Cablegate: Santiago Sept. 22 Media Report

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TAGS: ECON KMDR KPAO PGOV PREL SNAR EFIN CI
SUBJECT: Santiago Sept. 22 Media Report

Lead Story

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1. Tension increases with Manuel Zelaya's return to
Honduras and his request for refuge in the Brazilian embassy
(Conservative, independent La Tercera, 9/22).

U.S.-Related News

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2. The poverty rate in the United States in 2008 was 13.2%,
due to the recession. The Obama administration has implemented
policies to help alleviate the effects of the crisis, but more
needs to be done. In this context, Department of State Western
Hemisphere Economic Affairs Senior Advisor Charles Shapiro praised
Chile's social programs. The scope of these programs will be
presented at the launching of the Inter -American Social Protection
Network today. The network's goal is for countries to learn about
programs applied by other nations "to lower poverty and help our
most needy fellow citizens," said Shapiro. In Bachelet's trip to
Washington, President Obama said that the United States "has much
to learn from Chile in this area," said Shapiro. "Chile is an
example of how a country can move its people and its economy ahead.
The lesson here is that governments must focus on putting their
resources on those who are not prepared for the modern economy,"
concluded Shapiro (Government-owned La Nacion, 9/22).

3. President Bachelet will meet with President Bill Clinton
briefly just before the launching of the Clinton Global Initiative
today (El Mercurio, 9/22).

4. The Free Trade Agreements that Chile has signed provided
its business sector with an array of commercial opportunities.
Businesses, however, are not taking full advantage of the benefits
these agreements offer. Such is the case of the FTA signed with the
United States. Although this is the most successful agreement that
Chile has yet signed, local exporters are not fulfilling the quotas
assigned to different products. In 2008, for example, only 6% of
the quota for cheese was fulfilled; 58 % of the quota for powdered
milk, and 0% of the quota for butter. The same happened with
poultry. In 2008, the quota was increased to 8,820 tons, but only
12% was used. Chilean agricultural attach???? to the United States,
Gonzalo Ibanez, said one reason is that the United States has a
highly subsidized market. But there is also the need to
standardize sanitary protocols (El Mercurio, 9/21).

5. Hilton will open a Hilton Garden Inn near the Santiago
international airport (La Tercera, 9/22).

6. A Bank of American-Merrill Lynch report says that Chile
will see a solid economic recovery in the latter half of 2010,
mainly due to increase in the level of confidence in the private
sector and consumers (El Mercurio, 9/22).

7. Column: "The United States will not install a long-range
anti-missile defense system in Europe... which marks the end of a
central element of Bush's foreign policy. Most European governments
will be alleviated by the news, because they saw the system as a
source of unnecessary friction with Moscow. The Czech government
will also be alleviated; The majority of its people objected to
installing a military facility in the country. Poland, on the
other hand, will be unhappy, because it was glad to be increasing

military ties with the United States ... and Israel has reacted
with unusual calm. . . . The change that Obama has introduced
strengthens the climate of distension that characterizes his
administration (Raul Sohr column, La Nacion, 9/18).

Nuclear weapons

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8. Editorial: "We cannot delegate the control of nuclear
military technology to the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) or U.N. Security Council resolutions only. The current
General Assembly must promote strengthening the effective
commitment to stop the proliferation of this military technology
that threatens all countries alike, without exception" (El
Mercurio, 9/22).
URBAN

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