Former Chilean Ambassador to the United States, Juan Gabriel Valdés, has criticized President José Antonio Kast's decision to withdraw government support for Michelle Bachelet’s candidacy for UN Secretary-General. In an interview on the programTolerancia Cero, the former diplomat argued that the move uses international politics as a tool for domestic political disputes.
“It brings these types of national issues into a framework of domestic politics and dispute that is detrimental to Chile's foreign policy,” Valdés stated. The former official also clarified that the former president's candidacy was not communicated to the current president at the time because the decision was made in September, while Kast was still a presidential candidate.
Potential U.S. Veto
Regarding the viability of the bid among major powers, Valdés suggested there is still a window of opportunity for the former head of state. The former ambassador indicated that a veto from Washington is not a certainty if global consensus is achieved.
“There is a possibility that [the United States] will not do so if they realize that support for Michelle Bachelet in the General Assembly is widespread,” the former diplomat maintained.
Valdés also revealed that former President Gabriel Boric held discussions with Kast on the matter following the Republican leader's election victory. The former official recounted that, following a meeting with Foreign Minister Juan Pérez Mackenna, he formally requested that the administration not use Bachelet's management of the Haitian migrant crisis as an argument to obstruct her candidacy.
way The former ambassador admitted that his frustration with the government's stance was so great that he decided to walk out of an official luncheon. According to his statements, the administration has used criticisms regarding the situation of Haitian citizens to justify withdrawing support for the former president's bid.