The conflict over the Beagle Channel was a border dispute between Chile and Argentina that had begun in the early 19th century . But in the 1970s the conflict escalated, especially since the Arbitration Award of 1977. It was a spark with two piles of dust: dictatorships military of Videla in Argentina and of Pinochet in Chile .We'll tell you the story of this conflict that was very close to ending a war that-fortunately-never happened.
The vicissitudes of diplomacy between Argentina and Chile by the Beagle Channel there were many, since this dispute began, at the end of the 19th century.But to go back to the conflict of the 70s, we must begin our story with the firm from Agreement on Arbitration in the Beagle of July 22, 1971, in Londres.
The Agreement on Arbitration in the Beagle it was an arbitration commitment that requested the determination of the Argentine-Chilean boundaries in the Beagle channel and the adjudication of the Picton, New and Lennox islands and adjacent islets. Government of His British Majesty as arbitrator of the borderline dispute, but this in turn should appoint a Arbitral Tribunal of five judges of the International Court of Justice .
The decision of the Arbitral Court came six years later through the Arbitration Award of 1977 .It granted Chile the Lennox, New and Picton Islands, located on the Beagle Channel .While the Pinochet government hastened to acknowledge the ruling, no happen It was the same on the Argentine side, since the ruling allowed Chile the projection in the Atlantico, so feared by the Argentine nationalist sectors.The Argentine government expressed reservations to the arbitration decision.
The members of the Argentine Military Board decided to postpone the declaration of nullity of the ruling, direct bilateral negotiations were proposed with the Pinochet regime and thus resolve the differences regarding the delimitation of maritime jurisdictions in the Beagle channel (rejecting the foundations of the award that granted Atlantic projection to Chile ).But the Chilean government I hold on to what is established in the award.
The tension was beginning to be present in the Beagle region.The Chilean government installed surveillance posts and signs in front of them to officials of the Navy.For its part, the Argentine government ordered the mobilization of part of the naval fleet and troops towards the south.
Possible negotiations were truncated when the Argentine government declared void the arbitration award on January 25, 1978 , a few days before the expiration of the period granted to the parties for the sentence to enter into force, however, Videla and Pinochet met on February 20 in the Chilean town of Puerto Montt , where they signed an Act in which they pledged to continue with the bilateral negotiations.Military activities were also halted and freedom of navigation in the disputed area was secured.
Distension A short time ago, warmongering statements were heard on both sides of the mountain range.In June 1978, members of the Argentine Army and Air Force began war maneuvers in the south.Also, the Argentine embassies abroad denounced a series of air raids s and land mobilization tasks of Chilean Armed Forces.
Despite these incidents Videla I choose to continue the direct negotiations foreseen in the Puerto Montt Act .The governments of Argentina and Chile agreed that the mediator be the Pope , who sent Monsignor Antonio Samore as representative , to mediate between governments.December 12, 1980, Pope John Paul II gave both governments a peace proposal.
The papal proposal granted Chile the Lennox Islands, Picton, New, Evout, Barnevelt, Freycinet, Wollaston, Terhalten and Sesambre , up to the Hornos Island .The envelope line of the coasts of these islands constituted the so-called " Territorial Sea "Chilean, within which the Pope granted the Argentina the possibility of installing navigation aids on the Evout and Barnevelt islands and an air terminal control system set in the New Island , in order to regulate flights to and from the Antarctica. Also, the Vatican proposal established a " Joint and Concerted Activities Zone " or" Zona or Mar de la Paz ", where both Argentina and Chile would explore and exploit in common what s living and non-living resources of the seabed and subsoil.
While the Pinochet regime quickly accepted the papal proposal, the Argentine military government delayed its response as much as it could, and finally communicated the rejection of the proposal.There were new incidents from both sides, which served as a justification for the abrupt decision to close, from May, the borders with Chile as a "measure precautionary ".
With the arrival of a" tough "like General Galtieri to the Argentine presidency at the end of 1981, relations with Chile crossed one of its most critical phases.The question of the Beagle was perceived by the new president as priority one of the agenda.But the outbreak of the Falklands War between Argentina and Great Britain in April 1982 left the question of Beagle aside.
After the hard defeat that Argentina received in the Falklands War , the first substantive agreement was reached between the governments of the Argentina and Chile Throughout the mediation process, it was on September 15, 1982, already during the government of Reynaldo Bignone (Arg).Both parties accepted the invitation of the Vatican to extend the 1972 Judicial Dispute Settlement Treaty .
This agreement was due to the fact that neither military regime was willing to jeopardize mediation, since both governments faced a serious internal crisis.President Bignone and members of the Argentine Military Board decided to move to the future democratic government-which he would assume in December 1983-the resolution of the problem Yes, on July 26, 1984 and before a final version of the agreement, the Argentine President democratic or Raul Alfonsin called a non-binding popular query .
The result of the 1984 Argentine popular consultation was overwhelming : 82% of the population voted for the acceptance of the papal proposal.In this framework, the legislators accepted the signing of a peace treaty.The signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship (November 29, 1984) ended the dispute by the Beagle.
Chile obtained recognition of its Chilean sovereignty over all the islands south of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego (except for the Argentines on the north side of the canal).In return, Chile renounced most of the marine rights that such islands grant under international law.In turn, both countries exchanged navigation rights in the area and Argentina waived their aspirations in the Strait of Magellan .
Consulted Bibliography:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship.
www.mrecic.gov.ar
www.argentina-rree.com
Wikipedia
Images:
1.Beagle channel, wikipedia
2 and 4.Maps of conflict zones, and the current limit, on Wikipedia
3.reunion between Pinochet and Videla, wikipedia
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