MEDIA REACTION - VENEZUELA

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000048 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 PGOV PREL VE CI SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION - VENEZUELA ¶1. On January 10, Chile's conservative, independent "La Tercera" (circ. 101,000) carried an editorial entitled "Venezuela and Twenty-First Century Socialism." Quote: ¶2. "Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has clearly shown his intention of deepening what he calls 'Twenty-First Century Socialism'.... The first signs were given by the appointment of his new cabinet.... He also raised alarming signs regarding freedom of expression by not renewing the concession of the oldest television station in Venezuela, arguing it is a medium that 'favors a coup'.... ¶3. "The Venezuelan President's new administration is also starting with announcements of nationalizations in two key areas of the economy: telecommunications and electricity.... Although it is a fact that Venezuela as a sovereign state can choose whatever path it estimates most convenient, and that President Chavez was elected with 60 percent of the votes in open elections, the latest announced measures cause uneasiness. ¶4. "Considering that Venezuela does not have a required counterweight...his decisions are aimed against...freedoms and counteract what appears to be benefiting the majority in the region: increased economic openness, support for globalization, and a rejection of the confrontational discourse. Thus it would be desirable to have greater synchronization with the rest of Latin America because measures such as the ones announced do not contribute to needed regional integration." KELLY