CHILE MEDIA REPORT - JUNE 19

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000573

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 - JUNE 19

Leading Stories
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1. A Center for Public Studies (CEP) poll showed a tie in a runoff
between opposition, conservative candidate Sebastian Piera (41%)
and the current government coalition's nominee Eduardo Frei (39%).

U.S.-Related News
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2. Presidents Michelle Bachelet and Barack Obama's meeting in
Washington next week could precede another "summit" featuring
high-ranking officials from both countries. The difference is that,
in this case, the future summit would take place in Chile. Although
not officially confirmed, Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner
would attend the July 3 Finance Ministerial in Via del Mar.
Geithner's office has conveyed to Chile's Ministry of Finance that
he is interested in participating. (Que Pasa, weekly magazine,
conservative, independent, circ. 101,000, 9/19)

Chile-OAS
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3. Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez voiced the Government of
Chile's determination to run Organization of American States (OAS)
Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza for a second term. Insulza's
tenure is scheduled to end in May of 2010. (El Mercurio,
conservative, influential newspaper-of-record, circ. 129,000, 6/19)

Chile-Opinion Poll
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4. The think tank, Center for Public Studies (CEP),released
yesterday its long-awaited opinion poll on the upcoming presidential
elections. The survey showed an eventual tie in an expected runoff
between opposition, conservative candidate Sebastian Piera (41
percent) and the current government coalition's nominee Eduardo Frei
(39 percent). In response to the question: "If elections were to
take place next Sunday and the candidates were the following, for
whom would you vote?" Results were: Sebastian Piera 37 percent;
Eduardo Frei 30 percent; independent Marco Enriquez-Ominami 13
percent; former Socialist Party Alejandro Navarro 1 percent;
independent and former Christian Democrat Adolfo Zaldivar 1 percent;
former Socialist and Communist Party Jorge Arrate 1 percent. The
other 16 percent of the participants do not answer and 1 percent
refuses to vote. In other results, President Michelle Bachelet
obtained a 66 percent approval rating of her performance, the
highest among her predecessors. The CEP poll interviewed 1,505
people from May 14 through June 3 and has a 3 percent margin of
error. (All dailies, 6/19)

Chile-Cuba
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5. Cuban wire agency Prensa Latina celebrated its fiftieth
anniversary with the seminar "Alternative Communication," hosted by
Universidad Arcis. Chilean Journalists and Director of Chile's La
Nacion government-owned newspaper, Marcelo Castillo, spoke at the
event. All participants agreed that Prensa Latina "contributes with
a different stance vis a vis its competitors and that a 'minimum
exercise of pluralism' (sic) requires that such perspective be taken
into account." (La Nacion, government-owned, editorially
independent, circ. 4,200, 6/19)

Chile-AH1N1 Influenza
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6. Another 40-year old Chilean male died yesterday from AH1N1
Influenza in Chile. This is the fourth fatal victim of the flu.
Coincidentally all four victims have been from Puerto Montt, in the
south of Chile. (El Mercurio, 9/19)

U.S. Financial Regulatory Reform
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7. Editorial entitled "Obama's Revolution" "The largest reform to
the U.S. financial system since the Great Depression (...) is a true
regulatory revolution (...) U.S. Congress' response to Obama's
celerity is decisive to inject confidence into the markets."
(Estrategia, business and financial, circ. 30,000, 6/19)


8. Opinion column by Jaime de la Barra, Executive Director, Compass
Consorcio Asset Management: "President Obama spoke in support of a
free market, flexibility, creativity and innovation (...) a system
based on the individual freedoms that have given the world so many
benefits." (La Tercera, 6/19)

SIMONS