US Pressures Chile on Venezuela

With an arrogance bordering on intimidation, the administration of George W. Bush wishes to impose its will on Chile's sovereignty and force that country to impede Venezuela's admission to the United Nations Security Council.

Sovereign reaction!!!!! In other words, drop dead Condi, Georgie and the rest of your Thugs.

The reaction in Chile was instantaneous and solidly nationalistic. The spokesman for the Chilean presidency, Ricardo Lagos Weber, said that "Chile is a dignified country that doesn't allow itself to be pressured, and it's a country that conducts diplomacy. [...] We are not into pressure; we are into building consensus."

Christian-democratic senator Jorge Pizarro said that "we should not be overly concerned by any pressure from the United States." Conservative senator Sergio Romero said that "in international relations, people don't use that kind of threat, so I'm surprised that [Rice] can speak like that."

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet will travel to Washington on June 9 to meet with President Bush and discuss issues of mutual interest, fulfilling an appointment made weeks ago. At a private luncheon at the White House, Bachelet will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Foxley and Minister of the Economy Andrés Velasco. Bush will be flanked by Rice, Zoellick, Under Secretary for Hemispheric Affairs Thomas Shannon and National Security Council adviser Steven Hadley.

As La Tercera predicts, "if the hosts apply only one half of the pressure put on Foxley during his preparatory visit, we can be that it won't be a peaceful luncheon."

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