Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09SANTIAGO761
2009-08-10 19:26:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Santiago
Cable title:  

BRISTLING AT THE "BOLIVARIAN PROJECT": REMARKS BY

Tags:  PREL PGOV VZ CI PE BO 
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UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000761 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/BSC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV VZ CI PE BO
SUBJECT: BRISTLING AT THE "BOLIVARIAN PROJECT": REMARKS BY
CHILEAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, FOREIGN MINISTER

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000761

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/BSC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV VZ CI PE BO
SUBJECT: BRISTLING AT THE "BOLIVARIAN PROJECT": REMARKS BY
CHILEAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, FOREIGN MINISTER


1. SUMMARY: (SBU) Concertacion presidential candidate
Eduardo Frei and Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez publicly
criticized populist leaders in the region during a seminar on
Latin America held in Santiago August 4-5. Frei warned that
the "Bolivarian project" could threaten political and social
stabiity in Latin America, and noted Venezuela and Honduras
as countries where leaders "modify the rules of the
democratic game for personal ambitions." Fernandez departed
from prepared remarks to assert that "a democratic recession"
in the region is creating opportunities for "authoritarian
and messianic" leaders, the strongest criticism to date of
regional leaders by a Bachelet administration official.
Fernandez and Frei advocated a leading role for Chile in
promoting regional stability and integration. END SUMMARY.

FREI: "BOLIVARIAN PROJECT DESERVES SPECIAL ATTENTION"
-------------- --------------


2. (SBU) On August 5, Concertacion presidential candidate
Eduardo Frei cautioned that the "Bolivarian project deserves
special attention" because it could be a source of political
and social instability in Latin America. Frei noted the
Bolivarian call for regional expansion and said that this
expansion has already led to diplomatic and military
confrontations. While the confrontations have not spilled
over into actual conflict, the threat to regional stability
still exists.


3. (SBU) Frei pointed to Venezuela and Honduras as examples
of the recent trend in Latin America where leaders "modify
the rules of the democratic game for personal ambitions." He
identified the rush in Venezuela to consolidate power in the
executive and eliminate space for the opposition as steps
that move that country away from being a true democracy.
Frei added that economic measures such as nationalization
could upset the basic economic order that is needed for
democratic governance.


4. (SBU) The financial crisis and drug trafficking are two
other threats to stability in Latin America, Frei told the
audience of government, military, and academic officials at a
conference convened by the British think tank International
Institute for Strategic Studies. The response to the
financial crisis, which Frei considers the biggest regional

test in 20 years, will determine the future of the region's
leftist governments. He added that drug trafficking had
spread from being an Andean problem to a threat that menaces
Brazil, Paraguay, and Chile.

FM FERNANDEZ: VEILED REFERENCES REVEAL FRUSTRATION WITH
POPULISM
-------------- --------------


5. (SBU) While not as direct as Frei, a series of unscripted
remarks by Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez revealed
similar frustrations with Latin American populism. In his
August 4 comments to the conference, Fernandez said that
Latin America was experiencing a "democratic recession."
Weak institutions and serious fractures in society were
creating the conditions for "authoritarian and messianic"
leaders to emerge, he asserted. Some of his criticisms
seemed to target Honduras, as he said pointedly that as Latin
America has become more democratic in recent decades, "in
most cases, elected governments have not been unduly
questioned by other members of society." The region needs
stronger political parties that can respond to strident media
attacks, he continued. Later, in a remark seemingly aimed at
Peru, the Foreign Minister noted that "some countries in the
region have exploited border conflicts to promote nationalism
and domestic political goals."

FREI AND FERNANDEZ: CHILE TO PROMOTE REGIONALISM AS A
"TRUSTED PARTNER"
-------------- --------------


6. (SBU) Frei maintained that Chile must contribute to

regional stability and expressed a personal desire for Chile
to be a leader in Latin America. He acknowledged that the
country will be occupied by border disputes with Peru and
Bolivia in upcoming years and suggested these disputes will
hinge on a strong international public relations campaign as
much as a strong legal case. Frei advocated for sustained,
pro-active engagement by Chile in regional groups and
emphasized the importance of being considered a "trusted
partner." He also underscored the need to cultivate
relationships with Mexico and Brazil because of their
influence on the larger world stage.


7. (SBU) Frei said Chile must do more to change the
perception that it is "cold, calculating, and arrogant." He
proposed that Chile think of Latin America as a political and
economic extension of itself, then act accordingly. He
highlighted the GOC's actions in Haiti as an example of the
attitude Chile must adopt towards the region. According to
Frei, increased economic, cultural, scientific exchanges are
key to changing perceptions and behavior within the region.


8. (SBU) Foreign Minister Fernandez called for Chile to
promote regionalism, saying that the integration of Latin
America will promote democracy. For years, carelessly drawn
borders and economies based on exporting goods to more
developed countries -- both legacies of Spanish colonialism
-- have stifled regional integration, he said. Now, however,
Chile and other Latin American countries are beginning to
overcome this legacy, with increasing amounts of Chilean
exports and Chilean investment destined for Latin American
countries. Nonetheless, some parts of the regional project
-- particularly infrastructure -- are far behind. Chile and
Argentina share a 5,300 km border (the third longest in the
world) and yet have just a few border crossings. Bolivia,
the "kidney of Latin America," has five borders, but no paved
roads to other countries.


9. (SBU) COMMENT: Frei's comments about Venezuela are the
strongest words yet from a member of the ruling Concertacion,
an alliance of four center-left and left parties. His
willingness to openly discuss the threat posed by Chavez,
albeit without mentioning his name, is a stark contrast to
President's Bachelet's silence. Similarly, Fernandez's
spontaneous comments, while indirect, offer a glimpse of
Chile's exasperation with its more hot-headed neighbors. END
COMMENT.
SIMONS