By: Rodrigo Barra-Padilla (English version)

Analysis of the interview granted by the President of Chile Ricardo Lagos to the journalist George Negus of SBS Television-Australia.

President Ricardo Lagos recently carried out an state visit to the australian continent in wich he included different activities, including an interview for multicultural channel SBS and where he was interviewed by the australian journalist. By a time interval of no more than 10 minutes, Lagos answered several questions to wich we will talk about in this note, but the important ones. We will not make a textual translation of question and answers, but well a brief analysis.

WAR OF IRAQ

Lagos indicated in relation to situation of Iraq, in which Australia is involved to its pacification and restoration next to the U.S.A. and England, of which Chile and its government are not agree with that war, "in fact we do not support it from its beginnings, but we respect the position and decision of Howard government".

PINOCHET

As far as the Pinochet subject, Lagos indicated that the ex-dictator nonfigure at all within the chilean political life, of wich this (Pinochet), in judicial matter it has many cases in his against in the chilean courts of justice. On the matter, the australian journalist ask of whom depended Pinochet was finally court sentenced. Lagos answer was "of course, doesn't depend from me". Inmediately afterwards he aim with its right hand and he watch towards the sky like giving to understand, that justice must come from God. To good understanding, few words, was Lagos referred that justice in Chile has not done the sufficiently necessary to judge and sentence definitely to Pinochet?.

TORTURE AND POLITICAL PRISSION

In a much sensible area for many chilean who underwent the political prission and torture, Lagos said of which Chile has been an example before the world to face this problem, creating an special commission (Valech Commission) to investigate these cases, determining this Commission thay more than 29 thousand people they were trustworthy cases and that they will receive a life pension.

WHAT THE PRESIDENT OF CHILE, RICARDO LAGOS DID NOT SAY IN THIS INTERVIEW.

Specifically in the area of Political Prission and Torture, Lagos obvious to say that many of the cases recognized by the Valech Commission already were receiving the benefit of the law of Political Exonerated, and thay these (Politic Prission and Political Exonerated), are not compatible. Therefore, the beneficiaries by the Valech law (torture and political prission) must choose between the one and other.
And this happens in both sides, since the favored ones with the law of Political Exonerated also must carry out this election.
Consequently anyone is the case, must resign itself to lose a benefit of by life, instead of gaining both.

Also it is necessary to emphasize in the subject of Political Exonerated, that there are cases that in spite of being recognized by supreme decree (Ministry of the Interior), take to the date but of two decades waiting for their rights are recognized them and others have died in this cruel and inhuman delay. The law establishes that to receive the exonerated pension of, is needed a minimun of ten years of impositions (superanuations) and if it did not reach this period, could give a grant of time that does not surpass the 24 months. In other words, the exonerated pensions correspond to the impositions (superanuations), that as contributors people did in Chile in their respective funds and that they could not continue contributing by to have had to leave the country, as it is the case of the chileans in the outside. Therefore it is an error of wich the chilean government think that this giving a benefit, since by law it is a right and not a gift.
President Lagos in this case has clipped this right of those who imposed in the previsual organisms, having right to receive these pensions on the base of their own impositions