Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BUENOSAIRES13
2006-01-04 14:49:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Buenos Aires
Cable title:  

MEDIA REACTION US ANTI-IMMIGRATION LAW THE

Tags:  KPAO OPRC KMDR PREL MEDIA REACTION 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0013
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0013/01 0041449
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 041449Z JAN 06
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2968
INFO RHMFIUU/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL//SCJ2//
RULGPUA/USCOMSOLANT
UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000013 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INR/R/MR, I/GWHA, WHA, WHA/PDA, WHA/BSC,
WHA/EPSC
CDR USSOCOM FOR J-2 IAD/LAMA

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO OPRC KMDR PREL MEDIA REACTION
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION US ANTI-IMMIGRATION LAW THE
BUSH ADMINISTRATION ARGENTINE-BOLIVIAN RELATIONSHIP
WTO AND FARM SUBSIDIES INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND
GLOBAL CHALLENGES THE KIRCHNER ADMINISTRATION
01/03/05


UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000013

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INR/R/MR, I/GWHA, WHA, WHA/PDA, WHA/BSC,
WHA/EPSC
CDR USSOCOM FOR J-2 IAD/LAMA

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO OPRC KMDR PREL MEDIA REACTION
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION US ANTI-IMMIGRATION LAW THE
BUSH ADMINISTRATION ARGENTINE-BOLIVIAN RELATIONSHIP
WTO AND FARM SUBSIDIES INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND
GLOBAL CHALLENGES THE KIRCHNER ADMINISTRATION
01/03/05



1. SUMMARY STATEMENT

Weekend international stories include: the controversy
unleashed by US anti-illegal immigration legislation;
the Bush administration's legacy; negotiations related
to global farm subsidies; Bolivian President-elect Evo
Morales' first trip abroad; the Kirchner
administration's performance; the role played by
international organizations in dealing with crises;
Russia being forced to abandon a gas blockade against
Ukraine after European trade partners warned Moscow
relations would suffer; Argentines blocking bridges to
Uruguay claiming (pulp mill) projects will
contaminate their farmlands along the river edge; the
war in Iraq and the aftermath of the Asian tsunami
being picked in a BBC global poll as the most
significant events of 2005; and IRA thanking their
members for having accepted the group's landmark
decisions to make its ceasefire permanent.


2. OPINION PIECES AND KEY STORIES

- "Controversy due to US anti-immigration act"

Natalia Labruna, columnist of business-financial,
center-right "InfoBae," writes (01/02) "Amid anti-
terrorist paranoia, a new (US) draft bill seeks to
turn illegal immigrants into criminals and build a
wall on the US-Mexican border.

"The Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal
Immigration Control Act of 2005 was passed by the
House of Representatives last December with 239 votes
versus 182 votes against (which included some
Republicans)."

- "Bush's debt"

Centrist newspaper "Perfil" carries an opinion piece
by Christian Riavale, on special assignment in Paris,
who writes (12/31) "The US will likely take years to
pay back the 'moral debt' that US President George W.
Bush will leave when abandoning the White House.

".... Abuses committed in the struggle against
terrorism (kidnappings, tortures, clandestine
transfers, illegal prisons, phone wiretapping in and
outside of the country) are already bringing
consequences that could be devastating for the future

of the US.

"On the one hand, those methods... opened an 'abyss'
between the US and Europe... On the other hand, said
behavior is undermining the US's world prestige and
deepening its isolation.

"Even inside the US, those abuses are being criticized
by an increasing percentage of public opinion, and,
particularly, by political leaders and most judicial
officers...

".... History demonstrates that, when the domineering
power loses its soul, the world enters a period of
turbulence with unpredictable consequences."

- "Liberalization or litigation?"

Daily-of-record "La Nacion" carries an op-ed piece by
Argentine representative to the World Bank, Alieto
Guadagni, who writes (01/03) "The WTO called on 149
countries in Hong Kong to make progress with the so-
called Doha Development Round, but no significant
progress was made on agricultural liberalization,
which is promoted by efficient countries that cannot
compete in international markets due to farm
subsidies.

".... Let's point out that the farm subsidies granted
by industrialized countries amount to almost 360
billion dollars per year...

".... According to a recent Cato Institute report,
farm subsidies violate WTO rules. If the possibility
to negotiate a reform of agricultural policies




vanishes, a series of lawsuits could be filed against
the US and the EU due to their farm subsidies."

- "Evo Morales starts a world tour that will not
include Argentina"

Natasha Niebieskikwiat, columnist of leading "Clarin,"
writes (01/03) "Argentina is not among the
destinations of Bolivian President-elect Evo Morales
before taking office in January 22. By then, he will
have been in three continents (Europe, Asia and
Africa),in addition to Cuba, Venezuela and Brazil...

