Papal Mediation in The Beagle Conflict - The Act of Montevideo

The Act of Montevideo

In Montevideo, Uruguay, on 8 January 1979 both countries signed the Act of Montevideo. In this treaty the parties agreed to:

• no restrictions whatsoever over the mediation (textual: «…they will raise no objection to the expression by the Holy See, during these proceedings, of such ideas as its thorough studies on a disputed aspects of the problem of the southern zone may suggest to it, with a view to contributing to a peaceful settlement acceptable to both Parties…»)
• «…Antonio Cardinal Samoré … asks that that request should be accompanied by an undertaking that the two States will not resort to the use of force in their mutual relations, will bring about a gradual return to the military situation existing at the beginning of 1977 and will refrain from adopting measures that might impair harmony in any sector.…».

The treaty gave the mediator a broad framework in which to negotiate without any geographical data or temporal restrictions.

List of members of the Chilean Delegation in Rome:

List of members of the Argentine Delegation in Rome:

Cardinal Antonio Samoré's principal assistant was the Spanish priest Monsignor Faustino Sainz Muñoz.