VZCZCXYZ0019
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0041/01 0091906
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 091906Z JAN 06
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3008
INFO RHMFIUU/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL//SCJ2//
RULGPUA/USCOMSOLANT

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000041 
 
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 A/S THOMAS SHANNON UPCOMING 
VISIT TO BUENOS AIRES URUGUAY DENYING FTD WITH US 
HAITI ARGENTINE-BOLIVIAN TIES CHAVEZ AS A MEDIATOR 
BETWEEN ARGENTINA AND BOLIVIA US DOMESTIC ESPIONAGE 
THE KIRCHNER ADMINISTRATION 01/09/06 
 
¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT 
 
Weekend stories cover: the upcoming visit of A/S 
Thomas Shannon to Buenos Aires; Uruguay denying that 
it may be negotiating a free trade deal with the US; 
the upcoming elections in Haiti; the Argentine- 
Bolivian relationship; US Republican Tom De Lay 
quitting US Congress majority post; the alleged US 
domestic espionage; and the US-Argentine bilateral 
relationship. 
 
¶2. INSIDE-PAGE HEADLINES ON A/S SHANNON'S UPCOMING 
VISIT TO BUENOS AIRES 
 
- Daily-of-record "La Nacion" (01/07) "Shannon arrives 
in Argentina in order to put the US-Argentine 
bilateral relationship on a sound track." "Bush's 
envoy will also visit Brasilia with the same purpose." 
 
- "Leading "Clarin" (01/08) ?One week of encounters 
with the US and France." "Government officials arrive 
in the country." 
 
- Conservative "La Prensa" (01/07) "A USG official 
will visit our country." "US Assistant Secretary Tom 
Shannon will arrive in Argentina on Thursday." "He is 
planning to meet with Foreign Minister Taiana and Vice 
Foreign Minister Garcia Moritan, but he will hold some 
other meetings." "The visit of the influential member 
of the Bush administration will have a special 
political meaning." 
 
- Business-financial "El Cronista" (01/09) "Argentina 
and the US resume contacts." 
 
- Business-financial, center-right "InfoBae" (01/09) 
"New Argentine approach to Washington." 
 
¶3. OPINION PIECES AND KEY STORIES 
 
- "Shannon arrives in Argentina in order to put the US- 
Argentine bilateral relationship on a sound track" 
 
Florencia Carbone, political columnist of daily-of- 
record "La Nacion," writes (01/07) "US Assistant 
Secretary for the Western Hemisphere Tom Shannon will 
 
SIPDIS 
come to Argentina next week. 
 
"The visit of the head of US diplomacy for Latin 
America was confirmed yesterday by sources from the 
(Argentine) Foreign Ministry and the US Embassy in 
Buenos Aires and will occur just a few days before the 
meeting to be held in Brazil with presidents Kirchner, 
Lula and Chavez in light of Evo Morales taking power 
in Bolivia... 
 
"Asked about the topics of the agenda, spokespersons 
of the US embassy briefly said 'regional and bilateral 
issues'... 
 
"This phrase, translated into less diplomatic 
language, could include certain inevitable bilateral 
topics such as free trade, the political and social 
situation in the region, the struggle against narco- 
trafficking and terrorism. 
 
"... Shannon, who will meet with Foreign Minister 
Jorge Taiana and Vice foreign Minister Roberto Garcia 
Moritan..., will be here during the same week in which 
a delegation of US Republican senators will arrive in 
the country. 
 
"... There is a highlighted item on the US agenda on 
the region, and particularly in the US agenda on 
Argentina and Brazil - Evo Morales taking power. 
 
"The Bush administration sees the coca leader as a 
hypothetical ally of the presidents of Venezuela and 
Cuba in their anti-US crusade." 
 
- "One week of contacts with the US and France" 
 
Leading "Clarin" reports (01/08) "During this week, 
the Argentine government will hold a series of 
 
 
 
 
meetings with members of the Bush and Chirac 
administrations at a moment when their bilateral 
relationship is not at its best. 
 
"A/S Thomas Shannon is scheduled to arrive in Buenos 
Aires between this Thursday and Friday in order to 
hold meetings with Argentine authorities. 
 
"This is not minor information if one bears in mind 
that the Argentine ties with the White House are not 
at their best, particularly in the aftermath of the 
Fourth SOA... 
 
"By then, Shannon was in charge of the frustrated 
negotiations with Mercosur countries, which triggered 
Bush's anger because the US was unable to re-launch 
FTAA negotiations. 
 
"Next Thursday, (Argentine) Foreign Minister Jorge 
Taiana will receive a delegation of US Republican 
senators that will be led by Mitch McConnell, chairman 
of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign 
Operations, of most importance in the White House's 
foreign policy. With them, Taiana will tackle FTAA- 
related issues... 
 
"The legislators' visit is aimed at talking about 
topics related to security, the struggle against 
terrorism, hemispheric economic integration and 
bilateral trade." 
 
- "Uruguay denies talk of US FTD" 
 
Liberal, English-language "Buenos Aires Herald" 
reports (01/07) "Uruguay yesterday denied that it may 
be negotiating a FTD with the US, after Argentina 
warned it that such an accord could only be discussed 
from within the Mercosur trade bloc and demanded 
clarification. Uruguay and Argentina are also locked 
in a separate diplomatic dispute over the construction 
of two pulp mills on the border between the two 
countries. 
 
"... Uruguayan Foreign Minister Reinaldo Gargano said 
yesterday that 'the Uruguayan government is not 
negotiating any FTD with the US.' 
 
"He even expressed doubts about the news report... 
 
"Gargano said that despite Montevideo not seeking a 
FTD with Washington, that 'does not mean that we are 
not discussing trade issues with all countries in the 
world such as China, India and South Africa... or that 
we are not demanding (like Argentina is doing) that 
the US lower its tariffs and increase its purchases." 
 
