Chile delays appointment with human rights. The bill that had to be voted yesterday, a constitutional reform allowing the country to ratify the treaty of Rome thus coming abreast of the 104 countries already following the Aja International Criminal Court (ICC), has been delayed. It is the second time in two weeks.

Backward steps. As usual, the majority of the Senate (two thirds), essential to have the bill passed, has been jeopardized by a part of the opposition that first declared its support and then backed off at the very last minute, pressed by the military world where voices rose against the Aja International Court. Yesterday the former Army commander-in-chief, the retired general Juan Emilio Cheyre, cast a series of doubts on the treaty, the first regarding the United States reaction. Because the Bush administration cancelled all Clinton's approaches to the treaty of Rome, rather exacerbating sanctions to be applied against countries adhering to it especially in the military field, the Chilean military world is on the qui vive. Because Chilean defence depends on the White House, the threat frightens uniformed men.

Shallow reasons. But it is in the name of human rights and of Chilean independence that the government insists in adhering to the ICC. “Our desire is to have it approved as soon as possible – the Secretary of State for Defence, Vivianne Blanlot, explained – but we understand that it is a reform with very important legal and ideological consequences and therefore we want the Senate to talk it through. For this reason we will not put any pressure, although restating its priority”.
For the Secretary of State the concern expressed by some members of Parliament, who fear the negative consequences announced by USA, are groundless. “We suffer no consequences on the opportunity to buy military equipments. There is no difference (if the USA put a spoke in the wheel, editor's note). The sole difference will be in the costs, given that we certainly do not receive any aid on this issue”. The minister then reasserted that for the Army the theme of human rights cannot rest on the possible consequences in the military field, given that this issue is symbolic and goes well beyond the spending power that one could achieve on the weapon market. “I don't think this is the right argument to further delay the approval of something so noble”, he clarified.

International shame. The whole Parliament majority did not mince matters. For example the socialist senator Jaime Naranjo, who described as “international shame” the umpteenth deadlock in Chile regarding human rights. “It is impossible not to realise that this constant delaying seriously damages Chile image within the international community”, he clarified, defining shameful the fact that Chile is still among the few countries that has not confirmed its adhesion yet to the International Criminal Court, because of the “continuous filibuster by the right-wing”. Then referring to the RN and UDI parties, that withdrew their vote at the last minute, he said: “They have shown that for them promotion of human rights is mere propaganda to be used when politically worthwhile, and not a principle to be defended at any time”. Last he added: “We as Chileans hoped that those abetting in the past, actively or by omission, the serious violations of human rights happened in our country had learned the lesson by now and kept a different behaviour. But unfortunately it is not so”.