting pots. The apex will be a steel structure
opening up, representing the world, Castillo says, inside of which will
rest a huge copper ball.
Castillo says he has six months to complete the work, as
stipulated by his contract.
*
HEADLINE: BUSINESS BRIEFS
KEYWORDS: ECONOMY; INTERNATIONAL; NAFTA
SOURCE: EL MERCURIO
SOURCE: EL DIARIO
TEXT: Today's top business stories:
-- ENTEL CLAIMS SPARK HEATED DEBATE. Claims made
earlier this week by telecommunications conglomerate Entel that the
most recent market share report from the Telecommunications
Authority (Subtel) is "distorted" has sparked a heated debate among
the sector and the government entity. Entel officials said Wednesday
the Subtel market share report, which concluded that Entel's share of
the international calls market dropped by almost four percent from
the third quarter in 1996 to the last quarter in the same year,
included millions of minutes not considered as business by local
carriers. The company says it did not include such minutes - namely
call backs and frauds - when handing over information for inclusion
in the controversial Subtel report. In reply, Subtel Undersecretary
Mario Bastias said any inaccuracies in their final market share report
"does not originate from the interpretation Subtel gives to the data
handed over, rather it lies in the quality of the information." Bastias
said Subtel will investigate the claims made by Entel. Other sector
companies, meanwhile, have joined in the debate. Chilesat official
Felipe Perez said his company has been expressing its discontent to
Subtel for a number of months regarding the quality of the data
handed over by different companies for inclusion in Subtel's reports.
-- ATM TRANSACTIONS GROWING. The use of automatic
tellers (ATMs) belonging to the private banking sector increased by
21.5 percent last year compared to 1995, with transactions reaching
a total of 87.5 million, or an average 7.3 million per month, Redbanc
CEO Rene Peralta announced Thursday. Peralta added that in terms
of cash, US$3.6 billion were solicited from the ATM network.
Redbanc, the company which supplies the technical know-how and
support to the 18 commercial bank and financial institutions which
have installed ATMs throughout Chile, says 1,100 ATMs existed in
the country in 1996. According to Peralta, this represents a 36
percent increase over 1995 and a US$44 million investment from the
banks last year.
-- GAS PIPELINE WAR BEGINS. Electric conglomerate
Chilgener launched Thursday its bidding process to contract builders
for its gas pipeline project which plans to transport natural gas from
Argentina to northern Chile. The announcement is being described
by business observers as the beginning of a strong competition
between Chilgener and Chile's other leading power conglomerate
Endesa to capture the potential clients for electricity, which are
expected as a byproduct of the strong economic growth predicted for
the region in the near future. Only Wednesday, Endesa, which is also
planning to transport natural gas from Argentina to the north of
Chile via its Atacama Gasoducto project, closed its open season
because demand from northern generators was greater than expeted.
But the National Energy Commission (CNE) predicts that although the
demand for energy in the Northern Electric Grid System (SING) will
grow at an annual rate of 14.3 percent, there is only room for one
such gas pipeline project. Observers say this has placed increasing
pressure on both companies to attract clients and take the lead.
-- ENCAJE POLICY QUESTIONED BY EUROPEANS. The European
business sector has expressed its concern over Chile's "encaje" policy,
which locks-in foreign investment for a period of one year, to
Economy Minister Alvaro Garcia during his visit to France, Belgium
and Holland this month, according to El Mercurio correspondents.
During numerous meetings with European business representatives,
Garcia explained the policy aims to protect the dollar from
speculative short-term investment. "The measure has been
extremely successful in preventing short-term capital inflow, but this
has not hindered long-term and permanent foreign investment,"
Garcia said. According to the minister, foreign investment in Chile
has grown steadily. This year alone, the Chilean economy expects
foreign investments of US$5.5 billion, he added. In related news, the
Chilean business sector expressed its support of Chile's posible
associate membership in a trade agreement with the European Union
(EU), Production and Commerce Confederation (CPC) President Walter
Riesco said this week. Speaking at an EU seminar held in
Amsterdam, Holland, the president of the CPC, Chile's largest business
association, said the agreement would allow trade between Chile and
Europe to expand while increasing investment and technology
transfer between both nations. Riesco is leading the delegation
currently accompanying Economy Minister Garcia on his European
visit.
-- MILK PROFITS FALL BY ALMOST HALF. Milk producers
underwent a 46 percent fall in profits in 1996, according to a study
by the Milk Producers' Association for the Araucania region
(Aproleche). Aproleche economist Jaime Cuitino attributed the fall in
profits in part to the strong drop in prices for the product beginning
October 1996. At the same time, Cuitino said, production costs for
the industry increased 10 percent in 1996 compared to 1995. The
study states that while in 1995 profits per liter of milk stood at $24
pesos (six cents), it fell to $13 pesos in 1996.
-- CHILE STILL LIGHTWEIGHT FOR MAJOR FOREIGN BANKS.
Economic observers in Chile claim the debate over whether or not the
Chilean government should relax its restrictive monetary policy, plus
the severe drought currently affecting large parts of the country, are
among the elements that keep Chile below the Latin American
average in terms of attraction for the major foreign commercial
banks. El Diario sources say the major foreign commercial banks
currently preparing and assessing their investment portfolios for
Latin America agree that Chile's image has improved, although it is
still considered a lightweight country. Furthermore, say the sources,
the latest improvement seen in Chile's stock exchange is considered
to be temporary and thus not reason enough to raise Chile's status to
heavyweight.
-- MASTERCARD GROWS. MasterCard registered sales of over
US$800 million for 1996 via the 1.2 million cards emitted by the
company, MasterCard CEO in Chile Randall Shuken announced earlier
this week. Shuken added that the company expects a 25 to 30
percent growth this year.
-- CHILEAN FAST FOOD CHAIN EXPANDS. The Chilean fast-food
chain Lomiton registered total sales worth US$27 million for 1996, a
50 percent increase over the previous year, Lomiton CEO Jaun
Samaniego announced this week. The company, which began
business in 1980, inaugurated its first restaurant in Argentina Dec.
13. According to Samaniego, the US$500 million restaurant in
Buenos Aires has had a good reception given that competition in
Argentina is very limited. "There is much more competition here in
Chile; while we have at least four companies competing in the field,
in Argentina there is only one other," Samaniego said. The executive
added that the company is planning to expand into other Latin
American markets, such as Peru and Brazil.
*
-- BASIC ECONOMIC INDICATORS :
Dollar's value: Informal, 425.00 pesos; Accord, 471.47;
Interbank, 424.90
Today's Unidad de Fomento, UF: $13,309.53
Copper Price: up 2.34% to US$1.116
Stock Exchange: IGPA, down 0.27% to 5,250.64; IPSA, down
0.64% to 111.41
*
