Argentine tour operators take heat for changing borderlines

Chilean Sen. Jorge Martinez Busch addressed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to blast some Argentine tour operators that put Cape Horn as part of Argentina’s territory or in a kind of no man’s land. The information is based on the report released by rear-admiral Arturo Ojeda, navy chief in the southern Chilean province of Punta Arenas.

In that sense, Mr.Ojeda said “the Navy should do everything within its power to make sure all travelers sailing these waters are aware of Chile’s sovereignty over Cape Horn.” The Rear-Admiral added it’s everybody’s responsibility to have Cape Horn internationally recognized as part of the Chilean territory.

Sen. Martinez Busch, former commander of the Navy, believes “what’s going on can’t be any worse.”

”They’re fudging the historical and geographical reality of Chile, and trampling on its sovereignty. Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs should raise a clear and loud voice of protest against it,” Sen. Busch said. He also pointed out he’s even seen that same mistake in reports put out by National Geographic magazine.

In Sen. Busch’s opinion, the government must be concerned with this situation. “When we make a mistake, (they) make quite a huge fuss about it. When they make a mistake, our response is weak. It seems to me the Ministry’s strategy is to avoid problems at any rate.”

The former Commander of the Chilean Navy pointed out the intention behind such an action is “to create precedents and then we’ll have trouble.”

”They start talking people from here and elsewhere into believing Cape Horn is not Chilean territory, but Argentine. Then, Argentina turns up as the owner of Cape Horn and just when we want to exercise our rights, they look at us as if we were the invaders.”

According to this version, this geographical blunder is confirmed on the website www.argentinaturistica.com, where Cape Horn is depicted as Argentine territory and only Puerto Williams is charted under Chilean ownership.