VZCZCXYZ0018
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0163/01 0202203
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 202203Z JAN 06
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3186
INFO RHMFIUU/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL//SCJ2//
RULGPUA/USCOMSOLANT

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000163 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INR/R/MR, I/GWHA, WHA, WHA/PDA, WHA/BSC, 
WHA/EPSC 
CDR USSOCOM FOR J-2 IAD/LAMA 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO OPRC KMDR PREL MEDIA REACTION
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION IRAN ALLEGED A/S SHANNON'S 
STATEMENTS ON MORALES US-URUGUAYAN FTD HAITI SPAT 
BETWEEN ARGENTINA AND URUGUAY 01/18/06 
 
 
¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT 
 
Today's most important international stories include 
Argentina's alignment with the US against Iran and 
promotion of the peaceful use of nuclear energy; the 
Latin American intervention in Haiti; Bolivian 
President-elect Evo Morales' visit to Argentina and 
his announcement that he wants to solidify an "energy 
strategic alliance" with Argentina; A/S Shannon's 
alleged statement that Morales' success will depend on 
the cooperation of Brazil and Argentina, plus that of 
Chile and Peru, dismissing that of Cuba and Venezuela; 
and the USG making it clear that there is no ongoing 
official negotiation with Uruguay for a bilateral FTD. 
 
¶2. OPINION PIECES AND KEY STORIES 
 
- "The US reinforces its anti-Tehran campaign at the 
UN" 
 
Hugo Alconada Mon, Washington-based correspondent for 
daily-of-record "La Nacion," writes (01/18) "The USG 
started an energetic diplomatic and media campaign to 
submit the Iran issue to the UN Security Council 
voting, which could end up with economic sanctions 
imposed as a necessary step in order to avoid an 
eventual military action. 
 
"US VP Dick Cheney started a tour in the Middle East 
in order to convince several leaders of the region 
about this, while US Secretary of State Condoleezza 
Rice asked the International Atomic Energy Agency to 
meet 'as soon as possible.' 
 
- "Argentina and Brazil are crucial (for Bolivia)" 
 
Daily-of-record "La Nacion" reports (01/18) "According 
to A/S Thomas Shannon, Evo Morales' success as 
president of Bolivia will depend on the cooperation of 
Brazil and Argentina, plus that of Chile and Peru. It 
will depend neither on the aid from the Cuba of Castro 
or the Venezuela of Chavez. 
 
"... Shannon pointed out that 'The best way to 
understand South America's political dynamic is seeing 
in Brazil and Argentina, along with the other 
bordering countries, an immediate and direct interest 
in whatever happens in Bolivia, in having a stable and 
successful government in the country." 
 
- "The US downplays trade negotiations with Uruguay" 
 
Hugo Alconada Mon, Washington-based correspondent for 
daily-of-record "La Nacion," comments (01/18) "The USG 
made clear that there is no ongoing official 
negotiation with Uruguay for a bilateral FTD and that 
there is no expectation, at least for now, that 
diplomatic talks are open between the two countries 
for this purpose. 
 
"According to Christian Baker, spokesperson of the 
USTR, 'the US is not negotiating a FTD with the 
Uruguayan authorities, nor has a date been fixed for 
the opening of this kind of negotiations.' 
 
"... 'Our purpose is to reach a deal with the entire 
region. But, if this is not possible, we'll make 
progress on bilateral deals.'" 
 
- "Bush's deadly weapon against drug" 
 
Left-of-center "Pagina 12" reports (01/18) "... 
Charges filed against the DEA for corruption and 
murders are not new. However, they took on a new 
dimension since it is the first time a USG official 
files a charge against it. A confidential report by an 
attorney of the US Secretary of Justice, which was 
made public by the Colombian magazine Semana, 
confirmed all charges submitted by the region, which 
had been denied by Washington. DEA agents posted in 
Bogota kill informants and interfere in probes in 
order to protect local drug traffickers, get involved 
in money laundering operations performed by Colombian 
United Self Defense Group (the most important 
paramilitary group in the country), and, perhaps the 
most important thing is that the USG offices do know 
 
 
about this, have evidence but do nothing about it. 
Even more, they fire those who denounce the facts, or 
threaten to kill them, or re-post them somewhere 
else." 
 
