The American Chamber of Commerce met in the Hotel Gran Almirante in Santiago yesterday, where the keynote speaker was Elena Viyella de Paliza, the president of the National Council of Private Business (CONEP). As is usually the case for the outspoken business leader, Viyella de Paliza sharply criticized the lack of solid proposals for solving the country?s serious problems. She questioned how the electorate would vote if the candidates did not clearly explain their platforms. As reported in the newspaper La Informacion, Viyella said that instead of discussing the macro-economic recovery process, the candidates choose to speak of the violence that is characterizing the campaign. Calling the lack of intelligent discussion ?a shame,? Viyella de Paliza suggested that the candidates would be better off discussing how they would reduce poverty, recover macro-economic stability and better the living conditions of the people. The CONEP leader also called for a serious deliberation on the proposed tax reform, which, she said, must avoid distortions to be able to compete under the terms of the new trade agreements. The Listin Diario reported that Viyella de Paliza, when speaking at the seminar ?Free Trade Agreement DR-USA,? also sponsored by the AMCham, told her audience that it would be difficult for the country to be competitive with such high interest rates, and called for economic and legislative reforms.