LATIN AMERICA REVIEW - CHILE: SUMMER VACATION POLITICS

Created: 1/13/1984

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

Chile'si.umi .mkj-

Dccemberarlyperiod when polilical activity rail*ha* temporarily stalled the year-oW opr-oHiiion mmcmcnt arid given the Pinochetreathing spell from major protest* Nctcrthclcss. polilical act inly goo on. both jbwe and below the surface. On the imposition side, the terrorist campaign probably will continue,liliv.il ami labor HpinnitMHi will meet to decide onand leadership, tind conservative groups will make effort* to consolidate. Al least low-level controversies over ceoftomic. human rights, and legal issue* can be cspvcicd. Pinochet, for hi* pan. probably will revamp his cabinet,ew low on political parties, and ro-iew hi* government's economic and political prcerams.^

Continuing Terrorist Campaign

The coordinated bombings of electrical pylons near Santiago onecember, which briefly cot off power to over halfpulation. were the most spcetaeulareries of recent attacks against power and railway facilities and government personnel. There have been more thanrimarily in the Santiago-Valparaiso region, since the beginning of October; sii government and police officials were assassinated between JO Augustovember. Many of theseave been carried out by the Movement of the Revolutionary Left, but some previously unheard of groups-the Revolutionary Front Manuel Rodriguce. the Salvador Allcnde Brigade, and the Communist Party frentelaimed rc>rvr-.bmi>

We cancel *umc icrrurisl activities to continue through ihe summer, a* groups attenint lo lake advantage of ibe dnconieni caused by high

The Alliance is likely loumber of important policy questions this summer, including whether Marxist panics will be allowed toose, whether It will continue io insist on the resignation of Pinochet, and what lypcof transitional government and economic reactivation programs to propose. The

' i I

cMem the Allianceow liijhlr drtviti'fiviiii'>ih the PinocKi got tin met i ratedereentccvnt pull b*c*pe.'lcd nugj/imrinto eiTcctivc poiitital BflHWI So far. the Alliance ha* LickedluriMmiwuullearly definednlil these arc ik'i.lnrvd.ill be ableut

The Christian Uenwerjiicational mm$pm in January la decide its stand on many of th*facing ihe Alliance and lo prepare lorew president lhi> spring Theender* arc: the current iiscumbeni. Gabriel-lorn. CVi.iijh IntnTnlllllTi luicrnauorul Prewdent Anlrv*and pan* act nisi. Patricio AUyia and SsMmmmm Iraweta. Zshfivar i. popular bet ha* LargelyL'iuiK-iiN resident and eoordinjtc foreignVakkt ha* been criticised b* iome parly member, for hi* igMganec. bat hi* pee*rou. diplomatic experience, international eunoeetioni.aise fund* are import ant. Arywln and Irureta are respected and repotted to have considerable support in the purl)

l-abor Plans

Leader* of organi/ed labor alsoumber of meeting* during the *ummer. Ann federation of free Trade Union'* seminar on "Labor Lndcr Pinochet and After" is tchedulcd to be held in Argentina in mid-January. This conference may help iron out phiknopeucal and personal difference* amonr democratic uai-wnhik and helpop imeesuiional* firuncul and tactical vurwnasjjnjw

Inthe neatmonths may clarify theaborea Rodolfo Seg-rJ. president ofile Copperworkcr. Confederation and of the National Worker* Commandcoalition of theabor confederali* two-year term aa Copperworkers Confederation presidenteheduled to espire thi* month. however, .ubyectmplicated kgal and procedural wrangle

rnmenl

President Pinochet i* also likely to be more politically actne than ti.ual ihn .ommcr In addition to hi. tradil-mal loor through the southern section* of the .oontr. he will probably change torne cabwkrt minium and make sometothe

The goiernmeni probably will tryeduce support for the casppo-utroo by tegabting politicalcasare thai bat been under study for some months Pinochetikelyry portraying this as only the first of several proposed steps to hasten restoration of civilian ruk. in hopes of drawing the ortposition into kgali*iie discussion* and away from more active form* of protest.

Continuing Issues

Nevertheless, wc bcliric mow opposition groups will attempt tu keep attention focused on such controversial government policies tu:

The nets* mininghich is likelye opposed by copper union leaders, opposition moderites. leftists, and nationalists who sec it as selling out to foreign interests.

The termination in January of the Minimum Employment Program and cutbacks in the Head of Households Program, which provide benefits tonemployed persons in the Santiago area andercent ofationalforce. With unemployment still overercent, even torne pro-government businessmen arc worried that public works and private industry will not be able to compensate for cancellation of these programs.

Human rights abuses by the Center for National Intelligence. Chile's Catholic bishops hove called for the dismantling of the Center and promised to eicommunkaie torturers.ourt decision in November that the Center did not have ihc legal riant lo arrest or hold people in undisclosed locations, the governmentist of detention centers but it is preparing new amiternubt legislation in light of receni attacks on puliiemcrr^H .

Original document.

Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: