Presidents of Peru and Bolivia to Meet in New York

Presidents Ricardo Lagos of Chile and Eduardo Rodríguez of Bolivia are to meet on Thursday in New York for the first time since Rodríguez took office in June. The meeting will be held against the backdrop of the UN’s 2005 World Summit taking place this week. Relations between the two countries have warmed in recent years with Chile offering to Bolivia’s then president, Carlos Mesa, at the 2004 Summit of the Americas to re-establish bilateral relations with Bolivia. The two countries broke off diplomatic relations in 1978 following a century-long dispute regarding Bolivia’s access to the sea and only maintain ties at consular level.