Minister of Interior clarifies that he will be the one to go to Iquique, not the President

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SANTIAGO.- Minster of the Interior, Belisario Velasco, asserted that he has always insisted upon being the one (not the President) to represent the Government at the activities that will take place next Friday in the Region of Tarapacá. The memorial commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Santa María de Iquique massacre.

The actions of the secretary of state represent an effort to halt the press reports which stated that the President had cancelled her trip to the city for safety reasons due to incidents of social unrest commonly carried out by unions of mortgage debtors and truckers.

Velasco stated that he has not observed any safety issues and that he will continue with the planned schedule of events for the day in Iquique. "From the beginning, the Minister of Interior has been the one to represent the Government at this activity, which is performed by the Chilean state and country in honor of the memory of those killed on December 21st, 1907", he stressed.