Cablegate: Santiago Dec. 9 Media Report

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TAGS: ECON KMDR KPAO PGOV PREL SNAR EFIN CI
SUBJECT: Santiago Dec. 9 Media Report

Chile-U.S.

1. Governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty will meet with President
Michelle Bachelet, Minister of Energy Marcelo Tokman, and Santiago
Mayor Pablo Zalaquett on Thursday. Governor Pawlenty is heading a
trade delegation of 30 businessmen and government officials.
(Diario Financiero 12/7)

Honduras

2. Headline: "Mercosur Ignores Elections in Honduras and Once
Again Calls for Zelaya's Reinstatement" The Mexican and Colombian
representatives showed their discontent over the presidents' stance
and asked support for the Central American country. Chilean
Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez said "We remain in attentiveness
and support the intents to restitute President Zelaya, the
reestablishment of the constitutional and democratic normality in
Honduras." (El Mercurio 12/9)

Local

3. Six days prior to the presidential election in Chile, Judge
Alejandro Madrid, who is investigating the death of former
President Eduardo Frei Montalva (1982) indicted six people and
characterized the case as "homicide." Judge Madrid stated that
former President Frei died from "the gradual incorporation of
unconventional substances" and the "placing of a product called
Transfer Factor, which was at an experimental stage and (...) had
not been certified or authorized by the Food and Drug
Administration in the U.S." Among those charged as presumed
authors are Dr. Patricio Silva --President Frei's Under Secretary
of Health and responsible for conducting a second surgery on the
victim--, President Frei's personal driver, and an intelligence
former agent. A physician who worked for the Pinochet regime's
intelligence agency (DINA) was accused as accomplice, while two
other surgeons were indicted as accessory after the fact. Judge
Madrid said he does not rule out further indictments and that
"decisions are made independently from what is occurring in the
country." (All dailies 12/8)

4. Editorial on the latest developments involving the Frei
case and Judge Madrid's ruling: "Chile needs more than that in
this unprecedented case. There is so much involved that it would be
convenient to take a look at the precedent established in the
United States after the murder of President Kennedy (...) Only six
days after his death, the Warren Commission was created to provide
an account to all Americans about what had happened (...) This
seems like a necessary model for this case in order to determine
whether the legal elements considered by Judge Madrid are also
medically, logically, and in all other aspects substantial ... (El
Mercurio 12/9)

Copenhagen Conference

5. Headline "Obama Clarifies Doubts and Sends Signal to
Copenhagen Summit" Article by Washington correspondent Alvaro
Vargas Llosa stressing that by publicizing the EPA's announcement
about new regulations on six greenhouse gases, President Obama is
sending Copenhagen a message about his commitment. (La Tercera
12/9)

U.S.-Latin America

6. Opinion column by international commentator Andres
Oppenheimer "Honeymoon is Over" "Some romances are short lasting...

The controversy between the United States and Brazil over the
November 29 elections in Honduras is the latest in a series of
clashes... In the last few weeks, the elections in Honduras,
Brazil's open support to the Iranian regime and the debate over the
Colombia-Washington agreement allowing the presence of American
troops in Colombian military bases has put an end to the romance...
My opinion: Obama will prevail over Lula on the Honduran crisis.
The 27 European Union nations are already leaning towards the U.S.
stance of acknowledging the elections... Nevertheless, it all seems
to indicate that Washington and South America will not go back to
their idyll of some months ago. Obama was applauded by everybody
for being different from President George W. Bush's political
arrogance. But not being Bush is no substitution to an active and
efficient policy in Latin America. If Obama does not give further
attention to the region, it is difficult to think about a romance
revival." (El Mercurio 12/9)

7. Opinion piece by political scientist and former Ambassador
Boris Yopo headlined, "The United States and Latin America" "Obama
can still be a relevant actor in the region, but one ought to be
realistic over the other actors and powers that intervene and
neutralize many of the policies that the current administration
wishes to implement." (Estrategia 12/9)
SIMONS

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