By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:42 PM on 22nd March 2011
The welcome was warm, the setting lavish and both compliments and red wine flowed freely.
But away from the splendour of La Moneda Palace, Barack Obama's whistlestop visit to Chile provoked as much anger as delight.
Around 100 people gathered near the government building in Santiago to burn the U.S. flag in protest at both the presence of the president and American policy.
Toast of Chile: The country's president Sebastian Pinera and his wife, Cecilia Morel de Pinera, with Barack and Michelle Obama at La Moneda Palace in Santiago
Hotting up: Demonstrators gathered near the palace to burn the American flag in protest at Obama's visit
Riot police eventually arrived to disperse the demonstration, leading to ugly scenes on the streets of the Chilean capital Santiago.
The demonstration was partially sparked by air strikes on the civil war stricken Libya.
Organiser Juan Cuevas said the U.S. president has increased the U.S. military budget, 'and doesn't hesitate in attacking and invading whatever country that challenges his interests.'
Many protesters recalled how the U.S. worked covertly to topple the socialist government of Salvador Allende, who was elected in 1970 and died in Chile's 1973 military coup.
'The United States wants to keep dominating the world,' said Manuel Hernandez, a university student.
First couple: Obama and Michelle together at La Moneda Palace and Mrs Obama with her Chilean counterpart Cecilia Morel de Pinera
Splendour: The two couples outside La Moneda Palace before a formal dinner in honour of the Obamas' visit
Politicians and human rights activists joined an open letter calling on Obama to apologise for U.S. interventions in the 1970s.
Inside the palace, the atmosphere was noticeably lighter.
Mrs Obama looked stunning in a full-length fuchsia gown by designer Sophie Theallet who was born in France but is now based in the U.S.
The Chilean president Sebastian Pinera opted for some very personal diplomacy declaring that the First Lady was 'very good-looking.'
'President Obama has said the same about the first lady of Chile,' he added, drawing a smile from his American counterpart.
He then went on to reel off a list of things he had in common with Obama - both are left-handed, both studied at Harvard and both are 'sportsmen.'
Earlier in the day, the president and first lady, who are travelling with their two daughters, received an elaborate welcome as they arrived in Santiago.
Fury: Protesters demanded an apology from Obama over America's involvement with Chile's military regime during the 1970s
Water cannon: Protesters flee as police open fire to disperse the crowd
Greeted by President Pinera and his wife, the pair walked the red carpet flanked by the Chilean military.
Obama did not meet the famed Chilean miners who survived 69 days underground last year were nowhere to be seen during quick visit to Chile, but the president gave them a shout-out in a speech in Santiago.
'Their resolve and faith inspired the world - "Los Treinta y Tres"' - the president said. That's Spanish for the 33 - the number of miners trapped in the accident.
Obama said the dramatic rescue scenes also showed people and governments of Latin America coming together, with help from around the world.
'As the miners were lifted to safety, for those joyous reunions, it was a truly global movement, watched and celebrated by more than a billion people,' he said.
'If ever we needed a reminder of the humanity and the hopes that we share, that moment in the desert was such.'
'Good-looking': The Chilean president complemented Obama's wife Michelle, who wore a stunning fuchsia dress by designer Sophie Theallet
The feeling's mutual: Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said Obama had admired his wife.
{The Chilean President Sebastian Pinera knows that he and his wife are Israelites through his Inca Indian blood and he also knows that Michelle Obama is an Israelite too}.
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Tuesday, March 22nd 2011 at 7:52PM
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