The story of the reprimand ordered by the chancellor Antonia Urrejola to the ambassador of Argentina in Chile, Rafael Bielsais known: last Friday, The Minister of Foreign Affairs called him at Teatinos 180 to express the deep annoyance of the Chilean government -through the Secretary General of Foreign Policy, Alex Wetzig– For his statements regarding the rejection of the Dominga mining project before the Senate, where he questioned that the administration of President Gabriel Boric had not anticipated that decision.
“This venture was one of the alternatives that Agua Negra was going to have as a port. It would be great for us if they warned us, nothing more than that. As it has an impact on bilateral relations, we wanted you to be informed”, the diplomat had said before the commission of the branch of the Upper House.
What was not known until now, however, was the meeting in which that morning the chancellor and her closest teams sealed the strategy: call Bielsa’s attention and -at the same time- send a strong message to the Argentine chancellor, Santiago Caffiero.
Via an audio that was leaked by mistake this morning from the Urrejola teams -who participates together with the President in the VII Celac Summit in Buenos Aires- the tenor of that communication was known. This newspaper chose not to publish the exchange in its entirety, but did publish the content of greatest public interest that is addressed in the meeting led by the minister.
At the meeting – where in addition to the chancellor were present sharp; the Director of Strategic Planning, Andres Villar; the minister’s chief of staff, Carola Muñoz; and its press director, Lorraine Diaz-, the Secretary of State gave an account of the claim that she made -through WhatsApp- to Caffiero a few hours following traveling to that country.
“I told him that the Dominga issue was a unanimous decision of the council of ministers. Your ambassador directly attacks the administration of President Boric on a very sensitive political issue. Honestly, it is unacceptable, days -in addition- before we go to Celac-Argentina”, the chancellor stated on the occasion.
In the exchange, despite the shared analysis of the need to call Bielsa’s attention, Muñoz warned that the diplomat did have a point regarding the criticism he made when he was not notified, during the previous administration, regarding the extension of the continental shelf by Chile.
In the audio, Urrejola’s chief of staff accused the current undersecretary Of Foreign AffairsXimena Fuentes (who at that time was Director of Borders and Limits), to be behind that determination.
During the meeting, in addition, the authorities of the Foreign Ministry analyzed communication drops to confront the statements made by Bielsa, who they referred to in harsh terms. At the meeting, the minister’s team also qualified the president of the Foreign Relations Commission, Jaime Quintanaas a “murrado”.
At the close of this edition, Urrejola had not given explanations, although they indicated that they would issue a public statement in the next few minutes. In President Boric’s team, meanwhile, they were already aware and looking for how to contain the flank that opened right in the middle of the tour, which they warn was clouded by the leak.
There is also concern in the government because the leak strains relations between the two countries, just at a time when Boric and his peer, Alberto Fernández, were in the same facilities to participate in the summit.
At 1:35 p.m., yes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement informing the departure of Lorraine Diaz of the communications department of the portfolio. “Given the mistaken leak of the audio of a private meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs that the Director of Communications of this portfolio presented her resignation from her position, which she was accepted,” says the text.
And he adds: “The situation that motivated the aforementioned conversation has already been overcome and does not at all represent the excellent bilateral relationship between Argentina and Chile, which has been built on the basis of historical trust and friendship.”
Díaz, who is close to the PS, had held the same position in the period of Foreign Minister Heraldo Muñoz.
