Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09SANTIAGO107
2009-02-04 14:53:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Santiago
Cable title:
CHILE MEDIA REPORT - FEBRUARY 4
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UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000107
SIPDIS
STATE FOR R/MR, I/PP, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO PGOV ECON PREL SNAR EFIN CI
SUBJECT: CHILE MEDIA REPORT - FEBRUARY 4
Leading Stories
---------------
UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000107
SIPDIS
STATE FOR R/MR, I/PP, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO PGOV ECON PREL SNAR EFIN CI
SUBJECT: CHILE MEDIA REPORT - FEBRUARY 4
Leading Stories
--------------
1. Dailies highlight that former AIR FORCE Commander-in-Chief Ramon
Vega is free on bail in the Mirage aircraft case. Dailies also
highlight the death of an 18-year-old woman who presumably fell off
the balcony of a ninth-floor apartment owned by a promising young
soccer player during an early morning party. The accident has
sparked discussion about the lifestyles being led by successful
athletes and other young people in Chile.
U.S. Related News
--------------
2. Economists from Goldman Sachs, Moody's, and Barclay's Capital
Wall Street predict that Chile's GDP this year will not exceed 1%,
due to the impact of the financial crisis on imports and
manufactured products. Dailies add that if Chile were to apply the
method used by industrialized countries to assess the state of its
economy, it would see that it is recession (El Mercurio,
conservative, influential newspaper-of-record, circ. 129,000; La
Tercera, conservative, independent, circ. 101,000, 2/4).
Cuba
--------------
Christian Democratic Party (DC) Congressman Jose Miguel Ortiz broke
ranks with his party and joined the presidential delegation that
will travel to Cuba later this month. Opposition alliance and all
other DC congressmembers excluded themselves from this trip, on the
grounds that President Bachelet is not planning to meet with
dissidents in Havana (El Mercurio, 2/4).
Haiti
--------------
Defense Minister Jose Goi is in Haiti with Carabineros (police)
Under Secretary Javiera Blanco and a delegation of House of Deputies
defense committee members. After meeting with Haitian President
Preval, Goi said, "We both agreed that without public security
there can be no political stability, and that without the latter
there can be no economic or social growth."
Other
--------------
Chilean Mario Matus was named chairman of the WTO General Council
for 2009 (Estrategia, business and financial (circ. 30,000, 2/4).
Poll
--------------
Monthly Adimark poll shows a 53% rate of approval for Bachelet. On
personal attributes, 79% said Bachelet is "beloved," 73%
characterized her as "respected," and 67% agreed that she "has the
ability to face crisis." On the other hand, the government got only
a 43.4% approval rating. The issue of concern to most is crime,
which is also the area where the government is least favorably
rated. The best-evaluated Ministers are Alejandro Foxley (Foreign
Affairs) with 52.4% and Andrs Velasco (Finance) with 46.1%; the
worst-evaluated are Minister of Education Msnica Jimenez (31.4%);
Minister of Health Alvaro Erazo (29.4%),and Minister of
Transportation Rene Cortazar (25.6%) (All dailies, 2/4).
SIMONS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR R/MR, I/PP, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO PGOV ECON PREL SNAR EFIN CI
SUBJECT: CHILE MEDIA REPORT - FEBRUARY 4
Leading Stories
--------------
1. Dailies highlight that former AIR FORCE Commander-in-Chief Ramon
Vega is free on bail in the Mirage aircraft case. Dailies also
highlight the death of an 18-year-old woman who presumably fell off
the balcony of a ninth-floor apartment owned by a promising young
soccer player during an early morning party. The accident has
sparked discussion about the lifestyles being led by successful
athletes and other young people in Chile.
U.S. Related News
--------------
2. Economists from Goldman Sachs, Moody's, and Barclay's Capital
Wall Street predict that Chile's GDP this year will not exceed 1%,
due to the impact of the financial crisis on imports and
manufactured products. Dailies add that if Chile were to apply the
method used by industrialized countries to assess the state of its
economy, it would see that it is recession (El Mercurio,
conservative, influential newspaper-of-record, circ. 129,000; La
Tercera, conservative, independent, circ. 101,000, 2/4).
Cuba
--------------
Christian Democratic Party (DC) Congressman Jose Miguel Ortiz broke
ranks with his party and joined the presidential delegation that
will travel to Cuba later this month. Opposition alliance and all
other DC congressmembers excluded themselves from this trip, on the
grounds that President Bachelet is not planning to meet with
dissidents in Havana (El Mercurio, 2/4).
Haiti
--------------
Defense Minister Jose Goi is in Haiti with Carabineros (police)
Under Secretary Javiera Blanco and a delegation of House of Deputies
defense committee members. After meeting with Haitian President
Preval, Goi said, "We both agreed that without public security
there can be no political stability, and that without the latter
there can be no economic or social growth."
Other
--------------
Chilean Mario Matus was named chairman of the WTO General Council
for 2009 (Estrategia, business and financial (circ. 30,000, 2/4).
Poll
--------------
Monthly Adimark poll shows a 53% rate of approval for Bachelet. On
personal attributes, 79% said Bachelet is "beloved," 73%
characterized her as "respected," and 67% agreed that she "has the
ability to face crisis." On the other hand, the government got only
a 43.4% approval rating. The issue of concern to most is crime,
which is also the area where the government is least favorably
rated. The best-evaluated Ministers are Alejandro Foxley (Foreign
Affairs) with 52.4% and Andrs Velasco (Finance) with 46.1%; the
worst-evaluated are Minister of Education Msnica Jimenez (31.4%);
Minister of Health Alvaro Erazo (29.4%),and Minister of
Transportation Rene Cortazar (25.6%) (All dailies, 2/4).
SIMONS