MEDIA REACTION US PRESIDENT BUSH TO INDIA AND

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000524 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 PRESIDENT BUSH TO INDIA AND PAKISTAN IRAQ IRAN GUANTANAMO PRISONERS US-URUGUAYAN FTA 03/06/06 ¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT Today's key international stories include US President Bush praising Pakistan as crucial ally in the war on terrorism; the implications of a nuclear deal between the US and India; the civil war in Iraq; the confrontation between the US and Iran on the latter's nuclear program; Al Qaeda and its leader bin laden; the US Pentagon's treatment of Guantanamo prisoners; President Chavez accusing the US of attempting to foment the secession of an oil-rich region in Western Venezuela; Israel pulling out of isolated West Bank settlements, in response to the rise of Hamas; and the press conference given by USDA Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Service in Buenos Aires. ¶2. OPINION PIECES AND KEY STORIES - "Accomplished mission" Left-of-center "Pagina 12's" international analyst Claudio Uriarte opines (03/05) "... The US-Indian nuclear cooperation deal has two aspects - the military and the economic one. From the military viewpoint, it is easy to see its logic. In spite of the anti-US demonstrations that captured the attention of the media..., India is the second country in the world with the most positive image of the US (Poland is the first one in the ranking). India has a long border with China (which is overhauling its Armed Forces) and with Pakistan (which is the nest of radicalized Islamism... and an unreliable ally in the war on terrorism). On the other hand, acknowledging India's nuclear status is acknowledging the inevitable... The US has agreed and even promoted that eight Indian reactors will be used for the Indian military industry, thereby turning India into a new member of the 'nuclear club,' whose members until now have only been the US, Russia, China, the UK and France. In fact, it is believed that India could cooperate in bombing Iran's nuclear facilities, which is in the works. "... From the economic point of view, the logic of the deal should be even more apparent. India is (along with china) one of the two economies whose accelerated growth and increasing demand for energy are maintaining oil price above 60 dollars/barrel. It desperately needs nuclear energy for peaceful purposes... India is also a huge market for US corporations... and one of the countries having the fastest development. After more than one year of setbacks in foreign and domestic policy, this time George W. seems to have done the right thing regarding the US 'permanent interests.'" - "Tension in Pakistan due to Bush's visit" Daily-of-record "La Nacion" reports (03/04) "Yesterday, US President George W. Bush arrived in Pakistan on the third stage of his Asian tour amid extraordinary security measures and anti-US protest demonstrations all over the country. "Bush arrived in Pakistan one day after a car-bomb killed a US diplomat in Karachi and after visiting India, where there were protest demonstrations leaving dead people. During his stay in Islamabad, Bush will meet with President Pervez Musharraf and discuss progress on the struggle against terrorism." - "US and Pakistan, without a nuclear agreement" Leading "Clarin" reports (03/05) "US President George ¶W. Bush dismissed the signature of a nuclear cooperation deal with Pakistan along the lines of the deal he signed with India... "The nuclear cooperation treaty signed with India represents an important strategic turn. Former ally of the former Soviet India, now India will be an important US partner, just like Pakistan, in spite of the fact that the two Asian countries are at odds." - "No way out" Jorge Elias, international columnist of daily-of- record "La Nacion," writes (03/05) "... One month after Iraq's elections, Shiites demonstrated that being a majority does not mean being a leading majority. They had to reach a deal with a minority, the Kurds, by means of a project to disassemble the country so as to leave aside another minority - the Sunnis. In view of this situation, Bush's choice between unity vs. chaos seemed a sentence - chaos, translated into formal civil war." - "According to Bush, a small religious elite kidnapped the Iranian people" Leading "Clarin" reports (03/04) "US President George ¶W. Bush praised the Iranian people's 'pride', but he said it is 'kidnapped by a small religious elite, which refuses to grant it any fundamental liberty, sponsors terrorism and pursues a nuclear weapons program.' "(Bush's) statement, which is called to deepen the confrontation between the US and the Iranian government..., was made in a troubled scenario - it was the last day of his visit to India before leaving for Pakistan, where he arrived last night amid numerous protest demonstrations. "In India, Bush signed a polemic nuclear cooperation program with PM Mahmohan Singh, whose government does not endorse the NPT." - "'Iran will face painful consequences'" Daily-of-record "La Nacion" reports (03/06) "On the eve of the crucial International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting, in which a negative report will surely be presented on the Iranian government's nuclear plan - which will be submitted to the UN Security Council - Washington and Tehran redoubled their challenges and threats. "US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton warned that Iran will face 'tangible and painful consequences' if it continues with its nuclear ambitions. 'The US will make use of all its tools available' in order to stop what the West considers a threat. "From Tehran, Ali Lariyani, the Secretary General to the National Security Supreme Council, had warned that if the case is submitted to the UN Security Council, the decision will have 'repercussion,' and he predicted 'many problems' for the international community. He also made clear that his country's decision to continue attempting to obtain enriched uranium... is 'steady and final', and he did not dismiss the use of oil as a weapon." - "Al Qaeda is not winning war" Conservative "La Prensa" carries an opinion piece by Fawaz A. Gerges, professor, Christian A. Johnson chair on Middle East Issues, and International Issues, Sarah Lawrence College, New Jersey, who writes (03/06) "... Cornered in the military field, Bin Laden is only acting as a spiritual guide and strategic leader. He and his followers are waging an ideological war in the name of Muslim hearts and minds... "Militarily disassembled, Al Qaeda has stopped being an organization with central leadership... "Al Qaeda's big failure lies in its ability to win the war in the Muslim hearts and minds. One of Bin Laden and Al Zawahiri's major calculation mistakes consisted of thinking that by attacking the US, they would mobilize followers against pro-Western Muslim leaders and against the superpower supporting them. Their goal was unleashing a major international crisis and inciting Washington to leave its refuge, as pointed out by Seif Al Adl, Al Qaeda military leader in a 2005 document." - "Caught in a judicial limbo" Hugo Alconada Mon, Washington-based correspondent for daily-of-record "La Nacion," comments (03/05) "... The US Pentagon has postponed a judicial definition of 'enemy combatants' (in Guantanamo): they are neither war prisoners nor civilians. It neither subjects them to trial nor extradites them nor releases them unless in a discretionary way and after two, three or four years in the Delta Field. The UN Human Rights Committee, Amnesty International, the Red Cross and Human Rights Watch have denounced this situation, but the US Pentagon sustains this is the only choice available." - "Uruguay approaches a deal with the US" Nelson Fernandez, Montevideo-based correspondent for daily-of-record "La Nacion," writes (03/06) "... Yesterday, the Uruguayan left wing took another important step... - it made it clear that strengthening Mercosur is important as a commercial and international policy strategy, but it opened the possibility of reaching other bilateral or multilateral deals outside of Mercosur. "Without naming an FTA with the US, the political decision paves the way for reaching a deal with the US, which is what President Tabare Vazquez and his economic team want." 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