PJ: Criticized in the US for offering apologies for mistakes the US had made in the past, Obama walks a tightrope in Chile for America's support of the 1973 military coup, which lead to a 17-year long dictatorship under Gen. Augusto Pinochet (yet another dictator who had an extraordinary record of human rights violations).
The Santiago Times
Obama’s Delicate Dance Around Human Rights Issues
Written by Katherine Phelan
‘Let’s not be trapped by history,’ U.S. president tells press
Some topics are just too hot to handle.
A couple of hours after touching down in Chile’s capital Santiago, U.S. President Barack Obama acknowledged that “the history of U.S. relations with Latin America has, at times, been rocky.”
Obama was questioned by a Chilean journalist as to whether or not the U.S. would cooperate and assist with investigations into the deaths of former Chilean presidents Eduardo Frei Montalva (ST, Feb. 8) and Salvador Allende (ST, Jan. 31), who each died under suspicious circumstances during the Chilean military regime (1973-1990).
Obama was also asked if the U.S. would apologize for its role in the 1973 military coup, which lead to a 17-year long dictatorship under Gen. Augusto Pinochet.
“Any request by Chile for more information about the past is something we will certainly consider and we would like to cooperate,” the U.S. president replied.
However, Obama preferred to focus on the present and the future of Chile-U.S. relations.
“We have seen extraordinary progress in Chile and that has not been impeded by the United States, but in fact has been fully supported by the U.S.,” said Obama. “I cannot speak for all of the policies of the past, but I can certainly speak to policies of the present and future. It is important that we learn from history, that we understand history, but that we not be trapped by history, because many challenges lie ahead.”
In his comments to the press, Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera said that “the coup d’etat occurred in Chile 40 years ago.” He declared that Chile’s government believes in the rule of law and respect for human rights, but that during Obama’s visit “we did not have time to cover all issues regarding the future, and so we did not revisit the past.”
There had been much speculation in Chile and abroad as to whether or not President Obama would acknowledge U.S. involvement in Chile’s dictatorship.
Human rights groups hoped Obama’s visit would herald the release of further information regarding this dark period in Chilean history. A number of U.S. documents relating to US involvement in Chile’s military regime remain classified, and many details of now-unclassified documents have been blacked out.
In an article in official Cuban publication Granma, former Cuban president Fidel Castro challenged Obama to front up to the past. “Considering that one of his illustrious predecessors, Richard Nixon, instigated the coup, and considering also the heroic death of Salvador Allende, the torture and murder of thousands of people, will Mr. Obama apologize to the people of Chile?” wrote Castro.
And in an opinion piece in the LA Times, Chilean-American playwright and Duke professor Ariel Dorfman suggested Obama take time out during his visit to speak to victims of the military dictatorship.
“Washington aided and abetted the downfall of Allende's democratically elected government and the tyrannical rise of Pinochet. Today, when the revolt in Egypt, among other nations, reminds us of the consequences of propping up brutal regimes, it would be sobering for a president as thoughtful and compassionate as Obama to see a few men and women who have been destroyed by those U.S. policies,” wrote Dorfman.
The daughters of former presidents Allende and Frei have also expressed hope that Obama’s visit could encourage greater transparency in determining who was responsible for their deaths during the military regime.
“Precisely because there has been such a radical change in the politics of the United States that we believe in the human rights (policies) of President Obama, this is the moment — if he's coming to Chile he can receive the official requests and petitions,” said Carmen Frei, the daughter of Frei Montalva.
And yet, following an intense afternoon of speeches and meetings, many have been left wondering if their questions will be answered.
SOURCES: LA NACION, LA TERCERA, AP, LA TIMES
By Katherine Phelan
http://www.santiagotimes.cl/news/human-rights/21022-obamas-delicate-dance-around-human-rights-issues
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