AMBASSADOR HOSTS JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE WITH RELATIVE OF

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000093 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV KPAO PREL CI SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR HOSTS JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE WITH RELATIVE OF DISAPPEARED U.S. CITIZEN BORIS WEISFEILER ¶1. Summary: Ambassador Paul Simons held a joint conference at the Embassy on January 29 with Olga Weisfeiler, sister of Boris Weisfeiler, the U.S. citizen who disappeared in southern Chile in 1985 during the military regime. Chilean dailies and the Associated Press highlighted Ms. Weisfeiler's "disappointment" with the performance of the judge heading the investigation. The Ambassador noted that resolution of this case remains a top USG priority and the Embassy will continue to offer assistance in the investigation and would follow up on the recent round of meetings with government officials. End Summary. ¶2. Several foreign on-line news services, such as the Washingtonpost.com and Timesunion.com, picked up the Associated Press story headlined, "Woman Seeks Answers on Brother's Fate" ¶3. "Olga Weisfeiler, the sister of an American mathematician who vanished in Chile, said on Tuesday she is frustrated by stalled efforts to find out what happened to him under the former military dictatorship.... In a joint news conference with U.S. Ambassador Paul Simons, 'My faith is fading,' said Weisfeiler.... She complained that the most recent judge in the case, Jorge Zepeda, 'has not followed up on repeated offers of help from the U.S. Embassy including FBI assistance in the investigations and has kept her attorney from seeing some documents.... Simons said finding out what happened to Weisfeiler remains a 'high priority' for the U.S. government." ¶4. Government-owned, editorially independent (circ. 4,200) "La Nacion" ran an article titled: "Weisfeiler's sister makes harsh attack on Judge Zepeda" The sub-headline read: "Accompanied by the U.S. Ambassador, Olga Weisfeiler expressed her disappointment with Chilean justice." ¶5. "In a joint press conference with U.S. Ambassador Paul Simons yesterday, Olga Weisfeiler, sister of the Russian-American mathematician Boris Weisfeiler... harshly criticized Judge Zepeda's performance and even accused him of refusing a U.S. Embassy offer of FBI cooperation and of denying her attorney access to information in the process.... Olga Weisfeilier also called into question whether the judge had duly used documents declassified by the U.S. Department of State regarding this case. 'I have waited long enough. I am very disappointed that we have not seen progress, when we have had so many chances to do so,' said Ms. Weisfeiler." ¶6. In its characteristic popular and irreverent language, tabloid "La Cuarta" (circ. 142,000) ran the headline, "Gringa looks for her brother who vanished 23 years ago" next to a photograph of Olga Weisfeiler with U.S. Ambassador Paul Simons in a joint news conference at the U.S. Embassy. ¶7. "In one of his first activities in Jaguarland (note: Chilean's often refer to themselves as the economic 'jaguars' of the region) new gringo Ambassador Paul Simons lent Olga Weisfeiler a hand as she expressed her frustration with not being able to find her brother Boris, who disappeared in Chile 23 years ago... and with Judge Zepeda's performance in the case. Her attorney said, 'The available information points to a kidnapping, but the witnesses have not been identified.... Too much time has been lost in the investigation.'" ¶8. English on-line publication "The Santiago Times" reported, "Case of U.S. citizen missing in Chile has stalled" "At a Tuesday press conference, Olga Weisfeiler expressed frustration over the lack of new information concerning the disappearance of her brother, Boris Weisfeiler. In the presence of newly arrived U.S. Ambassador Paul Simons, Olga said the (local) authorities have not done enough to investigate the case's most important leads. 'Much time has passed and, nevertheless, the three most important leads - the role of Chile's military in Boris' disappearance, of Colonia Dignidad, and Mximo Pacheco's relationship with the informant 'Daniel' have not been investigated in depth,' Olga told reporters.... SIMONS