UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000220

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR IIP/G/WHA, INR/R/MR, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO CI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS



1. On February 1, the Santiago dailies' international pages covered
President Bush's State of the Union Address as their second most
important story. (Only Iran's nuclear ambitions garnered more ink.)
Headlines highlighted the president's remarks that the United
States would not withdraw its troops from Iraq and that the U.S. was
winning the war on terrorism. Government-owned, editorially
independent "La Nacion" (circ. 3,800) put the address in the light
of the upcoming legislative election and business daily "Diario
Financiero" highlighted the president's call to end the U.S.
"addiction" to oil. As the speech concluded well past the news
deadline here, there have as yet been no editorial comments.
Headlines follow:


2. Conservative, influential newspaper-of-record "El Mercurio"
(circ. 116,807; 2/1): "George W. Bush: 'We Won't Yield to
Terrorism'"


3. Conservative, influential newspaper-of-record "El Mercurio"
(circ. 116,807; 2/1): "Bush Advocates Offensive 'Leadership' in
2006"


3. Conservative, independent "La Tercera" (circ. 102,000; 2/1):
"Bush: 'We are Winning the War' on Terrorism"


4. Government-owned, editorially independent "La Nacion" (circ.
3,800; 2/1): "President Bush's Address Delivered with November
Legislative Elections in Mind."


5. Financial and business daily "Diario Financiero" (circ. 20,000;
2/1): "Bush: Do Not Yield to the Temptation of Protectionism"

KELLY