186 Chapter 2
whereby the British Crown would arbitrate territorial disputes between the two. Thus,
on August 24, 1964, Chile informed Argentina that it planned to request arbitration
from the British, and Argentina agreed in principle. Chile submitted a formal request
to the British on September 15. Britain established a court to hear the dispute in March
1965, and on December 29, 1965, they began arbitration. The court made its decision
on November 24, 1966, awarding about 70 percent of the disputed territory to Argen-
tina but those parts inhabited by Chileans to Chile.
MID#2080
Dispute Number: 2080
Date(s): July 19, 1964 to July 29, 1964
Participants: 160 Argentina/155 Chile
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (Negotiated)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: On July 19, 1964, an Argentine border patrol moved into Horquestas Val-
ley, a snow-covered strip of land 15–20 miles long in the Alto Palena, and fired on a
Chilean border patrol and members of the Chilean media. Chile filed a letter of protest
with Argentina. Argentina scheduled a delegation led by Ezequiel Pereira to visit San-
tiago for discussions on the 26th, but the delegation was postponed indefinitely. On
July 27, Argentina rejected Chile’s note of protest. Meanwhile, Argentine gendarmes
constructed a fence in the disputed territory.
On August 24, Chile informed Argentina that it planned to request arbitration from
the British and Argentina agreed in principle. Chile submitted a formal request to
the British on September 15. Finally, on November 5, Argentina removed the fence.
Britain established a court to hear the dispute in March 1965, and on December 29,
1965, that court began arbitration. The court awarded about 70 percent of the disputed
territory to Argentina in November 1966.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from July 25, 1964. Outcome changed from
Unclear.
MID#1608
Dispute Number: 1608
Date(s): November 6, 1965 to December 11, 1965
Participants: 155 Chile/160 Argentina
Outcome (and Settlement): Compromise (Negotiated)
Fatalities: 1–25 deaths
Narrative: Chile and Argentina contested the Laguna del Desierto region, which was
near the southern tip of South America. The disputed territory ran from the shores of
O’Higgins Lake in Chile to San Martin in Argentina and included Laguna del Desi-
erto in both countries. In October 1965 both countries signed an agreement to avoid
conflict in Laguna del Desierto and Palena, another contested territory between these
states. However, in November a resident of Laguna del Desierto went to a Chilean
police station to report that the Argentine police had seized his property, and Chile
sent policemen to the area to investigate.