LATIN AMERICA REVIEW - CHILE: THE REGIME VIEWS ITS FOREIGN CRITICS

Created: 12/14/1979

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

i': Theights violati

resolution condemning(Chilean human tk'e the recent,US Actions in the-V

Letelier case-Wlsl likely to leavejiiSantiagb unmoved because the Pinochet* reCrimel approaches its problems from afundamentally different from that of its foreigniTr- ill :ffir> 'Aii'i Hi- If;3

' The Chilean Government is not only hardened tocriticism,'the country'8 position hasfi}'the years since the coup--feels jless vulnerable to anti-Chillean sentiment I the!political chaos end triple digit'inflation of the Allende;administration with the economic'recovery and relatively high popular support for the government today, military leaders claim their policies have been vindicated. !They still subscribe to the view that the Allende periodataclysmic national experience from which Chile, jcould recover onlyhoroughof'tits economy and politicaleliev-

has partially

In holding these ^iews/the Chilean military remains at odds withjm'oet of! the international community. has long; since;'discarded its initial hope that manytin particular, those of theappreciate its efforts to crush "Marxist dictatorship" and recognize the "need" for firm measures. Moreover, Chile still,does! mot share the general international perceptionrotracted period; of authoritarian rule is out of place inof the few tatin American countries[witji a. longradition.

December

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herefore/ haa difficulty understanding the strength.ofianti-Chilean sentiment abroad andjis chagrined at what it sees;ullibleby Sovietla'double standard in judging rightist and leftist

The Pinochet Iregime particularly resents mat ittonadequate recognition of improvements in its human rightshilean frustration on this score was evidentIi'nh-n,ear ofamelioration1 of human rights conditions in Chile, the UN's annual resolution failed to acknowledge fully theseantiago responded bylebiscite in which Chileans rejected the UN fin-xlngshree to one.vote and, in doing so, gave^animplicit vote ofto theix.boVernnent;

arge extent, the Pinochet regime is pragmatic--as indicated by its .fairly close! tiesovernment as ideologically dissimilar astherefore is able to be flexible, for'the sake of practical advantage. For example, when international labor organizations threatened tohilean shipping1 last January, Sant^ooDlacated them by easing restrictions on Chilean labor, m

;antiago apparently feels littleto yield ground to the United States and.most other Western countries fat this |time, perhaps because reductions in their public! 'assistance to Chile have lessened theirs indicated by its refusal to makeredible show-ofI investigating the Letelier caSe, the regime does not believe that Washington isosition to make Chilel payery! high price for its obstinancy. As longhese circumstances prevail, the withholding of approbation by !'the international community'cannot be expected tojreeult;in'Turther improvements in|Chile's human rights record.]

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