CHILE MEDIA REPORT - JUNE 26

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000607 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 26 Leading Story -------------- ¶1. The director of Chile's Investigations Police (PDI),Arturo Herrera, resigned yesterday amid a series of scandals involving PDI detectives since March. U.S.-Related News -------------- ¶2. Editorial: "The President with Obama": President Obama gave Bachelet a warm welcome. We saw appreciation and mutual respect between both leaders.... The principles that both countries share, plus Chile's economic and institutional development, have led both countries to converge on a modern form of cooperation that includes non-conventional energy sources, nuclear energy, and especially the transfer of knowledge.... Taking advantage of this opportunity will allow Chile to overcome an array of deficiencies in education, science, and energy.... The meeting between the presidents.... Now it is time to turn this into concrete actions (El Mercurio, conservative, influential newspaper-of-record, 6/25). ¶3. Chilean Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Goni noted that Bachelet is the second Latin American president that President Obama has received, which "shows the enormous interest in redefining a policy toward the region and to look, as he said, 'for a new beginning'" Goni said there is no date for an Obama visit to Chile (La Segunda, conservative, afternoon, 6/25). ¶4. Goni said that "historians will probably see this as the best period in the history of Chile-U.S. relations, with a very ample agenda, a strong commercial relationship, and exploration of new areas of cooperation." With regard to Chile's role in the region, Goni said the United States -- Obama, Biden, U.S. congressmen and entrepreneurs -- value not just the government's economic achievements, but also strongly value the Chilean solution to social issues "based on economic growth" Regarding the photograph of the Chilean press with President Obama, Goni said, "It was something nice, a sign of mutual appreciation expressed in a rather unusual way under unique circumstances" (La Segunda, 6/25). ¶5. Goni on Congresswoman Illeana Rose's criticism of Bachelet with regard to Cuba: "It was a topic that we knew would come up. I don't see addressing the topic or the way in which it was brought up as tactless." ¶6. Goni on Bachelet's desire to reelect Jose Miguel Insulza to the OAS: "I see a good disposition on the part of the United States" (La Segunda, 6/24). ¶7. Foreign Affairs Minister Mariano Fernandez endorsed Bachelet's response to congresswoman Illeana Ros-Lehtinen, who criticized her for not meeting with Cuban dissidents or discussing human rights in her recent visit to Cuba. Bachelet answered that Chile's approach is to maintain a direct dialogue with Cuba in order to attain progress on an array of issues. (El Mercurio, conservative, influential newspaper-of-record, 6/26). Chile and the OECD -------------- ¶8. In his visit to the OECD in Paris, Finance Minister Andres Velasco said Chile's accession to the organization now depends on Congress, which must pass bills related to taxes and on corporative governance of state-owned and private companies (La Nacion, government-owned, editorially independent, 6/25). Iran -------------- ¶9. Editorial: "Iran's Internal Conflict": "The street demonstrations in Teheran in the past two weeks reveal a deep division in that society and in its government.... Iran's internal conflict will probably expand and there is little that the United States or the West can do.... President Obama has tried to bring his country closer to the Muslim world.... His criticism of the repression has been moderate, but yesterday became stronger... risking his strategy of establishing a dialogue with Teheran.... But the level of violence shown against the people of Iran called for a stronger reaction" (La Segunda, 6/25). SIMONS