CHILE MEDIA REPORT - MAY 5

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000425 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 - MAY 5 Leading Stories -------------- ¶1. Polls show that PS Congressman Marco Enriquez-Ominami is just 14 points behind the Concertacion's presidential candidate Eduardo Frei. Dailies also report that a Mapuche organization has claimed responsibility for the arsonist attack on a building owned by the Association of Chilean Farmed Salmon Producers in southern Chile. U.S.-Related News -------------- ¶2. The Foreign Ministry's International Economic Relations Bureau (DIRECON) will request the creation of a bilateral committee within the FTA for Chilean wood producers to present their claims to the respective U.S. authorities regarding subsidies that U.S. cellulose producers are receiving (Diario Financiero, business and financial daily, circ. 30,000, 5/5). ¶3. The American Chilean Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) supports the questioning that Chile's forestry sector is making about the subsidy U.S. cellulose producers receive from its government. AmCham President Ricardo Garcia said the subsidy "disturbs competition under equal conditions and could even constitute a protectionist measure.... Chile's cellulose sector competes fairly and with transparency... and is characterized for producing clean energy for its own use" (Diario Financiero, 5/5). ¶5. Although AmCham expressed concern over the differences between the governments of Chile and the United States over IPR. The organization, nevertheless, underscored that Chile needs to improve the protection of pharmaceutical patents and of data confidentiality (Estrategia, business and financial daily, circ. 30,000, 5/5). ¶6. U.S. real estate title insurance company FAF International is officially launching operations today in Chile. It's the only company of its kind in the country and its objective is to seal contracts with mortgage loan entities (Estrategia, 5/5). ¶7. Editorial: "The Test of the First 100 Days" "In the international arena, he (Obama) has already shown that U.S. foreign policy has changed in a positive way.... Obama has shown that he is inclined to listen to his allies and talk to his rivals or foes.... Obama will have to seize all the opportunities the international arena provides to conduct a foreign policy that assures he will promote peace and stability in all the world's regions, but not disavowing U.S. interests" (El Mercurio, 5/4). AH1N1 Influenza Prevention -------------- ¶8. The GOC launched a prevention campaign against common and AH1N1 type influenzas with television spots, posters, and radio spots, informing the public of ways to prevent transmission and the numbers to call for information (La Tercera, conservative, independent, circ. 101,000, 5/5). Presidential Candidate Pinera -------------- ¶9. Sebastian Pinera's coalition includes the parties of the rights -- RN and UDI -- but also other parties and individuals traditionally tied to the ruling Concertacion bloc, such as the Christian Humanist Party and Senator Fernando Flores, of ChilePrimero. Flores was a cabinet member of the Allende government and a political prisoner of the military regime (La Tercera, 5/5). SIMONS