Bolivia becomes a maritime nation once again

[Judi Lynn]

Bolivia becomes a maritime nation once again
Long-awaited coastline lease with Peru marks economic and political rapprochement between neighbours
By Jonathan Manthorpe, Vancouver Sun November 15, 2010

Bolivia is returning to the fraternity of Pacific Ocean nations after 126 years as a landlocked country.

~snip~
"This opens the door for Bolivians to have an international port, to the use of the ocean for global trade and for Bolivian products to have better access to global markets," said Morales during the ceremony with Garcia.

According to the Bolivian minister for planning and development, Viviana Caro, direct access to the ocean will cut the distance goods have to travel to Asian markets by 40 per cent.

Most of those products are natural resources such as zinc, tin and silver, with which Bolivia is well-endowed. But in the future, the new port will have much greater significance when Bolivia starts developing its massive reserves of lithium, the essential metal for modern lightweight batteries used in cars, cellphones, laptop computers and many other electronic gadgets.

More:
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Bolivia+becomes+maritime+nation+once+again/3828483/story.html

[dipsydoodle]

1. Excellent news

:thumbsup:

[rabs]

2. It would be excellent news ...

... if any real progress is made on the part of Peru.

But this has gone on since 1992 when Peru first promised to give that sliver of land to Bolivia. Up to now, nothing has been done in those almost 20 years. Note that the article does not mention a date of when this tiny, tiny outlet for Bolivia's access to the Pacific through Peru could come to fruitation.

Also note that the photo accompanying the article is of a Bolivian consul with two CHILEAN Congress members in VALPARAISO, CHILE. Seems like the article would have included a photo of Garcia and Morales at Ilo, Peru, where the project was announced.

Garcia did a big hullabaloo about granting the Bolivians the tiny spit of land on the Pacific shortly after it became public last month that Brazil, Bolivia and Chile would inaugurate the Bi-Oceanic Corridor (connecting the Arlantic to the Pacific overland) soon. The inauguration date mentioned was later this month (Nov.)

The Corridor will give Bolivia immediate access to TWO Chilean ports, Arica and Iquique. It's ready to go, while the Peruvian offer is just that, an offer with no infrastructure in place.

I still suspect that Garcia mounted this to draw attention away from the Bi-Oceanic Corridoer and as a show to win some favorable PR. And non-wary journalists like from that Canadian newspaper have been suckered in.

Article from August re the Bi-Oceanic Corridor:

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/08/20/Atlantic-Pacific-corridor-gets-green-light/UPI-85501282345372/