JAPAN DRAFT RESOLUTION AGAINST NORTH KOREA; MIDDLE EAST;

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001587 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: JAPAN DRAFT RESOLUTION AGAINST NORTH KOREA; MIDDLE EAST; CHAVEZ AND MERCOSUR; US-ARGENTINE TRADE TIES; CIA CASE; MUMBAY BOMB BLITZ; 07/13/06;BUENOS AIRES ¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT Key international stories today include Japan asking for Argentina's support in a draft resolution it submitted to the UN, which requests sanctions against North Korea for its missile tests; the US blames Syria and Iran for the escalation of violence in the Middle East; former Argentine Ambassador's statement that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will use Mercosur to defy the US; Argentina's trade deficit with the US; US President George W. Bush's main advisor allegedly involved in CIA-gate; and the implications of the bomb blitz in Mumbai. ¶2. OPINION PIECES AND KEY STORIES - "Japan asks for Argentina's support at the UN" Natasha Niebieskikwiat, columnist of leading "Clarin," writes (07/13) "Japan asked for Argentina's support in the draft resolution it submitted to the UN Security Council, it paves the way for sanctions against North Korea for its missile tests... "In this move, the Japanese diplomacy used all the international fronts it could... "Yesterday, China and Russia managed to introduce a softer version of the Japanese draft statement, which was supported by the US, the UK and France. "Meanwhile, Argentine diplomatic sources commented that while the Argentine Government supports Japan regarding the North Korean crisis and believes that Pyongyang's action of launching missiles was a 'provocation,' however, it does not seek to appear as one of the co-sponsors of the initiative, which is a further diplomatic step." - "The US targets Syria and Iran and warns of an escalation of violence" Daily-of-record "La Nacion" reports (07/13) " Hezbollah's kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers unleashed multiple statements of repudiation from the international community. The most eloquent one came from the US, which blamed Syria and Iran for the kidnappings based on the Damascus and Tehran's alleged support for Hamas. "... US National Security Council spokesperson, Frederick Jones, who accompanied President George W. Bush on an official visit to Germany, said 'We strongly condemn the attack from Hezbollah against Israel and the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers.' 
"... US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also condemned the kidnappings and said that Hezbollah's action 'threatened regional stability.'" - "Lack of control" Marcelo Cantelmi, international editor of leading "Clarin," writes (07/13) "... The current escalation implies a regional extension of the confrontation that started in Gaza... "The Ehud Olmert administration is compelled firmly act, taking into account the audacity of the two blows he has received in just a matter of hours... "... The lack of a real opening (in Israel) has never been seen as the reason for Hamas' possible growth in the Palestinian territories, or for Hezbollah's strengthening protected by Iran's hawks. Washington and Israel were the ones that most contributed to this shortfall. Today, one can see an escalation of responses. Humanity's worst conflict continues to spiral out of control." - "'Chavez to use Mercosur corpse to attack the US'" Guillermo Haskel, columnist of liberal, English-language "Buenos Aires Herald," writes (07/13) "Argentina and Brazil are serving populist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez a Mercosur corpse that he will use as a political arena to further challenge the US, a former Argentine ambassador said yesterday. "'And while the enormous Gulliver (US) will continue to be entangled in the Iraqi marshland and unable to administer order in the world for at least two more years, it makes no sense to adopt a confrontational stance because it will eventually recompose its agenda and those fostering hatred will pay for it.' "The speaker was Carlos Perez Llana, an ambassador to Paris for the Alliance government that collapsed in 2001 amid Argentina's worst-ever economic crisis. "'Mercosur is dead but now there is a political Mercosur led by Mr. Chavez. What is being offered to him is a forum that he will use to challenge the US.'" - "Argentina again has a trade deficit with the US" Sergio Serrichio, economic and political columnist of business-financial "El Cronista," writes (07/13) "According to the US Department of Commerce, in contrast to Latin America, Argentina and Paraguay again have had a trade deficit with the US. From January to May this year, Argentina had a trade deficit of 130 million dollars with the US. "In this regard, Argentine has reversed the surplus trend it has had since the downfall of the convertibility system. The re-born bilateral deficit is noteworthy because it is in the framework of an increasing US trade deficit with the world in general and with oil-producing countries. "Paraguay has a structural tradition of trade deficits. Argentina is the only country that, in contrast to others, is starting to have a deficit with the country with which most countries in the world have a large trade surplus." - "Argentine lemons return to the US" Business-financial, center-right "InfoBae" (07/13) leads "US markets were closed for Argentine lemons in 2001 based on alleged sanitary problems. Now, reportedly, the US could lift the ban, and the decision could have a signifigant impact on Tucuman's economy." The paper reports "Argentine Ambassador to the US, Jose Octavio Bordon, said yesterday that Tucuman lemons will again be able to be sold to US markets by 2008. "The Argentine representative in Washington pointed out to Telam (wire service agency) that 'Tucuman's lemons could return to the US market by 2008.' - "Reportedly, Bush's main advisor was involved in the CIA-gate" Ana Baron, Washington-based correspondent for leading "Clarin," writes (07/13) "US President George W. Bush promised that if he ever found out the name of the White House official who leaked to the media Valerie Plame's identity, he would immediately fire him. "Well, after two years of silence, editorialist Robert Novak wrote a piece in The Washington Post yesterday revealing that one of his sources was Bush's advisor Karl Rove. Nothing indicates that Rove will be fired but just the opposite - Bush is unlikely to want to pay the political cost of seeing his 'right hand' and head of campaign involved in this scandal. "As a matter of fact, Novak's revelation was too late. Patrick Fitzgerald, the prosecutor, announced last month that he would not indict Rove. Analysts believe that the silence of Novak, a conservative editorialist with access to the White House, protected Bush's re-election." ¶3. EDITORIALS - "Another crime against humanity" Daily-of-record "La Nacion" editorializes (07/13) "Horror has again shocked the world, just like in New York, Madrid and London. This time, it was in an Asian country. Last Tuesday, seven bombs exploded in Mumbay's urban trains and unleashed an unprecedented tragedy. "... The attack against Mumbay looks like a 'copy' of the March 11, 2004 attack against Madrid. "However, it seems that the authors of this crime are not the members of Al Qaeda but Pakistani terrorists, particularly Kashmir extremists belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba group... "This and other Islamic groups claim the entire Kashmir region for Pakistan and blame India, Israel and the US for the situation. This criminal assault could bring consequences such as retaliation against the Islamic people and confrontations among several communities... "... The free nations of the world should unite themselves in order to definitely eradicate terrorism from earth because there cannot be disagreement on this issue." To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website at: http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires GUTIERREZ