Media Report January 9-11

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000030 SIPDIS STATE FOR R/MR, I/PP, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON KMDR KPAO PGOV PREL SNAR EFIN CI SUBJECT: Media Report January 9-11 WHA A/S Valenzuela ¶1. A/S for WHA Arturo Valenzuela will visit Chile Monday and Tuesday on a tour that includes meetings with government and political representatives. The U.S. high-ranking official will meet with President Michelle Bachelet, Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez and Finance Minister Andres Velasco. One of the topics in the agenda is the eventual reelection of Jose Miguel Insulza for OAS Secretary General. (Conservative, independent La Tercera 1/9) ¶2. Yesterday, Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez met in Washington with WHA A/S Arturo Valenzuela. This was a key meeting, since the United States has not revealed its support for Jose Miguel Insulza yet, with whom the relations have chilled since the latter supported the initiative to withdraw Cuba's expulsion from the regional organization. Valenzuela will visit Santiago Monday and Tuesday to meet with President Bachelet, the two presidential candidates, and to sign a bilateral extradition agreement. (Conservative, newspaper-of-record El Mercurio 1/9) ¶3. The two Chilean presidential candidates, Sebastian Pi????era and Eduardo Frei, have scheduled separate meetings with Arturo Valenzuela, President Barack Obama's advisor. (El Mercurio 1/11) ¶4. Column by Editor Steve Anderson, entitled "U.S. State Department Hemispheric Chief Arturo Valenzuela Visits Chile" "Arturo Valenzuela... is in Santiago today, Monday to meet with President Michele Bachelet and with presidential candidate Sebastian Pi????era and Eduardo Frei. Top item on the agenda, report the national media, is Chile's promotion of a second five-year mandate for Organization of American States (OAS) General Secretary Jose Miguel Insulza... The prior OAS history will no doubt will (sic) shadow the meetings occurring in Santiago this week. Although Valenzuela is no Noriega, the U.S. State Department has upset many Southern Cone leaders by its acquiescence to the military coup in Honduras last year and its duplicitous role in keeping Honduran President Mel Zelaya from returning to office. The Western Hemisphere office was rudderless at the time of the coup, with Valenzuela's appointment held up by conservatives in the U.S. Senate. Southern Cone nations, led by Brazil, have strongly condemned this U.S. diplomacy." (English-language digital newspaper, Santiago Times, 1/11) U.S. -Chile ¶5. "Obama Will not Visit Chile in the Remainder of the Bachelet Administration" The possibility of a presidential visit to Chile is remote. The U.S. Embassy in Chile commented that "there is nothing planned" now or in the near future... The Chilean mission in the United States said that they have not been contacted in any way about an eventual visit by President Obama. For now, the only chance for a Chilean president to meet Obama is at the April summit on nuclear security to take place in Washington. Michelle Bachelet will not be in power then and either Sebastian Pi????era or Eduardo Frei will be the one to shake his hand. (El Mercurio 1/10) ¶6. Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez made a short stop-over in Washington after his surprise visits to Caracas and Managua last week seeking support for OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza's reelection. Fernandez discussed with Insulza about the various scenarios which could take place at the Permanent Council's meeting on Wednesday. (La Tercera 1/10) ¶7. President Bachelet inaugurated Thursday a modern inspection site of fruits and vegetables destined for the U.S. market. The state-of-the-art facilities in the area of Teno, in central Chile, will increase the capability of the Chilean Agricultural and Animal Service (SAG) to conduct pre-departure inspections of produce exported to the United States. The President opened the facility accompanied by U.S. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulation Programs Edward Avalos, U.S. Ambassador Paul Simons, and other officials. (El Mercurio 1/11) Frei Case ¶8. Interview with Dr. Enrique Paris, Director of the Toxicology Center at Catholic University of Chile, in which he dismissed the reports prepared by Chilean experts Carmen Cerda and Laura B????rgel who revealed alleged presence of mustard gas and thallium in former President Eduardo Frei Montalva's sample tissues. Dr. Paris accused Dr. B????rgel of basing much of her arguments on scientific literature and not quoting the author. He also reiterated that Dr. B????rgel's findings have not been supported by laboratories in the United States or other countries. (El Mercurio 1/10) Local ¶9. Seven days before the presidential runoff, an El Mercurio-Opina S.A. opinion poll conducted in Santiago, Concepcion and Valparaiso gave opposition presidential candidate Sebastian Pi????era 46.1%, over government coalition contestant Eduardo Frei, who obtained 41% (El Mercurio 1/9) U.S. Air Security ¶10. International round-up editorial on the events unraveled after the Christmas Day failed terrorist attempt against a U.S. commercial airliner: "It was expected that Obama would differentiate from George W. Bush and behead the ones responsible. He did not... Obama was upset with the security services but calm. It was the Obama who often takes a distance and seeks for a solution, consults, studies and reconciles. This irks his critics who, particularly when it comes to terrorism, ask for further action... This has been a tough first year for Obama. (El Mercurio 1/11) SIMONS