IRANIAN DCM: U.S. CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH

UNCLAS LA PAZ 000435 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON PINR IR BL SUBJECT: IRANIAN DCM: U.S. CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH REF: A. LA PAZ 373 ¶B. 2007 LA PAZ 2510 ¶C. 2007 LA PAZ 2526 ¶D. 2007 LA PAZ 2456 ¶1. (U) Charge d'Affaires Hojjatollah Soltani arrived in Bolivia February 25 to open the Iranian Embassy. The building is nearly ready and staff will move in next week. Soltani discussed plans to establish a television station in the Chapare region with the Bolivian media. Although the station will be called "Radio and Television of Iran," Soltani insisted it would be a Bolivian channel "for the Bolivian people," and would serve to counter the misinformation of U.S.-controlled media. Soltani said the amount of Iranian assistance for the station would depend on whether the station will transmit nationally, regionally, intercontinentally, or globally -- a decision to be made by the Bolivian government. It Begins: Iranian DCM Blasts U.S. Commitment to "Truth" -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) Soltani said he did not understand why the project had "generated fear" in the United States, likely a reference to concerns expressed by Representative Jerry Weller (R-Illinois) following a February 19 visit between Bolivian President Evo Morales and Codel Engel (reftel a). AFP mentioned the Codel's concerns in its coverage of Soltani's remarks. Soltani noted he found the concerns confusing because of the United States "talks all over the world about liberty of expression, thought, and liberty to exchange information. ... The United States fears that through these transmissions the public will receive the truth about the world; they do not want people to search for truth." ¶3. (SBU) Soltani's public statements play into the GOB's portrayal of relations with Iran as a counter to U.S. influence in the country. The GOB announced formal diplomatic relations with Iran on September 11, 2007. During a much-publicized September 27 trip by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran signed $1.1 billion in cooperation agreements. Other proposals for Bolivian-Iranian cooperation include a petrochemical factory and milk processing plants. The Bolivian opposition is skeptical about the viability of these plans and about Iran's motives, including the suspicion that Iran has designs on Bolivian uranium. GOLDBERG