Posted 23/03/2011
By Veronica Smink
The announcement was made during a ceremony Wednesday to commemorate the "Day of the Sea", the date recalls Bolivia's defeat at the hands of Chile in the Pacific War (1879-1884), which cost the country its coastline.
That event became the only Andean country in South America, along with Paraguay, which has no outlet to the sea.
Since the nineteenth century, successive Bolivian governments have called on its neighbor to the south, the return of lost territory.
The requirement has been one of the priorities of foreign policy Morales. In February, the Bolivian foreign minister met for the first time in six decades with his Chilean counterpart, to discuss the maritime theme.
The meeting was part of a 13-point agenda of Bolivia and Chile negotiated since 2006, and includes a border dispute.
In his speech on Wednesday, the Bolivian president said he would not suspend its dialogue with James, but admitted that there has been progress in the negotiations.
"Despite 132 years of effort and dialogue, Bolivia has no outlet to the Pacific and face this reality is necessary to take a historic step by the hope and well-being of all Bolivians," he said. Quantifying
loss
But beyond that Bolivians consider historical compensation has affected how Bolivia will not have a sovereign access to the sea?
BBC asked him some of the sectors most affected by the loss.
"The confinement of the country prevents exporting gas to Asia or the northern hemisphere," said Carlos Orías, Oil Ministry spokesman, on the main export commodity of the country.
Orías said it is difficult to calculate how much it costs to Bolivia this limitation, but invited to make a comparative estimate.
"If one estimates that Bolivia receives about $ 300 million per month for the gas it sells to Brazil and Argentina, it is clear to see their potential for new markets," he suggested.
Meanwhile, in the House Bolivia National Exporters (CANEB) stated that the lack of competition has undermined its own port for Bolivian products.
"The materials we export more expensive because we transport them to the port of another country and it also delays the time of shipment," explained general manager CANEB, Mariana Guzmán Zamora.
However, the strong international demand for some commodities that travel by sea, such as timber, soybeans and minerals, has made Bolivia's exports grow.
bureaucratic costs
Another injury to Bolivia for not having its own port is the loss of income as duties and fees.
"All the paperwork and bureaucratic expenses are paid by transfer to a third country," said José Endara, responsible for foreign trade of the National Chamber of Commerce of Bolivia.
Most Bolivian products are exported through the port of Arica in northern Chile.
While this is a zone, use this terminal has its complications in La Paz. To begin with, is distance: the nearest market town in Bolivia, Oruro, is five hours away.
Moreover, in Arica, Bolivia does not have some facilities than if the port its own. Perhaps the most important is access to tanks, or containers, where to store their products, which is especially useful for soybean trade. Infrastructure
Despite all the sectors surveyed agree that the lack of access to the sea itself has meant a strong economic loss to Bolivia, several admit that this has not been the main obstacle to commercial development country.
"While it is true that the lack of a port itself is concerned, the reality is that at this moment the country is not ready to export oil to Asia and new markets overseas because there is no infrastructure to transport the product to the coast, "said Orías, the Ministry of Hydrocarbons.
is why Bolivia currently exports only gas to Argentina and Brazil, and plans to expand its business to other regional neighbors such as Paraguay and Uruguay.
Most Bolivia's hydrocarbons are extracted in the east of the country and there are no pipelines needed to move nearly 2,000 miles to the Pacific, crossing the Andes.
CANEB The holder agrees that the lack of infrastructure to transport goods is a serious constraint to international trade, but the problems associated with the maritime dispute.
"No know what it would have been if Bolivia had had an outlet to the sea, perhaps it had invested more in building infrastructure, "he said.
Anyway, beyond restating the importance of Bolivian sovereignty claim, Zamora Guzmán considered the main limiting country in terms of exports is the lack of more free trade agreements that facilitate trade between countries.
Source: BBC
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