, on my blog. Bush is currently on his way to Colombia (also covered on my blog).
I haven't seen the follow-up on this story in the American papers. Chilean newspaper La Tercera has covered the APEC summit very well, so I will use their article.
American Embassador Gives Explanation for Security Scuffle
Craig Kelly called the General Director of Gendarmes, Alberto Cienfuegos. "He said there was no problem on their part," said Cienfuegos. The head of Bush's security team, an elite Secret Service agent named Nick Trotto, was to blame for the embarassing incident.
The American ambassador in Santiago, Craig Kelly, had to intervene yesterday after the embarassing incident on Saturday afternoon between President George W. Bush's security detail and the Chilean officers at Mapocho Station, which took place in front of [Chilean] President Lagos, the American President and their First Ladies.
According to the General Director of Gendarmes, Alberto Cienfuegos, Kelly called him in the morning. "He told me that there was no problem on their part and that surely the cause was a lack of understanding by Bush's security agents (...) At least, he said that it might've been that some point was unclear".
The culprit for the embarassing incident was Bush's head of security, one of the elite American Secret Service agents, identified as Nick Trotta. This is the agent seen in the fracas who had to be "rescued" by President Bush himself, who intervened in the shoving match so Trotta could enter Mapocho Station.
Chilean sources say that Trotta never attended the security coordination meetings with the Chilean police intelligence and [Chilean] Ministry of the Interior.
It seems that Agent Trotta came on board the Apec conference only when Bush entered the country, which explains why he was unaware of the pre-established policy that only three guards could enter Mapocho Station and not through the main entrance, which was reserved for the heads of state and their interpreters.
Another incident
The arrival of the American president's head of security in the country coincided with a second incident which came to light yesterday. An unknown number of police officers, employed by SAG and the Customs Division, were blocked off in an office at Arturo Merino Benítez international airport. This occurred on Friday afternoon when Bush was deplaning Air Force One and his security team practically cordoned off the entire terminal.
What is unexplainable is that one of the police officers affected by excessive actions of the American agents was the head of the Strategic Command, Jose Castro, the fourth-highest ranking police officer in the Investigations division.
"Take it easy"
The responsibility for the incident at Mapocho Station, according to all the sources we contacted, was the group of agents headed by Agent Trotta. Bush's bodyguards were seen on television shoving Chilean police who blocked off the Secret Service team, telling them "take it easy".
Support from the government and Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos offered his total support to the gendarmes and congratulated them for a job well done. He singled out in particular Colonel Samuel Cabezas, the head of the Anti-Narcotics and Crime Prevention Division, for doing a good job controlling the situation. "Colonel Cabezas allowed the agent to enter, saving the situation," he added.
The Undersecretary of the Interior, Jorge Correa Sutil, also congratulated the Gendarmes, however he did this in private. The head of Santiago Central prefecture, Colonel Miguel Angel Panadés, also spoke to the men privately.
White House
Yesterday the White House attempted to downplay the importance of the incident between Bush and Lagos' security teams. "The President likes to delegate" work and, at times, he likes to do things "with his own hands," said the American government spokesperson, Scott McClellan, referring to the Bush's "rescue" of Trotta while he was wrestling with the Chilean agents.
Ignacio Walker, the Chilean Chancellor, took the same approach when he said the situation was "a small incident that was over in two minutes" and added that Bush told him there "was no reason to make a big deal about it".
Hugs Between Both Security Teams
The Mapocho Station incident, which caused unrest between the delegations of both countries, was settled last night. According to government sources, yesterday afternoon, there was a positive meeting between the security teams of both presidents. During this meeting there was no pushing or shoving except for one incident, considered "minor" by both sides, when two American agents tried to enter La Moneda [the Chilean "White House"] acting as journalists.
At the end of the day, according to the same sources, the Chilean police and American agents hugged as a symbol of "getting over the impasse" and the group hug was photographed.
So there you go, now things are "all better" and I'm sure that picture would be quite interesting to see.
p.s. - Colombian newspapers are stating that Bush's security team has 500 members. Not sure if they're all USSS or not.