FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 9/11; NON ALIGNED COUNTRIES'

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 002100 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: FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 9/11; NON ALIGNED COUNTRIES' SUMMIT; IRAN; US-SYRIA; BOLIVIA; 09/14/06; BUENOS AIRES ¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT Today's most important international stories include the world's view of the USG on the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks; the upcoming Non Aligned Countries' summit; the allegedly increasing disagreement between the US and the EU vis-`-vis the Iranian case; and the situation in Bolivia. ¶2. OPINION PIECES AND KEY STORIES - "Only the weak are loved" James Neilson, contributor to liberal, English-language "Buenos Aires Herald," writes (09/14) "As is now customary when another anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington flits by, many people made the most of the opportunity September 11 gave them to remind us that the US lost no time in the allegedly limitless goodwill outsiders felt just after the Twin Towers came crashing down killing almost three thousand people. That is true enough... (However,) almost immediately voices could be heard saying that the US had had it coming because of its obnoxious behavior, that though Osama bin Laden men may have gone a bit too far they had plenty of legitimate grievances and, in any case, the CIA had funded them when they were fighting the Russians in Afghanistan. "Even so, the US might have clung to its status as a victim had it not gone and ruined everything by hitting back, first against Al Qaeda and its Taliban friends in Afghanistan and then against the ferocious dictatorship of Saddam Hussein in Iraq in an effort to implant a functioning democracy in a key part of the Middle East." - "Bush's 'enemies' gather at the US gates" Daily-of-record "La Nacion" reports (09/14) "The Non Aligned Movement Summit will become an opportunity for several tough critics of Washington (among them, some members of the so-called 'axis of evil') to meet face to face in Havana, just a few kilometers off the US coast. "The presidents of Iran, Venezuela, Bolivia and high-level delegations from North Korea and Belarus will gather tomorrow and on Saturday in the summit. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is also expected, although he could cancel his trip due to the terrorist attack against the US Embassy in Damascus. "The big question is whether Fidel Castro will show up at the 
meeting or his brother Raul will do so... "... The summit has at least a certain anti-US atmosphere, which is disguised as a call to defend 'multilateralism.' "As a matter of fact, the draft final statement of the summit strongly criticizes US foreign policy although attendance of Washington's allies at the meeting could downplay the tone of the document. "... On the contrary, the document shows clear support for some of Washington's main enemies, such as Iran, Venezuela and, of course, Cuba... "For his part, Chavez will use the summit to gather support for Venezuela's candidacy for a non permanent seat at the UN Security Council... The summit will be an excellent opportunity for Chavez because members of the NAM represent nearly two-thirds of the votes at the UN General Assembly." - "Increasing disagreement between the US and the EU over the Iranian case" Daily-of-record "La Nacion" reports (09/14) "At a moment of strong international tension over Tehran's nuclear ambitions, disagreement increased between the US (which supports the implementation of sanctions on the Islamic regime),and the EU (which proposes to continue talks). And, for the first time since the beginning of negotiations, Washington and the EU countries made public their disagreement. "During a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, US Representative Gregory Schulte warned Iran to 'make the correct choice' regarding its nuclear program and 'avoid the consequences' of eventual sanctions from the UN Security Council. "... Washington believes that Tehran should opt for the full and immediate abandonment of its enriched uranium-related program... On the contrary, the White House believes the UN should impose economic sanctions on it and, in the worst of cases, it should consider a military intervention. "For their part, France, the UK and Germany... have said in the name of the EU that there is still time to reach an agreement through talks with the Islamic regime and that the time for sanctions has not come yet. "... Diplomatic sources said that the disagreement between the US and EU has deepened after last weekend's proposal from Iran to freeze its enriched uranium-related activities for 'one or two more months.' While this offer could be interesting for the EU, Washington has already expressed its mistrust of the Iranian proposal." - "More and more fronts for Bush" Daily-of-record "La Nacion" reports (09/14) "The Bush administration faces multiple international crises at the moment. Some of them are unexpected - the bloody wave of violence in Afghanistan, a terrorist attack on Syria and even further deterioration of the situation in Iraq. "These crises led the White House again to defend its antiterrorist policy, which Democrats criticized once again. "In a conflict termed by Bush as a 'fight for civilization,' the US also found itself in the unusual position of having to praise one of the governments which it usually refers to as a villain in the war on terrorism - that of Damascus. "Tony Snow, White House spokesperson, said 'Syrian government officials helped Americans' to frustrate an attack on the US Embassy in Damascus. He also proposed that Damascus 'become an ally' in the war on terrorism. The Bush administration has strongly criticized the tough control wielded by the Syrian regime on its people and the support it has granted to Hezbollah and the Palestinians, and it included Syria in the so-called 'axis of evil.'" ¶3. EDITORIALS - "Tensions met by Bolivia" An editorial in leading "Clarin" reads (09/14) "Bolivian President Evo Morales has had the most conflictive weeks of his administration since he took over... "One of the main points of the political conflict is the interpretation on what majority is required to approve decisions by the Assembly. However, behind that conflict, between the official party and the opposition, there are also social and territorial divisions reflecting the tension between the Eastern provinces, which generate 44% of GDP, and the rest of the country. "Bolivia is going through a transformational stage in which it should define a new Constitution. It will succeed in this task as long as it reaches a national unity agreement among its political and social sectors and consensus among its leaders. Political instability and social polarization have been endemic evils in Bolivia and their recurrence also negatively impacts on the region." To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website at: http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires MATERA