CHILE MEDIA REPORT - APRIL 30

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000414 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 - APRIL 30 Leading Stories -------------- ¶1. Peru has confirmed its first case of H1N1 flu in a woman who recently traveled to Mexico. Dailies also report that Ecuador has aligned with Chile concerning Peru's maritime border claim. U.S.-Related News -------------- ¶2. Two weeks ago Foreign Affairs and Intellectual Property Institute (INAPI) officials met with USTR officials in the United States. The goal was for the USTR to take into account the creation of the INAPI, of an Intellectual Property Brigade, and the eventual adhesion to the PCT in June of this year, and remove Chile from the Priority Watch List (El Mercurio, conservative, influential newspaper-of-record, circ. 129,000, 4/30). ¶3. Captioned photograph shows the sale of pirated DVDs on a college campus: "Universities commemorated the IPR World Day, but even the rector of University Alberto Hurtado admitted to watching pirated movies" (El Mercurio, 4/30). ¶4. American company GeoGlobal Energy-Chile (GGE) announced the discovery of a geothermal field in the Region of Araucania, which could produce around 75MW (El Mercurio, 4/30). ¶5. Wal-Mart is considering entering the banking business in Chile through its D&S holding (El Mercurio, 4/30). ¶6. Editorial: "The First 100 days of the Obama Administration": "Obama's main achievement in these first 100 days is that he has changed the state of mind of Americans. Something similar has also happened with foreign policy. Using a rhetoric that is both self-critical and hopeful, the President has re-conquered the world's sympathy for the United States.... Obama's first 100 days have reshaped the United States and injected optimism where there was discouragement and confusion. However, there are doubts about his strategy to reactive the economy and reconstitute loans, as well as the prudence of promoting changes amid a crisis and the direction of those changes" (La Tercera, conservative, independent, circ. 101,000, 4/30). Military -------------- ¶7. Yesterday, the Chilean Defense Ministry announced it had an agreement with Holland to buy 18 used F16s. However, the Dutch Ambassador said no agreement had yet been signed. Chilean Air Force Commander-in-Chief Ricardo Ortega admitted that the deal still needs the approval of of the Dutch government and the U.S. Congress, since the planes have U.S. technology. "It is unfortunate that in our effort to pursue transparency, we created a problem," said Ortega. With the information in the public domain, countries such as Peru could object to the sale (El Mercurio, 4/30). H1N1 Flu -------------- ¶8. Spain confirmed its first case of the swine flu unrelated to Mexico or the United States and Peru confirmed a case in a woman who recently traveled to Mexico. President Obama rejected closing the border with Mexico, considering that the virus is already in the United States, and Health Secretary Janet Napolitano said the recommendation to close the border would follow if there is evidence that this measure could have a "significant impact on the propagation of the virus." ¶9. The GOC has activated the health emergency network to confront outbreaks of this kind. For example, it has assigned the hospitals and community medical centers to be used for isolation, established the protocol for private clinics and for the armed forces to refer patients to those facilities, which have also received 20,000 doses of anti-viral medication (La Tercera, 4/30). Regional affairs -------------- ¶10. The Ambassador of Ecuador in Chile expressed his country's support for Chile's position regarding Peru's claim at The Hague to revise maritime borders. Ambassador Francisco Borja said his country considers that "borders were set by the 1952 and 1954 treaties" and that "these treaties are fully in effect" (La Tercera, 4/30). URBAN