MEDIA REACTION; ARGENTINE-VENEZUELAN TIES; US-IRAN

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001609 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; ARGENTINE-VENEZUELAN TIES; US-IRAN 08/16/07 ¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT Today's most important international opinion stories review the implications of the latest (Argentine-Venezuelan) political scandal surrounding a suitcase with nearly 800,000 dollars seized at the Argentine capital's airport; as well as the US intention to include the Islamic Revolutionary Guard in the list of terrorist organizations. ¶2. OPINION PIECES AND EDITORIALS - "Things fall apart" James Neilson, contributor to liberal, English-language "Buenos Aires Herald," writes (08/16) "... Before leaving Venezuela, Guido (Antonini Wilson) and his fellow passengers aboard that Cessna Citation X should have told themselves that as Argentina is about to change her government they would have to be a bit more careful than in the past... "... Experts in these matters tell us that Argentina and Venezuela are among the most corrupt countries on the face of the planet. If they are right, as in all probability they are, it would not be at all surprising that suitcases stuffed with dollar bills are shuttling back and forth between Caracas and Buenos Aires on a regular basis. "As despite being boss of a desperately poor country Hugo Chvez is flush with cash, for the last few years the traffic will have been largely one-way. It is reported that Guido made up to a dozen quick trips to Argentina this year alone, but he is unlikely to have been the only Venezuelan who found it necessary to make cash payments to his associates instead of relying on more up-to-date methods that can be monitored by taxmen or the cops. "... As always happens when some dirty business is uncovered, President Kirchner pledged himself to do everything that may prove necessary to get to the truth and ensure the corrupt officials are severely punished... "Back in 1990s, President Carlos Menem used to say much the same thing in a vain effort to convince his compatriots that he was clean and would stop at nothing to rid Argentina of the swarms of parasites that live off what they can pick up. Since Kirchner has a great deal in common with Menem, the anti-corruption campaign he has just proclaimed is likely to have equally unimpressive results." - "'This resignation is evidence that we have told the truth'" �A;Mariana Versn, columnist of daily-of-record "La Nacisn," writes (08/16) "President Nstor Kirchner was relieved by the Chvez administration's decision to support Argentina in the suitcase scandal by asking for the resignation of PDVSA VP Diego Uzctegui Matheus, a Chavist point man. "An Argentine high-ranking official source told 'La Nacisn: 'The President took the news calmly. The incident with Venezuela has come to an end. The bilateral relationship between the two countries was never in crisis.' "... Cabinet Chief Alberto Fernndez told 'La Nacisn': 'This resignation is the most conclusive evidence that what we said was true'... "... The Argentine Government blamed Uzctegui for having introduced Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson in Argentina with a suspicious suitcase filled with 800,000 undeclared US dollars... "... The (Argentine) Government wants now to put an end to the issue while exhibiting the image that it is not involved in the suitcase scandal. Uzctegui Matheus's resignation contributes a lot to Kirchner in this regard. A qualified informant told 'La Nacisn': 'With this the Argentine-Venezuelan crisis is over. Those to be blamed are Uzctegui and Uberti, the latter because he did not take the precaution of finding out who Antonini was and what he was bringing in his suitcase.'" - "The US will include Iran's main military force on the terrorist list" Leonardo Mndez, on special assignment in Washington, DC, for leading "Clarn," writes (08/16) "The White House is ready to take one more step in its dispute with Tehran's theocratic regime and designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Iran's main military force, a terrorist organization. This is not a minor issue - it will be the first time the US blacklists an armed force from a sovereign country. "While the Shiite theocracy already appears among the States Washington defines as 'supporters of terrorism,' the designation of the (Islamic) Revolutionary Guard as a 'global terrorist organization' could have immediate impact. "Any American citizen becoming a member of the group or providing any kind of assistance to it will be committing a crime, as happens today with 42 other armed organizations, such as Hezbollah, Hamas, Al Qaeda, ETA or FARC, the NLA and the Colombian paramilitary. Members of these organizations can be banned from entering the country and financial institutions will be compelled to freeze the (Islamic) Revolutionary Guard's assets as well as the financial transfers it could make in the country. "Given that US-Iranian ties have been minimal since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, it is hard to find an (Iranian) asset in the US that can be seized, but from now on, the corporations doing business with members of the Guard will also be targeted. The (US) decision is aimed at increasing international pressure on Tehran." To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website at: http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires WAYNE