U.S. and Chile Hold Third Meeting of the Bilateral Consultative Mechanism

Roger F. Noriega, Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, today hosted Chilean Deputy Foreign Minister Cristián Barros for the third meeting of the U.S.-Chile Bilateral Consultative Mechanism. They discussed a full range of bilateral, regional and international topics, including issues before the UN Security Council, peacekeeping operations, the upcoming Organization of American States General Assembly, the situation in Haiti, Iraq, counterterrorism, the Community of Democracies, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement between our two countries.

The United States and Chile share a partnership that has grown closer and expanded in scope in recent years. With the implementation of our bilateral Free Trade Agreement in January, the two countries are focusing with renewed strength on our political dialogue. The United States and Chile work well together because we share a common commitment to basic values like democracy, the rule of law, human rights, market economics and free trade.

Deputy Foreign Minister Barros last hosted Assistant Secretary Otto Reich for Bilateral Consultative Mechanism talks on October 18, 2002. Presidents Bill Clinton and Eduardo Frei established this mechanism for political consultations at the Santiago Summit of the Americas in April 1998. The first meeting was held in Washington on October 19, 1999.

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