- Title: CHILE: Global Peace Marchers meet Chilean President Michelle Bachelet
- Date: 31st December 2009
- Summary: SANTIAGO, CHILE (DECEMBER 30, 2009) (REUTERS) (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) VARIOUS OF CHILEAN PRESIDENT MICHELLE BACHELET MEETING WITH MARCHERS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PEACE MARCH ORGANIZER RAFAEL DE LA RUBIA SAYING: "In Latin America, Chile has come up too. There's an idea that their spending on arms has increased. The president assured us this is not the case, that they
- Embargoed: 15th January 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Chile
- Country: Chile
- Topics: International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVAHMKW0T344OYSUQ8LSWHX63VQ
- Story Text: Chilean President Michelle Bachelet assures Global Peace March that Chile is not rearming.
The Global Peace March took their message to Santiago, Chile on Wednesday (December 30), meeting with President Michelle Bachelet as they make their way across six continents in 90 days.
In Santiago, activists marched to the government building where event organizer Rafael de la Rubia and others sat down with Bachelet.
According to de la Rubia, Bachelet played down fears that South American nations are locked in an arms race.
"In Latin America, Chile has come up too. There's an idea that their spending on arms has increased. The president assured us this is not the case, that they are reducing the number of military officials and renewing materials, but in no way are number of weapons increasing," de la Rubia said.
Venezuela leads a recent jag in military, but other countries like Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Colombia are stocking up as well.
Analysts say risks of war are low, but recent arms purchases add to distrust in the Andes, where relations between Ecuador and Colombia are strained and Venezuela is winding down trade with Colombia.
In part, regional tensions are linked to Washington's war on drugs, and objection to Colombia's security agreement with the U.S. to allow more troops into more Colombian bases has angered the Latin American left.
"Today is a good time to tell the Colombian president that we are not interested in military, nor is the rest of Latin America," said Colombian singer Doctor Krapula at Wednesday's march.
The marchers met with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez on Tuesday and plan to push on to make their goal of finishing off the march in the Argentine Andes on January 2.
About one-hundred marchers started in Wellington, New Zealand on the anniversary October 2, Mahatma Ghandi's birthday and an international day of peace.
Along the course of the trip, they have organized conferences and other events to draw attention to nuclear disarmament and stopping the world's armed conflicts.
According to study by a German university, in 2008 there were 39 conflicts in the world today, among those nine wars and 30 serious crises. The study said most of these conflicts are in the developing world, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia and Latin America. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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