Leftward move in Latin America

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33728, 28 December 1974, Page 17

Leftward move in Latin America

(B.v

HUGH O'SHAUGHNESSY,

f. of the Observer

News Service)

LONDON. The meeting in Lima of the Latin America! heads of government 1< commemorate the 150tf anniversary of fh« Battle of Ayacucho wa» not the success that its promoters had hoped. General Juan Velasco, th' Peruvian President, had plan ned to bring together th. leaders of seven countries Venezuela, Colombia Panama, Ecuador, Bolivia Chile and Argentina, to worl out and announce a new de claration of economic inde pendence a century and a hal after the battle in which th Spanish-speaking Latii American countries achieves their political independenc and finally broke the powe of the Spanish crown n South America. i In the event four heads o state, President Maria Estel; Martinez de Peron. o I Argentina, General Guillermi Rodriguez Lara, of Ecuadoi ' President Alfonso Lope [Michelsen, of Colombia, an< the Chilean leader, Genera ■Augusto Pinochet, all foun last-minute reasons for no attending and were repre isented by their Foreig' I Ministers. ECONOMIC DEAL The leaders who were lef' General Hugo Banzer, c Bolivia, General Oma Torriios, of Panama, an President Carlos Andre Perez, of Venezuela, reir forced by the Cuban Foreig Minister, Dr Raul Roa, neve, theless made a good enoug quorum to bring out a di claration calling for a bettt economic deal for Lati America from the develope world and forecasting moi joint action by the producei iof raw materials. The presence of Pen meant that the declarator i will be backed up by tl gigantic oil revenues i Venezuela. Indeed, in tl days preceding the Ayacucf gathering the Venezuela! ' had underlined their point t

(offering finance to Latin American coffee-producers i seeking to maintain coffee I prices They also nationalised t heir II iron ore mines, hitherto 1 worked by United States com B panies which were responsible for Venezuela's second s largest export product. CHANGE IN OPINION I The meeting marked a left eiward shift among some of i-i the most important Latin e-American countries, not just s on economic matters but also ij politically. The presence of Dr i,| Roa was seen as a demonst ra. k'tion that, despite last month's ..I vote by the United States. ..dominated Organisation of If’American States in Quito not e to lift the blockade on the n island. Cuba was moving d back into the mainstream of e Latin American politics. . r Dr Roa’s attendance at the n meeting was the ostensible reason for the non-attendance ,f of the Chilean junta. Given a the continuing international ,f abhorrence of the Chilean 0 regime’s policies and its r 'dwindling number of friends, Pinochet must have d thought hard before passing jl up the opportunity of being d seen as an acceptable visitor )t at a major Latin American gathering. But the risk of a n 'fracas at any meeting with the Cuban Foreign Minister was clearly not one that the Chileans wanted to run t,i In the end it was Genera) if I Banzer perhaps who came ir away best pleased from the id encounter. In the absence ot :s | General Pinochet. Genera ti- Velasco was happy to sigr ;n an agreement supporting r-i Bolivia’s contention that i ;h I should be given an outlet tc e- the Pacific Ocean. sr Bolivia is at the mornen in I cut off from the sea by strip: >d of Peruvian territorv an< re tracts conquered by Chile i rs I century ago in the War of th* Pacific. 2Z By signing the declaration n S the Peruvian President mad ne it plain that if any countr of should give back territorv 0 ne Bolivia it should not be Pen 10 And that only leaves th ns Chileans to give ground. t>yi —O.F.N.S. Copynghi