Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09SANTIAGO614
2009-07-02 13:20:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Santiago
Cable title:  

CHILE MEDIA REPORT - JULY 1

Tags:  KMDR KPAO PGOV ECON PREL SNAR EFIN CI 
pdf how-to read a cable
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UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000614 

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TAGS: KMDR KPAO PGOV ECON PREL SNAR EFIN CI
SUBJECT: CHILE MEDIA REPORT - JULY 1

Leading Story
-------------
UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000614

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 - JULY 1

Leading Story
--------------

1. National unemployment rate was 10.2% for March-May, the highest
for this period since 2004. Six of the fifteen regions have
two-digit unemployment rates and highest is in the 15-24 age bracket
(23.4%).

Chile-U.S.
--------------

2. Chilean and U.S. government sources say that the bilateral
meeting held by Presidents Obama and Bachelet on the 23rd marked a
change in the bilateral agenda (La Tercera, conservative,
independent, 6/28).


3. Barack Obama and Bachelet met for 35 minutes. They talked about
Lugo in Paraguay, Funes' election in El Salvador, and on how to
rebuild U.S. ties with Bolivia and Venezuela. Obama asked Bachelet
what she thought about Chile adopting a more active role in building
bridges with other countries in the region. Another topic was the
State Department's love-hate relationship with OAS Secretary General
Jose Miguel Insulza. Washington values Insulza's handling of
crises, but also sees him as too autonomous with regard to U.S.
foreign policy.... Bachelet told Obama that Chile would support
Insulza's reelection and that it would be "inconvenient" for the
United States to object to his election in the context of regional
ties. In the joint press conference, Obama summarized what he
expected from Bachelet: "We are looking for advice." Vice President
Joseph Biden had an eloquent gesture with Bachelet. He asked his
team and the Chilean delegation to exchange direct telephone
numbers. When Biden did this, Bachelet and her advisors realized
that they had gained direct access to the highest U.S officials
(Journalist Fernando Paulsen in La Tercera, 6/28).


4. Bachelet urged President Obama not to let the positive outcome
of the Summit of the Americas slip away. Obama, for his part,
suggested that Chile could help the United States expand its ties
with other countries, specifically Brazil, confirming that the USG
wants Brazil to become the axis of its ties with South America.
Energy was also a topic of discussion. The two presidents, however,
did not talk about nuclear energy. In her meeting with U.S.

Congressmembers, Bachelet repeated what she had said in the White
House: That the United States must not publicly criticize Venezuela,
Cuba or any other country with which it has conflicts and must try
to engage in a private dialogue. Sources said that Bachelet did not
ask either Obama or the Congressmembers to support Cuba's eventual
accession to the OAS. This means that Chile will not apply pressure
in favor of Cuba. Bachelet believes the OAS is the setting in which
the United States can avoid bilateral tension by working
multilaterally (Alvaro Vargas Llosa in La Tercera, 6/28).


5. Front-page photo of Bachelet and Obama in the Oval Office:
Bachelet is no longer looking for a big-brother relationship with
the United States. She is looking for a partner. These are two
leaders who have turned the obstacles they have faced in life into
victories.... They are examples of resilience, strength, and
optimism. (El Mercurio, conservative, influential
newspaper-of-record, Saturday magazine, 6/27).



6. The "scientific bridge" between Chile and the United States will
focus on astronomy, climate change, renewable energy, health and
earth sciences, foods and forensic science. This was the result of
the III Chile-U.S. Science and Technology Joint Commission that
yesterday concluded its meeting in Washington, D.C.

Coup in Honduras
--------------

7. Foreign Affairs Minister Mariano Fernandez said that the
government of Chile "strongly condemns" the coup in Honduras and
"demands the reestablishment of democracy and the restitution of
President Zelaya" (El Mercurio, 6/29).


8. Manuel Zelaya received the full support of the international
community. Some countries, such as Bolivia, have recalled their
Ambassadors. Brazil's Ambassador was out of the country and will not
return, and the European Commission in Honduras has decided to
withhold official contact with Micheletti. Zelaya also has the
support of the United States which, however, said it would not
cancel its financial aid (El Mercurio, 6/28).


9. President Obama said that the success of a coup in Honduras
"would set a terrible precedent" in Latin America, "which has shown
enormous democratic progress in the last 20 years" (La Tercera,
6/30).


10. White House advisor Dan Restrepo outlined the U.S. position
with regard to Honduras. President Obama, he said, is advocating for
the restitution of the legitimate President and "will support a
democratic solution. However, he does not want to intervene or give
out signals that the United States is dictating domestic policy,"
added the U.S. official. The United States, he said, believes in a
"clear course of action but with restraint, so as to avoid any
action that could make Honduras step away from a democratic solution
to this crisis. We are working with all parties to find a solution,"
he said (La Tercera, 6/30).


11. Editorial: "Coup in Honduras": "What happened in Honduras is a
breach of democratic order through the use of force... which is
unacceptable.... The Inter-American community must confront this
incident with determination and find a solution.... avoiding
unilateral excesses.... But in order for things to return to
normal... President Zelaya must avoid the temptation of moving away
from democratic principles and take action within the norms of rule
of law" (La Tercera, 7/1)

Digital Television
--------------

12. The Japanese Vice Minister for Communication, Tersaki Akira, is
in Chile to promote the Japanese-Brazilian digital television
standard (El Mercurio, 6/30).

SIMONS