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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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).

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