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December 2004 - Nº220 |
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Editorial |
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| A Great Negotiator |
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| By Richard Diego, President of AmCham |
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It is, of course, true that no one is indispensable and that great achievements are usually the product of teamwork. But it is also true that, without leadership, no great project would be completed with total success.
That is what comes to mind when we think of Osvaldo Rosales and his extraordinary work at the head of the Foreign Ministry’s Directorate for International Economic Relations (DIRECON). During his years there, we were witness not only to his preparation, professionalism and enormous personal capacity for work, but also to his capacity for teamwork.
We can testify to his interest in listening to differing opinions, to the conflicting points of view of different interest groups, and to his respect for these views, and his skill in finding formulas to satisfy - as far as possible - these divergent interests. That was, without doubt, the first key step - to establish a national position that would best represent Chile’s interests and then to go out, with the advantage of full backing at home, to negotiate with other countries the free trade agreements that are delivering so many benefits to Chile.
And it is not only Chile that has reason to be grateful to Osvaldo Rosales; what he achieved also benefits many other countries. Chile is not only internationally respected; it is also widely perceived as an example to follow. And one of the pillars of that success is precisely its policy of openness to international trade.
Osvaldo Rosales, who was called on to implement this policy, deserves the recognition and gratitude of us all. His task was not easy and, for that reason, he should feel very satisfied with the great legacy that he leaves us. He faced enormous challenges, and rose to them.
Chile’s negotiations with the United States were one of those challenges. The difference in size between the two negotiating partners - which meant that representatives of the world’s largest economy and those of a much smaller country met around the same table - suggested that the talks would be like the encounter between David and Goliath. And that was, to a large extent, the case. But Chile’s David was not inhibited by its negotiating Goliath, and it won many negotiating points that had seemed beyond its reach.
This is just one reason why Chile’s negotiating team has been hailed as among the best in the world. To lead it, as Osvaldo Rosales did, not only required the professional and personal skills to harness the efforts of his subordinates, but also the ability to seek points of consensus that convinced and inspired all those who would finally sign the resulting agreements.
In AmCham, we are deeply appreciative of the role that Osvaldo Rosales played in Chile’s talks with the United States. He always had the time and deference to listen to our points of view and we are very proud to have been able to collaborate and work together on an initiative that, without doubt, represents a turning point in relations between our two countries. He is a friend whom we will miss, but we are sure that our relationship of cooperation with DIRECON will continue under its new leadership.
Osvaldo Rosales is a great negotiator who has done a great service not only to Chile, but also to the international community. We hope that he will continue to make his extraordinarily important contribution to the cause of free trade from his new post at the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, where we wish him every success. |
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