VZCZCXYZ0013
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0211/01 0272058
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 272058Z JAN 06
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3247
INFO RHMFIUU/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL//SCJ2//
RULGPUA/USCOMSOLANT

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000211 
 
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 VISIT OF US DEFENSE DEPUTY 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY ROGER PARDO-MAURER TO BUENOS AIRES 
PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS LATIN AMERICA 'TILT TO THE LEFT' 
01/27/06 
 
 
¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT 
 
Today's key international stories include the visit of 
US Defense Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western 
Hemisphere Affairs Roger Pardo-Maurer to Buenos Aires; 
the sweeping victory of the Islamic militant group 
Hamas in Palestinian parliamentary polls; and Latin 
America's alleged "tilt to the left." 
 
¶2. OPINION PIECES AND KEY STORIES 
 
- "A US Pentagon man had lunch with Garre" 
 
Guido Braslavsky, military columnist of leading 
"Clarin," writes (01/27) "Yesterday, US Defense Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs 
Roger Pardo-Maurer, the highest-ranking member of the 
US Defense Department for the region, arrived in 
Buenos Aires and had lunch with (Argentine) Defense 
Minister Nilda Garre at the US Embassy. 
 
"According to a source, the main topics tackled were 
Bolivia and Evo Morales, the situation in Haiti, 
Argentina and Chile's project to create a bi-national 
peace force. 
 
"... Pardo-Maurer is a US Pentagon real 'hawk', former 
Green Beret and a member of the Nicaraguan 'contra.' 
 
"Something must have been happening at the US Pentagon 
(as well as in the US State Department) for a USG hard- 
liner who has 'denounced' Cuba and the Venezuela of 
Chavez's support for Evo Morales to show a 'positive 
attitude' regarding Bolivia. This change seems to be 
in line with A/S Shannon's conciliatory tone when he 
said that 'populism is not necessarily bad' for the 
region." 
 
- "The US and Israel warn there is no room for 
negotiation" 
 
Ana Baron, Washington-based correspondent for leading 
"Clarin," comments (01/27) "Yesterday, the US 
announced that Hamas' victory will not produce changes 
in the US position. In alignment with Israel, US 
President George W. Bush and Secretary of State 
Condoleezza Rice warned that they will not negotiate 
with Hamas. 
 
"... One of the main risks posed by Bush's efforts to 
export Western democracy to the Middle East was the 
possibility that political parties that oppose his 
interests in the region could take power. 
 
"This is why Hamas' victory in Palestinian legislative 
elections is not only a headache for the White House 
but a real test for its democratizing policy in the 
Palestinian territories. 
 
"... While Bush said he considered these elections a 
new sign of the extension of freedom and democracy in 
the region, the White House will obviously use 
financial aid as a means to pressure Hamas to renouce 
violence. Hamas knows that the aid from the US and the 
EU is vital for the Palestinians." 
 
- "Strong message of Bush - Hamas should renounce 
terrorism" 
 
Hugo Alconada Mon, Washington-based correspondent for 
daily-of-record "La Nacion," comments (01/27) "Even 
with their huge differences, Latin America and the 
Middle East present the same dilemma for the Bush 
administration - how should the US react vis--vis the 
triumph of its real or potential enemies in valid and 
democratic elections, which is the main focus of White 
House foreign policy? 
 
"... The first gesture of the US president was two- 
sided - he showed a conciliatory tone and opened the 
door for a negotiation with Hamas, but he also asked 
it to abandon violence, disarm its militias and 
acknowledge Israel. 
 
"... The scenario is not easy for the White House. 
 
 
 
Hamas' victory signals a crossroads, and perhaps a new 
retreat, for the US-announced purpose of democratizing 
the Islamic world, in which Iran presents a new 
challenge every day; Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and 
Lebanon present steps forward and retreats; and Iraq 
is still a riddle, almost three years away from the 
beginning of the invasion." 
 
- "Bush believes that Hamas is still a terrorist 
organization" 
 
Conservative "La Prensa" reports (01/27) "US President 
George W. Bush still considers Hamas a terrorist 
organization and dismisses negotiations with them as 
long as they persist on their goal to 'destroy our 
ally Israel,' although he underscored that peace 'is 
never dead, because the people want it.' 
 
