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Chile's arms purchase not to
break regional balance:official
The Chilean government said on
Wednesday that its purchases of
planes, ships and tanks will not
break the military balance in
the region, as it only intended
to replace obsolete arm models.
"This is only a renovation and
replacement of obsolete military
equipment, and not an
escalation," Chilean Defense
Minister Jaime Ravinet said.
The purchases are made after
permanent studies as the armed
forces constantly have to
replace old models," said
Ravinet, adding that the arms
that Chile will buy are worth
some 500 million US dollars.
Peruvian President Alejandro
Toledo, however, has expressed
his uneasiness over Chile's
purchase of arms.
He said his government decided
to create a national defense and
citizen security fund, and that
there will be increases in the
budget for the Interior Ministry
in order to repair helicopters
and make some "new increases."
But he also stressed that this
is not to "prepare for any sort
of conflict."
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