CHILE MEDIA REPORT - MARCH 20

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000276 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 - MARCH 20 Leading Story -------------- ¶1. The opposition alliance is pressuring Bachelet to meet with presidential candidate Sebastian Pinera to discuss Peru's maritime claim with The Hague. Lima made the content of its claim public. Progressive Governance Summit -------------- ¶2. Interview with U.S. Ambassador Paul Simons: "The bilateral relationship today is at a very strong point and we have the foundation to further strengthen it. President Obama has spoken twice to President Bachelet and they have established a very good relationship. Next week the Vice President will be arriving, and we are looking at the possibility of setting a meeting between the two.... Chile will be the first country in Latin America to receive a White House visitor, and I believe that is very important. Although the summit is multilateral in nature... he (Biden) will have a bilateral with Bachelet. So just as this summit is a good chance to coordinate hemispheric policies, it is also a good opportunity to strengthen the bilateral relationship" (La Tercera, conservative, independent, circ. 101,000, 3/23). ¶3. Foreign Affairs Minister Mariano Fernandez noted that Vice President Biden is the first high-ranking Obama administration official to travel to Latin America, which is "a strong political sign." He declined to comment on whether Bachelet would discuss the blockade on Cuba with the Vice President or the President in a future meeting (La Segunda, conservative, afternoon, circ. 33,000, 3/20). ¶4. Fernandez also underscored that Presidents Bachelet and Obama want to meet, either before or during the SOA, because while Obama might be interested in listening to what Bachelet has to say from the perspective of UNASUR, the Chilean President might also want to listen to what Obama has to share with UNASUR. Fernandez said that the main issues under discussion between the two governments are protectionism, promoting renewable energy, and cooperation for Latin America's poorest countries. "We hope to be able to discuss coordination in Haiti," said Fernandez (La Nacion, government-owned, editorially independent, 3/22) ¶5. Vice President Biden's participation in the progressive summit shows that the Obama administration has taken the summit seriously (La Nacion, 3/23). ¶6. To prevent any leaks, all summit meetings will be confidential. This will apply to Friday's dinner and Saturday's lunch at Cerro Castillo, where no security or note takers will be able to attend. President Bachelet has already scheduled a meeting with Vice President Biden, who will arrive in Chile with three other high-ranking government officials (La Tercera, 3/22). ¶7. The "stars" of the progressive summit are Vice President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and the Brazilain President Lula da Silva (La Segunda, 3/20). U.S.-Related News -------------- ¶8. A small group of individuals demonstrated peacefully in front of the Embassy to end the war in Iraq (Las Ultimas Noticias, leading-circulation, popular, circ. 140,000, 3/22). ¶9. Cristobal Acevedo, director of the National IPR Institute (INAPI),said Chile has made significant efforts on IPR, such as creating the entity he chairs, and hopes that in this context, the U.S. Trade Representative would remove Chile from its priority watch list. "Chile is far from being a piracy paradise," said Acevedo (La Tercera, 3/23). ¶10. Headlines of interviews with retired General Janis Karpinski, commander of the forces in charge of the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq: "Splattering Blood" (La Nacion, 3/23); "'No one has the right to torture another human being" (La Cuarta, 3/20). ¶11. National Television (Channel 7) TV anchorman Amaro Gomez Pablos will receive an award from the King of Spain in Madrid for his special report, "Guantanamo: Exclusive Access to the most controversial prison," aired by TVN some time ago (Las Ultimas Noticias, 3/23). Chile-Peru Maritime Dispute -------------- ¶12. The text of Peru's main arguments before the International Court of Justice at The Hague was published (El Mercurio, 3/23). SIMONS