"The issue is not a minor one if one bears in mind
that the Kirchner administration has been a strategic
ally in Morales' taking office, and that Argentina and
Brazil are the main purchasers of Bolivian gas in the
region...

"... What calls everyone's attention is that Morales
has not left time for a visit to Argentina, which
could take him six hours in all. And that he will go
around the world instead."

- "Morales and his neighbors"

Leading "Clarin" carries an opinion piece by its
general editor Ricardo Kirschbaum, who opines (01/03)
"On his first international trip, brand-new Bolivian
President-elect Evo Morales chose Cuba, Venezuela and
Brazil as his Latin American destinations...

"The question is why Morales will not come to
Argentina and whether this omission is related to
problems in the (bilateral) relationship... Morales
has to negotiate new gas prices with Argentina, which
will surely impact on Argentine industrial costs. We
do not believe that there are problems in the
bilateral relationship but, instead, a loss of
concrete influence of Argentina's diplomacy.

"Bolivia has always been a country with which
Argentina has had strong ties... While there are no
signs of a change in this view, the fact that Morales
has chosen other destinations for his trip indicates a
set of priorities which places Argentina at a
different level than in the past. And this is related
to one's own mistakes rather than others' decisions."

- "The price of so many political mistakes"

Joaquin Morales Sola, political columnist of daily-of-
record "La Nacion," highlights (12/31) "... Jorge
Taiana (who has already met with US Ambassador Lino
Gutierrez) is a serious foreign relations expert...

"Taiana knows that the most serious case (in Latin
America) is that of Bolivia, which is in a position to
break peace in Latin America.

"As a matter of fact, the conflict in Argentina is not
created by ministers but by the President himself. His
way of dividing the society and terming independent
media as opponents makes him too similar to Hugo
Chavez, who rules a country divided into two
irreconcilable halves.

"Argentina does not deserve to be compared with the
Venezuelan political tragedy. And perhaps Kirchner
himself does not deserve to be compared with Chavez,
something which he hates while promoting. Chavez
expresses a nationalistic militarism that Argentina
buried many decades ago.

"... Nevertheless, the problem posed by Argentina is
not that of Venezuela nor are we discussing issues
that cannot be solved through a dialogue between the
official party and its opponents... Only by making so
many mistakes, did Kirchner manage to gather
(opponents) that were originally separated."


3. EDITORIALS

- "The year now leaving"





An editorial in liberal, English-language "Buenos
Aires Herald" reads (12/31) "Many pundits were
expecting the year ending today to contain a before
and after on either side of the October 23 midterm
elections but President Nestor Kirchner stayed in
electioneering mode after the voting was over. Yet the
13 days between the election triumph and the
frustrated conclusion of the Fourth Americas Summit in
Mar del Plata do seem something of a turning-point
because the ouster of Economy Minister Roberto
Lavagna..., the choice of new ministers..., and
intensified flirtation with Venezuela's firebrand Hugo
Chavez all bespoke a shift to the left. The election
result itself was a relative mandate... but the
opposition can only blame itself for its own disarray
if Kirchner could plausibly claim a sweeping
triumph...

"... While hardly immune from criticism, 2005 was a
good year from most points of view - Kirchner seems to
have an uncanny ability to get everything right while
doing everything wrong.. .

"Morally and culturally, there is rather less cause
for self-congratulation than politically and
economically in Argentina... Emergence from default
should be the time for re-entering the world, not
xenophobic nationalism, while a rare freedom from
political and economic urgencies should permit
institution-building and work on a tailspinning
education."

- "The 2006 big threats and challenges"

Leading "Clarin" editorializes (01/02) "2005 has left
multiple unstable political, social and environmental
scenarios and no global leadership and institutions
that can effectively deal with these crises.

"... Unluckily, during 2005, international
institutions have also suffered blows to their
credibility and efficiency to deal with serious
conflicts and emergencies. It happened with the UN,
which was unable to reform its Security Council due to
lack of consensus among several groups of countries.
It also happened with the EU, with the French
rejection of the constitutional project. By the year-
end, the Hong Kong WTO ministerial also brought
frustrating consequences for trade and for the
prospects of developing countries vis--vis developed
countries' protectionism. No progress has been made
either on peace and security agendas or on strategies
to face major conflicts.

"... In brief, great challenges will call for creative
and consistent multinational leadership and efforts
from both the governments and civil societies and from
economic and social protagonists."

To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our
classified website at:
http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires

The Media Reaction Report reflects articles and
opinions by the cited news media and do not
necessarily reflect U.S. Embassy policy or views. The
Public Affairs Section does not independently verify
information. The report is intended for internal U.S.
Government use only.

GUTIERREZ