MEDIA REACTION - VENEZUELA HELPING BOLIVIA BUILD MILITARY

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 002085 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR IIP/G/WHA, INR/R/MR, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC PREL KMDR KPAO PGOV VE BR PA PE CI SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION - VENEZUELA HELPING BOLIVIA BUILD MILITARY BASES NEAR ITS BORDER? ¶1. Two Santiago dailies cited UDI Members of Congress who denounced Venezuela for providing assistance to Bolivia to build 26 military bases along its border with Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, and Peru. Excerpts follow: ¶2. On October 4, conservative, influential newspaper-of-record "El Mercurio" (circ. 129,000): "The House Foreign Relations Committee accepted the request filed by UDI Congressman Ivan Moreira, and summoned Foreign Minister (Alejandro) Foxley and Defense Minister (Viviane) Blanlot to explain if they were aware that President Evo Morales had told Paraguayan television that Hugo Chavez was financially assisting him to build 26 military bases in the triple frontier of Bolivia with Brazil, and Paraguay, and on the frontier with Chile and Peru." ¶3. On October 3, conservative, afternoon daily "La Segunda" (circ. 33,000): "UDI Members of Congress Ivan Moreira and Angelica Cristi denounced the presence of Venezuelan troops in Bolivia and the construction of military bases in that country. They said this would 'raise tensions in the region and leads again to the question of whether Hugo Chavez should be trusted and Chile should support Venezuela in the UNSC. Congressman Moreira said this development 'makes Latin America a geopolitical risk and is dangerous for Chile...." KELLY