MEDIA REACTION - MIDEAST: ISRAEL/HEZBOLLAH COMBAT,

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 001644 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR IIP/G/WHA, INR/R/MR, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR KPAO OPRC CI SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION - MIDEAST: ISRAEL/HEZBOLLAH COMBAT, CEASE-FIRE CONDITIONS ¶1. On July 30, conservative, independent "La Tercera" (circ. 102,000) carried an editorial entitled "The Urgency of a Cease Fire in The Middle East." Quotes: "There is no doubt that the conflict has multiple and complex elements...but this does not mean the international community cannot do something more substantial.... The first priority must be to stop the number of victims from growing and avoid a spiral of violence.... Both parties have rejected the idea of a truce...and the apparent decision of the United States to not support a ceasefire until Israel has weakened the Hezbollah...seems to indicate that there will be no immediate solution. "The ceasefire is a priority.... It would not resolve the real problem, which is that Hezbollah will continue to operate as a 'state within a state' in Lebanon. But it would prevent the conflict from becoming more extreme. It would also open a window for the international community...which must oversee the role that actors such as Iran and Syria play in providing financial and military support to Hezbollah.... The international community must intervene quickly to avoid an escalation of the violence, be it through legal institutions created for this purpose or through those nations that have influence in the region." ¶2. On July 30, government-owned, editorially independent "La Nacion" (circ. 3,800) carried a column by journalist Rafael Cavada "The Chessboard Pawns." Quote: "The United Nations is asking for a truce. Israel refuses and the United States supports Israel. Condoleezza Rice plays the piano in an effort to attain a cease fire -- Nero did the same as Rome perished under flames. The woman controling U.S. foreign policy talks about long-lasting peace in the region while other women cry for their sons buried under the rubble of their homes. It is a bad habit to get in the way of Israeli missiles and their targets. The UN complains because four observers died in an Israeli bombing; Israel was warned a dozen times that those there were international observers. But the observers ended up being blown up anyway in a mass of broken bones and meat, as with another 600 civilians, without anyone doing anything to stop it." ¶3. On July 30, government-owned, editorially independent "La Nacion" (circ. 3,800) carried a column by defense journalist Raul Sohr entitled, "David and Goliath, Again." Quote: "Israel has proclaimed it is not at war with Lebanon. Its goal is to disarm and neutralize Hezbollah.... Israel knows it will not eliminate Hezbollah as a political organization.... Hezbolla has seen its political reputation grow in the region; its members have caused the same or more damage to Israel than organized Arab armies... This militia is not just a threat to Israel, and many Arab nations are closely watching. Depending on how this war ends, a new political scenario in the Middle East could emerge, but not one that the United States would expect." KELLY