CHILE MEDIA REPORT -- DECEMBER 4

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 001060 SIPDIS STATE FOR R/MR, I/PP, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR KPAO PGOV ECON PREL PGOV SNAR EFIN CI SUBJECT: CHILE MEDIA REPORT -- DECEMBER 4 Lead Stories -------------- ¶1. Front pages highlighted the meeting between former FARC hostage Ingrid Betancourt and President Bachelet yesterday. Dailies also reported on a case of serious animal abuse and neglect at the Animal Protection Society in Santiago. U.S-Related News -------------- ¶2. Photograph of Ambassador Simons with Economic Committee Senators Jovino Novoa (UDI) and Fernando Flores at the Congress. The Ambassador met with the Committee yesterday in Valparaiso. Novoa said the discussion had focused on the free trade agreement between the two countries and IPR laws, adding that the Ambassador had stressed the importance of strengthening ties between the Committee and its counterpart in the U.S. Congress, in light of the outstanding results of the bilateral Free trade Agreement. Novoa said they had also discussed U.S. concerns about IPR (Senate webpage). ¶3. In the announcement of Bill Richardson's appointment as Secretary of Commerce, President-elect Obama said Richardson understood that "the success of business in places such as Detroit or Columbus depend on the ability to sell products in places such as Santiago, Chile, or Shanghai" (La Nacion, government-owned, editorially independent, circ. 4,200, 12/4). ¶4. The U.S. National Health Institute donated $800 million pesos to the Biological and Science Faculty of Universidad de Concepcion for the development of genetically-modified mice to study the causes and effects of alcoholism (El Mercurio, conservative, influential newspaper-of-record circ. 129,000, 12/4). ¶5. CNN-Chile will begin airing 24-hours coverage of Chilean news at 9:00 pm today (La Tercera, 12/4). ¶6. Extensive article on the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) Observatory, which is under construction in northern Chile. The project was designed by an international partnership formed by Japanese National Astronomy Observatory, the European Southern Observatory, ESO, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO, in the United States). ALMA will begin astronomical research in 2010 and be completely operational by 2013 (El Mercurio, 12/4). Local -------------- ¶7. Former FARC hostage Ingrid Betancourt met privately with President Bachelet, who explained her announcement several months ago to propose Betancourt to the Nobel Peace Award. "She is an exceptional and courageous woman who represents the strife for peace in Colombia," said the President. Bentancourt thanked the President for this gesture and said she now feels she must work hard to fulfill the expectations about her in this area. Betancourt also met with former president Ricardo Lagos later in the evening, at her request (La Nacion, 12/4). ¶8. Eduardo Frei launched his presidential platform with a program that includes 37 constitutional modifications. The program includes the creation of an office similar to a Prime Minister to coordinate policy between the Executive Office and Congress. It is also intended to strike a balance of power of the Executive Office and Congress. He also proposed the creation of an office to oversee all municipalities in major cities, similar to the system in Bogota (La Tercera, conservative, independent, circ. 101,000, 12/4). ¶9. The November Adimark poll shows a 45.6% rate of approval for President Bachelet, but a 40.1 rate of disapproval. It also shows a 13 point drop in the approval rating for the health sector and a 44% rate of approval for the government's management of the economy, which is a reflection on Finance Minister Andres Velasco. Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley was the best rated cabinet member with a 51% rate of approval (La Nacion, 12/4; La Segunda, conservative afternoon daily, 14/3). URBAN