DEATH OF PINOCHET; FATF AND ARGENTINA; AMIA BOMBING CASE;

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 002755 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: DEATH OF PINOCHET; FATF AND ARGENTINA; AMIA BOMBING CASE; 12/12/06; BUENOS AIRES ¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT Leading international stories today include the implications of General Pinochet's death and the USG reaction to it; a probable FATF sanction on Argentina for its lack of stricter anti-terrorist legislation; and the current state of Argentine-Iranian ties after an Argentine judge charged former Iranian government officials with having orchestrated the AMIA attack. ¶2. OPINION PIECES - "Old soldiers also die" Michael Soltys, executive editor of liberal, English-language "Buenos Aires Herald," writes (12/12) "If the landslide reelection of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in the first weekend of December represented a changing of the guard for the left in Latin America (confirming his replacement of the ailing Fidel Castro as the supreme leftist icon),the death of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in the second weekend should be seen as a milestone for the right. "So much so indeed that there are many reasons to argue that his death should give more joy to his friends than to his enemies. The latter cannot in all conscience celebrate because in the final analysis Pinochet's death represents the triumph of impunity - the old soldier has the last laugh. A gallows awaits Saddam Hussein in Iraq but the noose never did close around Pinochet's neck despite nearly 100 months of prosecution efforts ever since his London arrest in October, 1998." - "Wounds" Paula Lugones, international columnist of leading "Clarin," writes (12/12) "Pinochet's victims were not able to obtain a judicial ruling holding the former dictator accountable for his crimes... "This is really frustrating but does not mean there has been impunity - the past continues open and under scrutiny. There are nearly 400 probes underway for crimes during the dictatorship and, even after Pinochet's death, those involved will continue under investigation. As pointed out by Socialist Deputy Isabel Allende, the daughter of the president overthrown by the former dictator, as she demanded that investigations continue, 'Chile has an open wound.'" - "The US' 'thoughts'" Oscar Raul Cardoso, international analyst of leading "Clarin," comments (12/12) "... A White House's spokesperson, Tony Fratto, issued a cautious diplomatic lament for the victims to the para-state repression of the Pinochet dictatorship... "His words could have been sounded almost as an act of compassion had they not failed to mention the US responsibility in the bloodbath that was unleashed in Latin America, not only in Chile, during those years... "There would maybe not have been any victims if the 'thoughts' of another Republican administration, Richard Nixon's, had not spent so much energy to accelerate the downfall of Salvador Allende at any price, as revealed during recent years by several declassified official documents." - "Rumors of a sanction against Argentina" Alcadio Oa, political columnist of leading "Clarin," writes (12/12) "There are rumors that Argentina could be sanctioned by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)... "What the FATF has demanded for some time, and which Argentina has failed to meet, is 'stricter legislation against terrorist financing.' According to the Government, the problem is not terrorist financing itself but the definition of the crime of terrorism. "According to Justice Minister Alberto Iribarne, 'it is almost impossible to define (terrorism) as a crime without harming constitutional guarantees.' In other words, the difficulty lies in drawing a clear line between what could be considered terrorism and social protests. "... What could be the FATF's sanction? Firstly, what it is known as Recommendation 21, 'paying special attention to transactions from Argentina.' This means loss of prestige and confidence, certain obstacles to foreign financial transactions, setting a precedent for major sanctions, and perhaps, probable frictions with the US." - "Iran makes new protest over AMIA accusation" Natasha Niebieskikwiat, political columnist of leading "Clarin," writes (12/12) "Right when turbulences with Iran seemed to quiet down, the Iranian FM surprisingly summoned Argentine diplomat Mario Enrique Quinteros - who had to listen to yet another bitter protest over what Iran calls Argentina's 'ungrounded' charges against eight former Iranian government officials in the AMIA bombing case... "... Everything seems to indicate that Argentina will also ask the Iranian DCM in Buenos Aires, Mohsen Baharvand, to clarify the statements made by the General Director of American Affairs at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Ahmad Sobhani, who urged the Argentine government 'not to fall in the Zionists' trap and not to repeat past mistakes.' He was referring to Argentine authorities' insistence in pursuing the so-called Iranian connection in the 1994 AMIA bombing." To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit classified website at: http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires WAYNE