Diplomatic mechanisms should be used to resolve the disagreement with Chile over the disputed "land triangle" through a correct reading of the 1929 Treaty, said former Minister of Foreign Affairs Gonzalo Gutierrez, who is confident diplomatic ties between Peru and Chile will return to normal.
The Chilean government suspended a deputy foreign ministers meeting originally scheduled for December 7 in response to the creation of La Yarada-Los Palos, a town located in Tacna, within the said land triangle on the border with Chile.
“We have to ease tensions, forget about military issues and conflicts, and make way for diplomatic mechanisms; the same occurred when Peru published the Chart of the Outer Limit—Southern Sector of Peru's maritime domain,” he stated.
At that time, he continued, foreign affairs ministers of both countries agreed to address such issue through the appropriate bodies.
“I think this is the position we should adopt at the moment,” he told TV Peru.
According to Mr. Gutierrez, Chile’s notes of protest on the establishment of a district along Peru’s southern border should be answered firmly and in the same way. He also said a space for conversation should be provided to explain Peru’s rights and correct interpretation of the matter.
“The Peruvian position must be well established; it has to be as strong as those notes, and we should let time take its course to reestablish the diplomatic channels in the right moment,” he reiterated.
The land border between the two countries is well delimited in accordance to the Treaty of Lima (1929), and the maritime boundary was set by the verdict of the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
In section 175 of such verdict, the Court states that such body has not been requested to take a position regarding the location of Concordia Point, where the land border between the two sides starts, and notes that the point mentioned above might not match the starting point of the maritime boundary.
“This reaffirmation only confirms what the Treaty of Lima established in 1929; a different interpretation is impossible from a legal perspective, the border is established,” he affirmed.
He dismissed the possibility that Peru and Chile will ask the United States to clarify the implementation of the Treaty of Lima (1929).
“This issue must be clarified by the countries, I do not think the two countries — which have made substantive progress in their bilateral relations— need to use the United States, as the Treaty of 1929 suggests, in case the two parties do not come to an agreement,” he explained.
Finally, Gutierrez noted the Chilean position regarding the diplomatic relations with Peru “is not permanent,” given that everything evolves; he recalled the same thing happened last year, when Peru published the Chart of the Southern Sector of Peru's maritime domain.
(END) MDV/FHG/RMB/MVB
Published: 11/6/2015