TAUNTED WITH A NEW BOLIVIA BEACH JIBE

[AussieMark]

Taunted with a New Bolivia Beach Jibe

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he was still dreaming of one day swimming on a "Bolivian beach," barely a week after the same remark sparked a diplomatic row with Chile over its longtime territorial dispute with Bolivia.
Chile withdrew its ambassador to Caracas for consultations last week in a diplomatic protest after the outspoken Venezuelan leader said during a visit to Bolivia it was not fair the landlocked country had no coast.

Bolivia lost its outlet to the sea to Chile in the War of the Pacific in 1879 and the issue has remained a sore point.

Chavez told a meeting of Latin American parliamentarians in Caracas on Tuesday he was surprised the Chilean government had taken the remark as an interference in its affairs.

"I'm sorry for Chile, I really like the Chilean people and I send them my love and affection, but I'm still dreaming of having a swim one day on a Bolivian beach," he said, repeating several times the original comment that prompted the dispute.

Venezuela last Friday withdrew its own ambassador from Chile for consultations.

Chile says there is no room for modifying the 19th-century treaty defining the borders among Bolivia, Chile and Peru.

Chavez, first elected in 1998, has caused several diplomatic spats with foreign governments -- including those of its neighbor Colombia and the United States -- with his outspoken comments about international affairs.