BROADCAST TAPE OF CORREA HAS TELEAMAZONAS FEELING

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 000791 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: TWENTY YEARS TAGS: PHUM PGOV KPAO EC SUBJECT: BROADCAST TAPE OF CORREA HAS TELEAMAZONAS FEELING THE HEAT REF: QUITO 00437 Classified By: Ambassador Heather Hodges for Re... id: 223201 date: 9/1/2009 17:17 refid: 09QUITO791 origin: Embassy Quito classification: CONFIDENTIAL destination: 09QUITO437 header: VZCZCXYZ0001 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHQT #0791/01 2441717 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 011717Z SEP 09 FM AMEMBASSY QUITO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0799 INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 8340 RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 4256 RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 3686 RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ SEP LIMA 3374 RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL 4584 -------------- header ends -------------- C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 000791 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: TWENTY YEARS TAGS: PHUM PGOV KPAO EC SUBJECT: BROADCAST TAPE OF CORREA HAS TELEAMAZONAS FEELING THE HEAT REF: QUITO 00437 Classified By: Ambassador Heather Hodges for Reasons 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: During his latest weekly address on August 29, President Correa lashed out against the independent television station, Teleamazonas, and what he called "a sewer with antennas" and demanded its immediate closure following its airing of a clandestine recording. The 2008 audio recording, captured Correa's discussions with a PAIS assembly member and other government officials about changes made to the text of the constitution after it had already been approved by the Constituent Assembly. Correa denies the allegations and insists that Teleamazonas be shut down on grounds that it violated the Broadcasting Law prohibiting the broadcasting of clandestine recordings. Fernando Balda, ex-PAIS member and instigator of the Teleamazonas' airing of the tape, claims the recording was actually made by the current Minister of Political Coordination. In the meantime, the legality of a potential closure of the independent station remains in question. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) On August 29, during his weekly public address, Correa lashed out against the "filth" Teleamazonas and its "conspirators" reported in his heated tirade about the illegality of the station's airing of a clandestine audio tape allegedly of Correa, his Minister of Political Coordination, Ricardo Patino, and PAIS assembly member and president of the Oversight and Political Accountability Commission, Silvia Salgado. In the tape, the three discuss a different version of the constitution submitted by President Correa after the text had already left the hands of the Constituent Assembly, prior to the September 28, 2009 referendum vote. The recording was made public on August 25, 2009, by Fernando Balda, Patriotic Society Party assembly member and PAIS defector, on Jorge Ortiz's Teleamazonas program. According to Balda, he took the recording to the Prosecutor General office and made a formal complaint back in March. After inaction by that office, he decided to make the video public, first on You Tube in August and then on Teleamazonas last week. Balda stated that he would present Patino as the person behind the recording to the Prosecutor General's office on September 1; however, no update was available at the point of this cable's release. In his radio address, Correa accused Balda of making the covert recording himself and threatened him with a charge of treason and prison for "spying on the president" and "threatening national security." ¶3. (SBU) With this latest episode, Teleamazonas potentially faces a fourth investigation and third sanction against them, which would likely lead to the station's closure (reftel). In his address, Correa accused the station and newsman Jorge Ortiz of "violating the principles of ethics and breaking the Broadcasting Law." Specifically, the article of the law in question states that the "reproduction of clandestine videos and/or recordings unauthorized" by those individuals in the recording and in a manner that affects the "honor of people consecrated in the Constitution" is cause for an infraction. In their defense, Teleamazonas claims to have not broken any rules since they were not involved in the making of the recording, since the tape was made in the President's office during official hours and since its content was made public by Balda on You Tube as well as in the written press prior to Tuesday's airing on Teleamazonas. ¶4. (C) If a formal complaint against Teleamazonas is submitted to the regulatory body by the President, it is unlikely to result in immediate closure. A Teleamazonas executive told Embassy public affairs officer that if the government does decide to bring charges against the station, it will have to go through the formal legal procedures. Due to the various steps and associated time limits with the sanction process it would be "five weeks at best" before a resolution would be reached. In light of the previous publication of the audio clip and its transcript, the station representative expressed concern that television is being targeted for its power to reach the "masses." ¶5. (C) COMMENT: After a short period of relative calm surrounding Teleamazonas, the recent airing of the clandestine audio clip has Correa fuming and the station in hot water. However, with so many questions still left unanswered, such as who made the recording and under what context was it made, it may be too early to gauge the likelihood of a Teleamazonas closure, or the truth behind the allegations against the President and his advisors. HODGES =======================CABLE ENDS============================