CHILE MEDIA REPORT - JULY 20

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000680 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 20 Leading Story -------------- ¶1. Last week President Bachelet said she was willing to "review" the possibility of extending her authority to pardon convicted individuals to military officers sentenced for human rights violation, setting off a controversy that she tried to conclude yesterday by saying that she had had "never considered a massive pardon." Insulza sand the OAS -------------- ¶2. State Department sources said that Secretary Clinton's letter to Chilean Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez does not provide information on Washington's position regarding Jose Miguel Insulza's reelection to the OAS. It just says that the United States will give the matter "careful consideration" and advocates for regional cooperation, mentioning the Inter-American Democratic Charter. Plainly said, Washington is telling Insulza that its support will depend on how he performs in the defense of democracy in Latin America, in coordination with U.S. objectives. Clinton wants to retain the ability to influence Insulza; The U.S. perception is that Chavez has been more effective in pressuring OAS members. Washington has sent the OAS the message that the Democratic Charter must be defended in all countries as strongly as in Honduras: Secretary Clinton met with president Zelaya; she appointed Oscar Arias as mediator in the conflict, leaving Zelaya no time to coordinate with Caracas, and then met with representatives of Globovision, the station that Chavez wants to close. Insulza, who has always believed that the OAS without the United States is "senseless", has acknowledged Washington's pressure. This would explain his decision to meet with the mayor of Caracas and Chavez opponent, Antonio Ledezma, and his defense of Arias in the U.N. General Assembly last week. If the USG were to conclude that Insulza should be replaced, it could either try to build a front with moderate left governments in the region, where Brazil is key, or simply ostracize the OAS and reduce it to oblivion. In any case, this issue is not a priority for the United States (La Tercera, 7/19, Alvaro Vargas Llosa). ¶3. The disappearance of Russian-American mathematician Boris Weisfeiler, in 1985, is a pending issue in the Chile-U.S. agenda. "La Nacion" traveled to the exact location where he was last seen and talked to key witnesses. From these accounts the conclusion is that Weisfeiler approached the home of a farmer to ask for hot water; A police patrol and two civilians well known in the area arrived at the farmer's house asking about a foreigner; the group was later seen carrying on horseback the body of a man wrapped in a blanket. His hands and feet were visible. The general belief in the area is that Weisfeiler was detained, beaten, and his body buried and exhumed days later. His disappearance is the last human rights violation committed by the military regime, mobilizing U.S politicians, who have demanded the GOC resolve the case. In Santiago, FBI agents have increased their activities with local authorities in an effort to solve the case. "La Nacion" claims that the witness accounts in this article contain information that "has never been revealed before" (La Nacion, government-owned, editorially independent, 7/19). U.S.-Related News -------------- ¶4. In a private meeting, presidential candidate Marco Enriquez-Ominami asked Defense Minister Francisco Vidal "to end the practice of sending military officers to the School of the Americas." In the 60s and 70s, the school trained military officers who eventually were involved in coups in their respective countries. Vidal explained that the school had closed. The entity relocated and reopened with a new name (La Tercera, conservative, independent, 7/18). ¶5. In a meeting with Wall Street investors, Finance Minister Andres Velasco was asked if any of the presidential candidates could modify Chile's economic model."The debate is about some aspects of the economy, but the model is not in question," said Velasco (El Mercurio, conservative, influential newspaper-of-record, 7/18). ¶6. U.S. experts on biotechnology Martina Newell-McGloughlin, research director for Genetically Modified Products (GMOs) at the University of California, and Wayne Parrot, of the University of Georgia, spoke on the importance of regulating the use of GMOs. Due to lack of adequate legislation, Chile can only import GMOs for animal and human consumption, but cannot locally produce them (El Mercurio, 7/20). ¶7. The U.S. economy is equivalent to 1/4 of the world's GDP, which is why it is crucial for the U.S. economy to recover. The article has a map that compares the GDP's of several countries to that of states. Chile is comparable to Alabama (El Mercurio, 7/19). ¶8. President Obama said he would eliminate the law that bans individuals with HIV or suffering aids from entering U.S. territory (La Tercera, 7/20). ¶9. Editorial: "In spite of Washington's efforts to support those countries fighting narcotics trafficking, the increase in the use of drugs in the United States undermines any policy in this area" (El Mercurio, 7/20). Chile other countries -------------- ¶10. President Bachelet will visit Paraguay July 22-23 to meet with Fernando Lugo (Diario Financiero, 7/20). ¶11. In the Conference of Non-Aligned Countries in Egypt, Minister Secretary General to the Presidency Jose Antonio Viera-Gallo extended Cuban President Raul Castro an invitation to visit Chile. Castro said the invitation was a reflection of the good state of bilateral relations and said he would be willing to visit. The Foreign Ministry, however, said it had not issued any official invitation for the Cuban president and that his eventual visit as not on the agenda (La Tercera, 7/19). Energy -------------- ¶12. The government launched a bicentennial project to make the Presidential Palace La Moneda an energy efficient building with solar panels for water heating, solar powered LED lighting, and geothermal energy (La Tercera, 7/20). URBAN