MEDIA REACTION; PLAN MEXICO; GERMAN REUNIFICATION

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001992 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; PLAN MEXICO; GERMAN REUNIFICATION ANNIVERSARY; 10/04/07 ¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT Today's key international opinion stories refer to the anticipated Plan Mexico, similar to Plan Colombia; and German reunification as a possible example for the Koreas. ¶2. OPINION PIECES AND EDITORIALS - "The Plan Colombia, the Mexican way" Gerardo Albarrn de Alba, Mexico-based correspondent for left-of-center "Pgina 12," writes (10/04) "In exactly the same way it has done in Colombia for six years, the US is on the verge of launching 'Plan Mexico,' which paves the way for an open military intervention in Mexico through the creation of a center of command, control and intelligence against narco-trafficking. This was made public through a report from the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy. "In order to set the groundwork for this, the US had the support from Colombian VP Francisco Santos Caldersn, who said that countries should forget about national sovereignty due to the 'need' for a hemispheric plan against 'multinational' organized crime though greater intelligence cooperation among the countries of the hemisphere, as well as updating legislative and criminal systems... "... The 'colombianization' of the struggle against drugs in Mexico could involve 1.4-billion-dollar financial aid in only two years. The command center could coordinate the work of all anti-drug police organizations and could involve the Mexican army and navy, which have taken almost the entire control of the struggle against drug trafficking all over the country. "In paving the way for Washington's upcoming announcement of a plan that was secretly negotiated, the governments of Colombia and Mexico, with the help of the US media leaking, presented an intimidating scenario to their societies aimed at justifying the future US military intervention South to its borders from Mexico up to Central America with the excuse of cutting the drug flow through the Mexican border." - "The German reunification, a possible example for Seoul" Leandro Ura, international columnist for daily-of-record "La Nacisn," comments (10/04) "Some decades ago, the German reunification, which celebrated its 17th anniversary yesterday, seemed an impossible dream. Today, it is not only consolidated but could well become a study case on how to turn into life the miracle of creating only one country from two confronted States, which is a problem, for example, for South Korea. "... Barbara Bollwahn, a journalist and writer born in the old Eastern Germany and an expert on German East-related issues, told 'La Nacisn' that thanks to the reunification, 'there have been major achievements, such as freedom of opinion and traveling.' "In Bollwahn's view, one should not disregard, however, the big prevailing differences in living standards in favor of the federal states of former Western Germany vis-`-vis those of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). What happened is that following reunification, many of GDR's industries were closed based on their obsolescence and because they unnecessarily duplicated their Western counterparts' more efficient work. "On the other hand, private investment was allowed to go into state companies, which were modernized and required less labor. This is why, the German East lost its industries." To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website at: http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires WAYNE