United States Ambassador Curtis Kamman denied any questionable intentions in the presence of the Peace Corps in Chile.
HEADLINE: PEACE CORPS IN CHILEAN MUNICIPALITIES
KEYWORDS: POLITICS; INTERNATIONAL
SOURCE: EL MERCURIO
TEXT: United States Ambassador Curtis Kamman denied any questionable intentions in the presence of the Peace Corps in Chile.
Ambassador Kamman acknowledged that "during other times there was political criticism" of the Peace Corps, but "the climate in Latin America is different today." Peace Corps technicians are useful to a democracy, he affirmed.
The ambassador's comments were made upon the signing of an agreement with Jaime Ravinet, president of the Association of Municipalities (ACHM) and mayor of Santiago, to allow members of the U.S. agency to carry out cooperative technical projects in Chile. Local development, decentralization, urban planning and municipal administration are among the areas the Peace Corps will address.
The agreement permits the Peace Corps to carry out its programs in any of 307 municipalities, of the total 334 that belong to the Association. Municipalities interested in developing a specific program must submit proposals to the ACHM, which would send the requests on to the Peace Corps.
Travel costs to Chile, as well as salaries for the Peace Corps technicians are covered by the United States government.
