MEDIA REACTION; US IMMIGRATION REFORM; DECLASSIFICATION OF

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001284 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 SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION; US IMMIGRATION REFORM; DECLASSIFICATION OF CIA DOCUMENTS; ARGENTINE ENERGY CRISIS; 07/02/07 ¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT Today's leading international stories include the US immigration reform; the implications of the declassification of CIA documents; and Wall Street experts' opinion about the Argentine energy crisis. ¶2. OPINION PIECES AND EDITORIALS - "The US - the newly arrived are not always welcome" Oscar Raul Cardoso, international analyst of leading "Clarin," comments on illegal immigration in the U.S. (06/30) "Illegal immigration is one of the windows through which one can envision the future of the US superpower - in spite of all the debate it engendered, (illegal immigration) still stands for less than 4 per cent of the US total population... "With these figures, one cannot stop asking whether it is possible to consider that the US Senate's recent failure to pass the new immigration reform proposed by George W. Bush is a blunt defeat for his administration, just as the US mass media present it... "There is much to argue against it, although there is an increasing feeling among Americans that their own identity is being threatened by the flow of immigrants... "... The draft bill was not able to gather the 60 votes required for the Senate to approve it. The passing of this bill was crucial for the Bush (Administration) with the hopes that its sole legacy would not be the Iraq fiasco, "... While the legalization of millions of illegal immigrants was presented by Washington as a remarkable humanitarian feature of the draft bill, one has to come to the conclusion that alternatives were few - is mass deportation a viable solution? And this, without taking into consideration the serious impact that the major withdrawal of labor would have on businesses." - "The declassification of CIA documents" Leading "Clarin" editorializes (07/02) "The declassification of secret CIA documents has made public a thorough description of US SIPDIS illegal activities and covert operations in Latin America during the Cold War decades. "Between the '50s and the '70s, the US foreign policy not only allowed but also encouraged the recurring intervention of the armed forces in the organization of coups d'etat. In the framework of the confrontation between East and West and the global strategic dispute with the Soviet Union, it also supported the commission of serious crimes. These crimes ranged from persecution and harassment of political leaders and social groups to the planning and performance of secret operations and conspiracies of crimes that were afterwards considered crimes against humanity. "... The declassification of documents is part of the US acknowledgment of a dark aspect of its relationship with Latin America, whose consequences started to recover with the democratization and the end of the Cold War. It is also an important reminder of the limits that a superpower with huge and decisive influence in international politics should have to effectively contribute to the protection of human rights and international security." - "In Wall street's view, the energy crisis will affect (Argentina's) growth" Hugo Alconada Mon, Washington-based correspondent for daily-of-record "La Nacion," writes in the paper's "Economy and Business" supplement (07/02) "The Argentine energy problems raised alarm bells in Wall Street of a possible economic deceleration. In the view of the analysts consulted by 'La Nacion,' this is not something too remarkable or definitive, although some are analyzing whether to reduce their forecasts of the country's economic growth for this year and even more for next year. "Barclays and Bear Stearns appear among the investment banks that are pointing out the risk, while UBS and Citigroup say they will not change their forecasts because they are already below the market average. And Morgan Stanley increased it because it considers that consumption will prevail over production this year, although its doubts increase for 2008. "In the view of Bear Stearns' analysts, we are witnessing a 'moderate deceleration in the country's growth,' although they maintain the inflation rate as the main risk. Thierry Wyzman, Alex Kazan and Carmen Bedoya, from Bear Stearns, 'the low investment in energy infrastructure and the risks posed by energy cuts or electricity rationing remain a potential restriction in domestic growth,' although they trust that there will be 'a possible improvement in the regulation framework,' following October presidential elections." To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website at: http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires WAYNE