US embassy cable - 05LIMA2180

UNCLAS LIMA 002180 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PE, CI 
SUBJECT: TOLEDO MAINTAINS HARD LINE ON 1995 CHILEAN ARMS 
DELIVERIES TO ECUADOR 
 
REF: A. SANTIAGO 1011 
 
     B. SANTIAGO 1000 
     C. LIMA 2061 
     D. LIMA 2018 
     E. SANTIAGO 660 
 
Sensitive but Unclassified.  Please protect accordingly. 
 
1.  (U)  President Alejandro Toledo is maintaining the GOP's 
hard line on Chile's 1995 arms deliveries to Ecuador.  In a 
declaration made on 5/10 while attending the South American 
Arab Summit in Brasilia, Toledo announced that the issue will 
not/not be resolved and there will be no/no 2x2 meetings of 
Defense and Foreign Ministers until Chile, "offers an 
explanation and issues a public apology."  When asked by the 
press the following day to comment on Toledo's statement, 
Prime Minister Carlos Ferrero noted that, "When the President 
speaks on an issue like this ministers have nothing to add." 
With respect to the prospects for bilateral relations, the 
Prime Minister commented, "Sincerely, I don't know what will 
happen in the future.  This is a situation that we would not 
have wanted to occur." 
 
2.  (U)  Foreign Ministry Under Secretary for Political 
Affairs Oscar Maurtua defended the GOP's position in columns 
published in the daily "Expreso" on 5/10-11.  According to 
Maurtua, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry sought to enlist its 
Chilean counterpart's cooperation in investigating the arms 
deliveries, but that, "Unfortunately, after undertaking all 
reasonable efforts through high-level representatives of both 
Foreign Ministries, it became clear that the same disposition 
did not exist on the part of the Chilean Government, thereby 
frustrating the possibility of a joint pronouncement that 
would have overcome the difficulty."  Consequently, Maurtua 
continued, Peru had no/no choice but to issue its 4/29 
communique (Ref C).  He concluded that, "It is absolutely 
legitimate that the Government of Peru and its citizens hope 
for a sincere expression from Chile on these facts, not 
excuses manifested in a furtive nighttime visit (NOTE:  a 
reference to then-Chilean Vice Foreign Minister Mariano 
Fernandez' call on then-Peruvian Ambassador Rivero in 
February 1995 - Refs A,C).  END NOTE.) of which no more than 
four people had knowledge of (NOTE:  A reference to 
then-President Alberto Fujimori's decision to keep this 
incident close hold - Ref C).  END NOTE). 
 
3.  (SBU)  COMMENT:  The GOP's decision to maintain its hard 
line on Chile's 1995 arms deliveries to Ecuador clearly comes 
from the very top.  The press, which enthusiastically engaged 
in Chile-bashing when the issue first surfaced, has tended to 
back-track recently and urge dialogue.  Flagship daily "El 
Comercio," for example, published editorials on 5/5 and 5/10 
welcoming former Vice Minister Fernandez' admissions (which 
most papers reported were encouraged by Chilean President 
Ricardo Lagos) and recommending that the GOP respond by 
renewing diplomatic consultations and the 2x2 process.  "El 
Comercio," on 5/9, also published a full-page interview with 
former Peruvian Foreign Minister (and current head of the 
Diplomatic Academy) Jose de la Puente Radbill, who complained 
that the crisis has been "badly handled," and placed the 
blame on Prime Minister Ferrero, noting that Foreign Minister 
Manuel Rodriguez has been out of the picture, hospitalized 
with a serious bacteriological infection (NOTE:  Rodriguez is 
still in the hospital.  END NOTE).  The public appears to be 
of two minds on the issue:  a recent University of Lima poll 
in Lima/Callao found that 65.3 percent of respondents 
believed the GOP was mishandling the Chilean arms issue, 
while an IMA Marketing Studies poll in Lima concluded that 
77.6 percent of respondents approved of Peru's demanding an 
apology from its southern neighbor.  END COMMENT. 
 
 
STRUBLE