5-15-06, 9:10 am
In an interview with a Catalonian newspaper Ms Bachelet admitted the “left turn” in the continent arguing that “people are looking for different replies and leaderships with different shades emerge because of the diversity of countries.”
But she insisted that “it must be clearly understood that they are all legitimate leaderships because they have been directly elected, many of them with a very high turnout in votes.”
The interview was done in Vienna, Austria in the framework of the recent European Union/Latinamerica leaders summit, a meeting “which advanced as far as it was possible”, although Chile would have liked the establishment of “an effective mechanism to monitor and follow the implementation of the agreements.”
Nevertheless Ms Bachelet said she was “particularly happy” with the Vienna summit results since they point to the strengthening of relations and “this is important for Chile, since besides sharing with Europe common values such as democracy, human rights, international law, Europe is our second trade partner.”
Asked how her administration would address inequality in Chilean society, Bachelet admitted it won’t be easy but “my government will attempt through diverse complementary means.”
Among those Ms Bachelet mentioned more ambitious social objectives; strengthening workers incomes and rights, particularly working mothers; improved money value investment of the soaring copper surplus plus improving education and job training.
As to her “understanding” of presidents Evo Morales from Bolivia and Hugo Chavez from Venezuela, Ms Bachelet insisted that “there are different strategies that might seem more or less correct, more or less successful, but what matters is that they are looking for ways to overcome misery and poverty.”
In her main speech to the Vienna summit Bachelet actually defended Mr. Morales and Mr. Chavez arguing they shouldn’t be “demonized” and recalled they were voted in with overwhelming majorities.
Finally and contrary to other less enthusiastic opinions, Ms Bachelet said that the Vienna summit was testimony of “Latinamerica old desire of unity and to jointly solve common challenges.”
She insisted great strides towards unity were reached in Vienna, “something which Europe sometimes does not understand”. “For example Central America has managed a degree of unity which was unthinkable just a few years ago”, she added.
In South America “we have the coexistence of Mercosur and the Andean Community and now we have the South American Community of Nations, I’m optimistic; storm clouds gather but the sun always prevails”.
From Mercosur Press
