MEDIA REACTION VISIT OF US DEFENSE DEPUTY

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000211 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 VISIT OF US DEFENSE DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY ROGER PARDO-MAURER TO BUENOS AIRES PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS LATIN AMERICA 'TILT TO THE LEFT' 01/27/06 ¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT Today's key international stories include the visit of US Defense Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roger Pardo-Maurer to Buenos Aires; the sweeping victory of the Islamic militant group Hamas in Palestinian parliamentary polls; and Latin America's alleged "tilt to the left." ¶2. OPINION PIECES AND KEY STORIES - "A US Pentagon man had lunch with Garre" Guido Braslavsky, military columnist of leading "Clarin," writes (01/27) "Yesterday, US Defense Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roger Pardo-Maurer, the highest-ranking member of the US Defense Department for the region, arrived in Buenos Aires and had lunch with (Argentine) Defense Minister Nilda Garre at the US Embassy. "According to a source, the main topics tackled were Bolivia and Evo Morales, the situation in Haiti, Argentina and Chile's project to create a bi-national peace force. "... Pardo-Maurer is a US Pentagon real 'hawk', former Green Beret and a member of the Nicaraguan 'contra.' "Something must have been happening at the US Pentagon (as well as in the US State Department) for a USG hard- liner who has 'denounced' Cuba and the Venezuela of Chavez's support for Evo Morales to show a 'positive attitude' regarding Bolivia. This change seems to be in line with A/S Shannon's conciliatory tone when he said that 'populism is not necessarily bad' for the region." - "The US and Israel warn there is no room for negotiation" Ana Baron, Washington-based correspondent for leading "Clarin," comments (01/27) "Yesterday, the US announced that Hamas' victory will not produce changes in the US position. In alignment with Israel, US President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned that they will not negotiate with Hamas. "... One of the main risks posed by Bush's efforts to export Western democracy to the Middle East was the possibility that political parties that oppose his interests in the region could take power. "This is why Hamas' victory in Palestinian legislative �00A;elections is not only a headache for the White House but a real test for its democratizing policy in the Palestinian territories. "... While Bush said he considered these elections a new sign of the extension of freedom and democracy in the region, the White House will obviously use financial aid as a means to pressure Hamas to renouce violence. Hamas knows that the aid from the US and the EU is vital for the Palestinians." - "Strong message of Bush - Hamas should renounce terrorism" Hugo Alconada Mon, Washington-based correspondent for daily-of-record "La Nacion," comments (01/27) "Even with their huge differences, Latin America and the Middle East present the same dilemma for the Bush administration - how should the US react vis--vis the triumph of its real or potential enemies in valid and democratic elections, which is the main focus of White House foreign policy? "... The first gesture of the US president was two- sided - he showed a conciliatory tone and opened the door for a negotiation with Hamas, but he also asked it to abandon violence, disarm its militias and acknowledge Israel. "... The scenario is not easy for the White House. Hamas' victory signals a crossroads, and perhaps a new retreat, for the US-announced purpose of democratizing the Islamic world, in which Iran presents a new challenge every day; Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Lebanon present steps forward and retreats; and Iraq is still a riddle, almost three years away from the beginning of the invasion." - "Bush believes that Hamas is still a terrorist organization" Conservative "La Prensa" reports (01/27) "US President George W. Bush still considers Hamas a terrorist organization and dismisses negotiations with them as long as they persist on their goal to 'destroy our ally Israel,' although he underscored that peace 'is never dead, because the people want it.' "... While Bush made it clear that he does not like the political change that occurred in the Middle East, he hinted that he will do whatever he can to keep the negotiating process alive in the region, 'because our purpose is to continue supporting the Palestinian people.'" - "Alarm and rejection in Israel, Europe and the US" Business-financial "Ambito Financiero" reports (01/27) "The outcome of the Palestinian legislative election impacted on the Israeli society and political leaders. The Israeli government said it will not negotiate with a 'terrorist organization', such as Hamas, which proclaims the 'destruction' of Israel. The White House made similar statements, while the EU was cautious and the Iranian radical government celebrated it. "... US President George W. Bush's reaction was in alignment with Israel. During a press conference at the White House, he said 'The US does not support a political party that wants to destroy our ally Israel.'" - "Two countries at war" Claudio Uriarte, international analyst of left-of- center "Pagina 12," writes (01/27) "Palestine is not a State yet. However, based on the political earthquake unleashed by Hamas' sweeping victory, it can be said that Israel and Palestine are two countries at war since yesterday... "Israel has suffered a double political blow, which has left it in a territory without any maps - Ariel Sharon's political disappearance..., and now these elections, which will allow the right wing of Benjamin Netanyahu to proclaim that unilateral withdrawals do not work because Palestinians believe they are the outcome of the struggle of their most radical wing... "... The US policy on the Middle East is now also to the drift as long as it was based on the existence of two nations that were willing to acknowledge each other. Something is for sure - low-intensity war in the Middle East is here to stay." - "The beginning of the 'unilateral' peace era" Business-financial "Ambito Financiero" carries an opinion piece by columnist Marcelo Falak, who writes (01/27) "The Hamas' sweeping victory can be shocking but not surprising. "The victory of Hamas is not only that of Palestinian extremists, but that of all hawks' view on the Mideast conflict, because it clears the scenario - on the Palestinian side there is no one to negotiate with and the only possible ways out are force and unilateral peace. "... Regarding the outcome of Palestinian elections for the US, on one side, it will have to deal with Syria and Iran's strengthened influence on the region... On the other side, it will have to deal with legitimized terrorist methods and ideologies through elections. Third, it will have to deal with the suspicion that its democratizing prescription is perhaps not the proper one in order to impose what the Bush administration envisions for the region." - "Tilt to the left?" Daily-of-record "La Nacion" carries an op-ed piece by contributor Julio Cesar Moreno, who highlights (01/27) "Much has been said about Latin America's 'tilt to the left' but definitions become vague when pointing out its features and direction of this political phenomenon... "... We should abandon the 'tilt to the left' expression and replace it with the description of a many-sided phenomenon whose main characteristic is a thorough review of the so-called 'consensus of Washington,' this is to say the model featuring indiscriminate economic opening, big-scale privatizations, and denationalization of the economy, which was implemented in the '90s. "The goal of new Latin American elite is to reestablish the balance between the State and the market, and attain a more equitable redistribution of income, so that unemployment, poverty and inequality rates diminish." ¶3. EDITORIALS - "Uncertainty in the Middle East" Daily-of-record "La Nacion" editorializes (01/27) "In just fifteen days, the international political panorama has abruptly changed and it promises to change even further after the surprising and sweeping victory of Hamas radical Islamic group in Palestinian elections. "... The time has come for the leading countries of the world and the entire international community to commit them to decidedly supporting the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority... "Today, more than ever, the people of Israel should decide what the road to peace is - Olmert summarized it well 'Israel is a strong and democratic country;' but, for this purpose, it will have to count on the inexcusable support of the rest of the countries of the world. Everyone's future is at stake." 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