- "Haiti: no easy way out" 
 
Gwynne Dyer, contributor to liberal, English-language 
"Buenos Aires Herald," writes (01/09) ".... Haiti is 
responding badly to foreign intervention because it is 
a real country with a tragic history. Haitians may 
have no money, little education and few prospects, but 
they actually know who they are... 
 
".... The date has finally been set for the first 
elections to be held since Jean-Bertrand Aristide was 
ousted from power nearly two years ago. 
 
"... Aristide, in exile in South Africa, still sees 
himself as the legitimate president of Haiti, and so 
do a lot of Haitians. They will not be allowed to vote 
for him even if the 'interim government' does 
eventually manage to stage an election, but that means 
that nothing will be settled and the violence will not 
abate. Aristide may never return, but the old order 
cannot be restored." 
 
- "Kirchner wants to turn Bolivia into a commercal 
ally" 
 
Martin Rodriguez Yebra, political columnist of daily- 
of-record "La Nacion," writes (01/07) "The hypothesis 
of a conflict does not fit in the relationship the 
 
 
 
 
Kirchner administration is planning to have with 
Bolivia, in spite of President-elect Evo Morales' 
warnings on the increase in the gas price supplied to 
Argentina. 
 
"Far from any tension, Kirchner will try to build a 
commercial alliance with the Bolivian leader that will 
be similar to the one he negotiated with the Venezuela 
of Hugo Chavez two years ago - in summary, Kirchner 
will attempt to reach a series of deals focused on the 
exchange of gas supply for industrial machinery and 
scientific and technological cooperation." 
 
- "Gas - Chavez wants to act as a mediator between 
Bolivia and Argentina" 
 
Business-financial "Ambito Financiero" (01/09) reports 
"Hugo Chavez wants to become a sort of mediator 
between Evo Morales and Nestor Kirchner vis--vis the 
imminent bilateral conflicts between the future 
Bolivian government and the Argentine administration. 
The Venezuelan president will seek to personally deal 
with both presidents in order to approach positions, 
particularly on the gas price issue, so that the 
potential problems are dismissed and a fast commercial 
agreement is reached. 
 
 
"In concrete, Chavez will seek that before the month 
of June, Morales will sign the same sort of energy 
deal he reached with Venezuela last December at the 
Montevideo Mercosur summit, in which Venezuela started 
its process as a 'political partner' of Mercosur." 
 
¶4. EDITORIALS 
 
- "US domestic espionage" 
 
An editorial in leading "Clarin" reports (01/07) "The 
USG has earned strong domestic and foreign criticism 
of its infringement on individual rights under the 
protection of the broad powers granted by the anti- 
terror legislation. 
 
"US President George W. Bush acknowledged several 
actions of espionage on behalf of the National 
Security Agency on US citizens without any judicial 
order, which overrides governmental powers. 
 
".... The September 11 attacks made clear shortfalls 
in the domestic security of the country that most 
money assigns to national defense and security. This 
is why the emphasis on strengthening security and 
prevention measures is fully understandable. What 
cannot be explained is that it damages other citizens' 
rights and guarantees." 
 
- "End of a cycle in the Middle East" 
 
An editorial in leading "Clarin" reads (01/09) "In his 
last battle for life, PM Ariel Sharon is leaving the 
Israeli political scene without one of the last 
leaders who lived under the sign of war. 
 
"... Sharon's stance was that of a nationalistic 
intransigent leader... 
 
"Nonetheless, during his latest administration he 
initiated a territorial separation that could imply 
the acknowledgment of an independent Palestinian 
State. Peace process in the Middle East depended on 
leaders who understood the opportunity to re-orient 
history in another direction. Another crucial part of 
that road is still ahead." 
 
- "A realistic foreign policy" 
 
Business-financial "El Cronista" editorializes (01/09) 
"Argentina's foreign policy will face an agenda 
calling for clear definitions in the next weeks, 
leaving little room for rhetoric and false 
ideologies... 
 
"As a sign that the region is going through a special 
 
 
 
 
political and economic moment, several key encounters 
will occur starting this week. First, A/S Tom Shannon 
will arrive in the country on Thursday... His visit is 
in the framework of a cooled (US-Argentine) 
relationship due to the dispute over FTAA negotiations 
in the Mar del Plata Summit. But, Foreign Minister 
Jorge Taiana is attempting to maintain a less distant 
relationship with the US. The topics of the meetings 
will not only be the bilateral ones. Just some days 
after, Bolivian President-elect Evo Morales is 
scheduled to come to the country - Morales publicly 
supports Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez and Nestor 
Kirchner. 
 
".... Nothing leads one to think that President 
Kirchner's foreign policy will change. He believes his 
ties with Chavez act as political contention and 
support for regional stability. 
 
"... Argentina has the opportunity to establish a 
mature strategy, far from short-term and false 
ideological dilemmas." 
 
- "The (Argentine) Government's responsibility 
following the payment of its debt to the IMF" 
 
Leading "Clarin" (01/08) editorializes "Through the 
payment of its debt to the IMF, the (Argentine) 
government won freedom, but it assumed a strong 
commitment that the economic policy and its outcome 
will be its own responsibility starting now... 
 
"... But it is also fundamental to generate the 
framework to return confidence to foreign investors in 
Argentina. 
 
"Investors' confidence depends primarily on the 
prospects of economic expansion and profitability. 
Secondly, but not of less importance, it also depends 
on confidence in institutions and judicial security. 
 
"... The positive effect of partial dis-indebtedness 
and the growth obtained during recent years could be 
weakened by the counter-productive effect of populist 
gestures or political intemperance." 
 
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