MEDIA REACTION; ANNAPOLIS MIDDLE EAST PEACE CONFERENCE;

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 002258 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; ANNAPOLIS MIDDLE EAST PEACE CONFERENCE; ARGENTINA-BRAZIL-CHAVEZ; BRAZILIAN OIL DISCOVERY; 11/26/07 ¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT Weekend's local international stories are focused on prospects for success of the upcoming Annapolis Peace Conference; an alleged attempt by Argentina and Brazil to put Venezuelan Hugo Chavez at bay; and implications of the discovery of a Brazilian oil field. ¶2. OPINION PIECES AND EDITORIALS - "From Jerusalem to Annapolis - the history of the world" Luis Rosales, on special assignment in Jerusalem for business-financial "BAE" (11/26) "Tomorrow the long-awaited international peace conference for the Middle East will be held in the city of Annapolis... Peace negotiators will attempt to get closer the parties to a world confrontation whose epicenter is located in Jerusalem, the historical capital city of the State of Israel and the Jewish people. "... Peace negotiators for the region will meet in Annapolis, the bucolic capital city of the State of Maryland. Finding a solution to the conflict that has long confronted Palestinians and Israelis is the basis for reconciliation among civilizations in conflict in the world. "... Jerusalem does not envision any fast way out of the conflict. Skepticism defeats hope. (There have been) so many failed attempts, so many broken illusions. However, what everyone knows, feels and perceives in every corner is that no progress will be made on negotiations among leaders if the Holy City issue is not taken on..." - "A strategic country" Marcelo Cantelmi, leading "Clarin's" international editor, opines (11/25) "The Middle East peace construct is today in ruins, partly due to the strategy of the US and its ally, Israel, of cutting talks with countries like Syria (which were blacklisted) and, thereby, triggering some dangerous isolation. "Nevertheless, this trend has begun to be reversed although more due to circumstances of pressure rather than conviction... "... While the US seemed willing to give too little in exchange for the opening negotiations, it is considering whether to make a concession that could become historic. This week, the Middle East peace conference will be held in Annapolis, near Washington, and the White House and Israel made a special invitation to Syria. However, ;they overlooked Damascus' demand to discuss the 1967 occupation of the strategic territory of the Golan Heights. Damascus claims (the Golan Heights) should be returned... based on UN resolutions and even expressions of support from former President Clinton himself. "Due to lack of progress on this crucial issue, Syria had decided not to go to Annapolis. Washington gave signals it could cede in spite of Israel's reluctance and include the Golan Heights on the agenda. This could have a double effect. The meeting, that seems to be doomed to failure, could perhaps bear more fruit than expected. It could also add some realism - there is no way to achieve peace if the concrete central problems are not made clear and addressed." - "Obvious differences and Chavez are included on the Argentine-Brazilian agenda" Alcadio Oa, political analyst for leading "Clarin," writes (11/24) "Among several interpretations, one could see the Brazilian-Argentine axis created by Cristina Kirchner and Lula as a way of generating a common strategy in South America. Another interpretation that is not at odds with the previous one is that the axis is a way to put Hugo Chavez's ambitions in the region at bay... "An important detail should not be overlooked. Last Monday, at the same time the Cristina-Lula summit was taking place, Argentina sold Venezuela a 500,000-dollar bond. "With the international market closed to Argentina, Venezuela has become a crucial source of funding for the country... Then, one thing is to put Chavez's ambitions at bay and something different is confronting him. Clearly enough, any regional strategy makes no sense if Venezuela is left out - even with frequent frictions, the Brazilian and the Argentine Governments are aware of this fact." - "Brazil is not flooded with oil" Santiago O'Donnell, international columnist of left-of-center "Pagina 12," writes (11/25) "... While the oil field found in Brazil is the biggest one found since 2000, this does not transform Brazil into one of the large oil exporters... This means that even though the discovery is very important for Brazil's development, this does not affect the world market... It does not change either the region's balance of power, where Venezuela and Bolivia are still the heavyweights among energy exporters. "Basically, South America's energy exports and imports are approximately for the same amount... - some countries purchase energy and others export it. If it was a united bloc, like Europe, South America could afford to be its own supplier in a world in war for the control of increasingly scarce energy resources... "As soon as Lula found the oil field, he made two moves, one for overseas, the other for the region. In the move for abroad, he immediately suspended bids of the area near the oil field found... In his move for the region, he suspended a project of joint exploration with Pdvsa in the Orinoco Strip. According to some media, Brazil withdrew from the Gasoducto del Sur mega-project but it has not happened formally, perhaps because the mega-project never started... Brazil is not flooded with oil but now it has oil. In the past, it had little. Now it has oil, just when it is becoming more expensive because it is running out." To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website at: http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires WAYNE