"Even though Peru is involved in this topic, they are different matters. Chile and Bolivia can continue to dialog, and do not have to wait for Peru," Jose Miguel Insulza told Radio Cooperativa.

"I do not want to talk about specifics, because I do not think that it is my duty to say where or how or in what conditions. This is a topic that corresponds to the governments of Chile and Bolivia," he said.

He said that he will support "any initiative that both agree on" but he insisted that "I cannot talk about the best way to do it."

Insulza added last Sunday that "it is now time for a proposal" from the dialog between Bolivia and Chile that initiated in 2006.

Insulza's statements coincide with Bolivian Minister David Coquehuanca, who said last Sunday that Santiago should arrive at the next bilateral meetings with a concrete proposal.

Bolivia lost extensive territory, including its access to the sea, following a conflict that in which both Bolivia and Peru lost to Chile in the Salitre War, also known as the Pacific War (1879-1883).

Bolivian President Evo Morales and former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet began bilateral talks in 2006 based on 13 points including Bolivia's request for a sovereign passage to the Pacific Ocean.