Tha moat dramatic newook in Chile when President Pinochet announced hlato abolish the National Intelligence Directorate (DINA). New guidelines suggest that most of DINA'swill be absorbedational Information Center which will be aubordinate to the Interior Ministry. In additlonf DINA's arrest and detention powers are being transferred to the national police (Carabineroa) and thR Judicial Police within the Defense Ministry, while illegal activity ia still possible under thislt appears that opportunities for repressive practices will be greatly reduced.
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The new agency will not report directly to the president.
Both the Carsbineros and the Judicial Police are highly regarded profeasional law enforcement organisations.
ia now'lBLJMst threat to hie regime hae dlmlnlehed significantly.
Pinochet's decision on DINA closely follows his announcement earlier last week that Chile wouldhased transition of power to civilian rule culmlnat' ing in limited popular elections Chile thus joins the governments of Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, and Uruguay that have announced their intention to hold elections in the next several years.
June editorial in the Chilean newspaper Fl Meraurio sumted it up beatt "One does not have to stand fast nor ask for understandingave breaking over him. One must duck and let it pass over. So it is in small countries* relations with large ones."
Another factor in tho changing outlook is that the internal security threat in the countries under military rule has diminished. Chilean President Pinochet and Argentine President Videla. for example, both appear to bo confident that subversives, while they can causeincidents* can no longer challenge the authority of the government or the procoas of forming new The Uruguayans and Paraguayans appear somewhat less confident in this regard. Brazil, Bolivia. Ecuador, and Peru have shown that they can handle potential l Salvadoreans have not yet beenchallenged.
The argument would seem to follow that if draconian measures are no lonaer needed to maintain the security of the state, the country can moveull rule of law and normal political activity. Ecuador'sreturn to civilian ruleB and theannouncements by Peru and Bolivia that they also would hold elections in coming years seemi to haveositive effect on Chile and Uruguay in that neither country wants to be isolatedrevailing political trend. Moreover, none of the military governments wants to admiteturn to the rule of law would weaken its ability to maintain internal security.
to tho sea.
In addition to these positive factors for change on the human rights issue, there are several bilateral and multilateral problems among the South Americanthat have continued to work sgainst closerin general and anti-US attitudes in particular. The threat of war in the Andes, resulting primarily from Lima's acquisition of large quantities ofSoviet arms, still Inhibits full cooperative relationships among Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. There is also the continuing problem of Bolivian accoss Chilean-Argentine relations, in general*
have been good, but now tnero la some irritation because of the territorial dispute over the Beagle Channel. Argentine-Brazilian relations had been improving, but controverey over problems associated with the Italpu
Dam on tha Parana Hiver are causing difficulty, nrezil.
in any case, has true international aspirations and
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does not wont to get bogged down in any regional
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