- "Haiti, the danger of a neo-protectorate" 
 
Daily-of-record "La Nacion" carries an op-ed piece by 
Juan Gabriel Tokatlian, head of Political Sciences and 
International Relations at Universidad San Andres, who 
writes (01/18) "Except for UN documents, OAS 
communiqus and official statements from intervening 
countries that still defend the UN military mission in 
Haiti, reports from international NGOs and most 
independent observers agree to underscore the failure 
of the international intervention on the island. 
 
"... Not only has it failed to overcome the chaos 
previous to the forced removal of President Jean- 
Bertrand Aristide but perhaps it has contributed... to 
deepening it. 
 
"... In the least, Latin America should be aware of 
the Pandora box represented by the Haitian case. We 
have already accepted a sensitive exception to the 
principle of non intervention and we have 'de facto' 
acknowledgment that sovereignty is relatively 
insignificant. We could also be on the verge of a more 
drastic change by legitimizing an international system 
based on some sort of natural inequity among the 
States, peoples, culture and civilizations, which 
could disguise a hidden imperial project under the 
mask of allegedly humanitarian interventionism." 
 
¶3. EDITORIALS 
 
- "Bridges over troubled waters" 
 
Liberal, English-language "Buenos Aires Herald" 
editorializes (01/18) "In recent days Argentina seems 
to have been lavishing attention on almost every 
country except the neighbor on the other side of the 
river to this nation's capital - US A/S Thomas 
Shannon's visit last week, the presence of Bolivian- 
president elect Evo Morales here yesterday morning, 
President Nestor Kirchner's sally to Brazil later 
yesterday and the generous space given in the media so 
far this week to Michelle Bachelet's historic victory 
in Chile. In many ways the country's most serious 
bilateral problems are with Uruguay - th pulp mill 
dispute across the Uruguay River, the destructive 
impact of the ensuing protests on Uruguay's important 
tourist industry and Uruguay's growing alienation from 
Mercosur... 
 
"... Right or wrong, Uruguay wants the Fray Bentos 
mills constructed across the political spectrum... and 
the aspiration to a free trade agreement with the US 
seems almost as solid... - even Uruguayan FM Reinaldo 
Gargano... was forced to back down and admit the 
desirability of a FTD with the US since even his most 
stridently anti-US colleagues are fed up with 
Mercosur." 
 
- "Iran and the international community" 
 
Daily-of-record "La Nacion" editorializes (01/18) 
"After two years of patient, although tortuous, 
negotiations on the dangerous Iranian program for 
uranium enrichment, Germany, France and Great Britain 
have decided to interrupt talks with Iran and submit 
the issue to the UN Security Council. This suggests 
that the three countries believe that Iran has turned 
into a threat to world peace and security. 
 
"The US has announced that it will support the EU's 
initiative, and Russia has made public that it will 
not hinder the discussion of the issue at the UN 
Security Council... 
 
"... For now, Iran is openly challenging the rest of 
the world. The crisis seems to have reached a point of 
tension that had previously been avoided. Argentina 
has a chair as a non-permanent member of the UN 
Security Council... The increasing political and 
economic closeness between Iran and Venezuela compels 
 
 
Argentina to adopt a serious and transparent attitude, 
which will undoubtedly prove that Argentina is a 
capable actor in the international community." 
 
To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our 
classified website at: 
http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires 
 
The Media Reaction Report reflects articles and 
opinions by the cited news media and do not 
necessarily reflect U.S. Embassy policy or views.  The 
Public Affairs Section does not independently verify 
information.  The report is intended for internal U.S. 
Government use only. 
 
GUTIERREZ 
 
To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our 
classified website at: 
http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires 
 
The Media Reaction Report reflects articles and 
opinions by the cited news media and do not 
necessarily reflect U.S. Embassy policy or views.  The 
Public Affairs Section does not independently verify 
information.  The report is intended for internal U.S. 
Government use only. 
 
GUTIERREZ