"... While Bush made it clear that he does not like 
the political change that occurred in the Middle East, 
he hinted that he will do whatever he can to keep the 
negotiating process alive in the region, 'because our 
purpose is to continue supporting the Palestinian 
people.'" 
 
- "Alarm and rejection in Israel, Europe and the US" 
 
Business-financial "Ambito Financiero" reports (01/27) 
"The outcome of the Palestinian legislative election 
impacted on the Israeli society and political leaders. 
The Israeli government said it will not negotiate with 
a 'terrorist organization', such as Hamas, which 
proclaims the 'destruction' of Israel. The White House 
made similar statements, while the EU was cautious and 
the Iranian radical government celebrated it. 
 
"... US President George W. Bush's reaction was in 
alignment with Israel. During a press conference at 
the White House, he said 'The US does not support a 
political party that wants to destroy our ally 
Israel.'" 
 
- "Two countries at war" 
 
Claudio Uriarte, international analyst of left-of- 
center "Pagina 12," writes (01/27) "Palestine is not a 
State yet. However, based on the political earthquake 
unleashed by Hamas' sweeping victory, it can be said 
that Israel and Palestine are two countries at war 
since yesterday... 
 
"Israel has suffered a double political blow, which 
has left it in a territory without any maps - Ariel 
Sharon's political disappearance..., and now these 
elections, which will allow the right wing of Benjamin 
Netanyahu to proclaim that unilateral withdrawals do 
not work because Palestinians believe they are the 
outcome of the struggle of their most radical wing... 
 
"... The US policy on the Middle East is now also to 
the drift as long as it was based on the existence of 
two nations that were willing to acknowledge each 
other. Something is for sure - low-intensity war in 
the Middle East is here to stay." 
 
- "The beginning of the 'unilateral' peace era" 
 
Business-financial "Ambito Financiero" carries an 
opinion piece by columnist Marcelo Falak, who writes 
(01/27) "The Hamas' sweeping victory can be shocking 
but not surprising. 
 
"The victory of Hamas is not only that of Palestinian 
extremists, but that of all hawks' view on the Mideast 
conflict, because it clears the scenario - on the 
Palestinian side there is no one to negotiate with and 
the only possible ways out are force and unilateral 
peace. 
 
"... Regarding the outcome of Palestinian elections 
for the US, on one side, it will have to deal with 
Syria and Iran's strengthened influence on the 
region... On the other side, it will have to deal with 
legitimized terrorist methods and ideologies through 
elections. Third, it will have to deal with the 
 
 
 
suspicion that its democratizing prescription is 
perhaps not the proper one in order to impose what the 
Bush administration envisions for the region." 
 
- "Tilt to the left?" 
 
Daily-of-record "La Nacion" carries an op-ed piece by 
contributor Julio Cesar Moreno, who highlights (01/27) 
"Much has been said about Latin America's 'tilt to the 
left' but definitions become vague when pointing out 
its features and direction of this political 
phenomenon... 
 
"... We should abandon the 'tilt to the left' 
expression and replace it with the description of a 
many-sided phenomenon whose main characteristic is a 
thorough review of the so-called 'consensus of 
Washington,' this is to say the model featuring 
indiscriminate economic opening, big-scale 
privatizations, and denationalization of the economy, 
which was implemented in the '90s. 
 
"The goal of new Latin American elite is to 
reestablish the balance between the State and the 
market, and attain a more equitable redistribution of 
income, so that unemployment, poverty and inequality 
rates diminish." 
 
¶3. EDITORIALS 
 
- "Uncertainty in the Middle East" 
 
Daily-of-record "La Nacion" editorializes (01/27) "In 
just fifteen days, the international political 
panorama has abruptly changed and it promises to 
change even further after the surprising and sweeping 
victory of Hamas radical Islamic group in Palestinian 
elections. 
 
"... The time has come for the leading countries of 
the world and the entire international community to 
commit them to decidedly supporting the peace process 
between Israel and the Palestinian National 
Authority... 
 
"Today, more than ever, the people of Israel should 
decide what the road to peace is - Olmert summarized 
it well 'Israel is a strong and democratic country;' 
but, for this purpose, it will have to count on the 
inexcusable support of the rest of the countries of 
the world. Everyone's future is at stake." 
 
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