VZCZCXYZ0022
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #1059/01 1301921
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 101921Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4470
INFO RHMFISS/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL//SCJ2//
RULGPUA/USCOMSOLANT

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001059 
 
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 BOLIVIAN AGRARIAN REFORM US 
CANCELING HUMALA'S US VISA VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT 
CHAVEZ'S INTERVENTIONISM IN LATIN AMERICA UN HUMAN 
RIGHTS COUNCIL EU-LATIN AMERICAN SUMMIT US MILITARY 
UNIPOLARITY 05/10/06 
 
 
¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT 
 
Today's key international stories include the 
prevailing fear in Bolivia due to the Government's 
planned agrarian reform; the US canceling Ollanta 
Humala's US visa; Brazilian President Lula's 
irritation with Venezuelan President Chavez's 
interventionism in the region; the Kirchner 
administration's economic performance; Argentina 
becoming a member of the UN Human Rights Council; 
President Kirchner's trip to Vienna to participate in 
the EU/Latin American Summit; and the academic 
establishment's criticism of the "US military 
unipolarity." 
 
¶2. OPINION PIECES AND KEY STORIES 
 
- "Fear in Bolivia due to the agrarian reform" 
 
Daily-of-record "La Nacion" remarks (05/10/06) 
"Bolivian business assemblies and federations harshly 
questioned the government plan to redistribute unused 
productive lands among farmers with a forecasted 
initial reversion rate ranging from 11 to 14 million 
hectares. 
 
"Mauricio Roca, head of the East Agricultural Chamber 
of Commerce, said 'We will not allow this to happen. 
It is not acceptable that decades of family tradition 
and sacrifice are damaged by a political act.' 
 
"... The measure could benefit some 2.5 million 
people, and it could affect foreign land owners... The 
amount in hectares corresponds to roughly 10% of the 
national territory. According to a 2003 governmental 
report, 87% of productive lands are owned by 7% of 
owners of agricultural establishments." 
 
- "The US cancels Humala's visa due to 'acts against 
democracy'" 
 
Daily-of-record "La Nacion" reports (05/10) "Less than 
one month away from Peruvian runoff election, the US 
Embassy in Lima cancelled Ollanta Humala's visa to the 
US... 
 
"According to a spokesperson, authorities made this 
decision based on the fact that US visas are 
automatically canceled in the event 'the person is 
involved in some act against a democratic regime.'" 
 
- "In praise of populism?" 
 
Michael Soltys, executive editor of liberal, English- 
language "Buenos Aires Herald," writes (05/10) "... 
President Nestor Kirchner's unerring ability to do 
everything wrong and get everything right continues to 
baffle economists and laypeople alike with the 
question: 'How long can this last? undoubtedly the 
most common in both business and general circles. 
 
"With three consecutive years of nine percent growth 
showing every sign of heading into a fourth, it is 
perhaps time that the sustainability of Argentina's 
current economic model received a more in-depth answer 
than being attributed to pickup, good luck with the 
international trade cycle, import substitution or any 
other pat explanation. 
 
"... Perhaps the key question concerning the 
sustainability of this model thus lies in the medium 
term and the answer to that question is anybody's 
guess." 
 
- "Lula is bothered with Chavez due to his 
interventionism in the region" 
 
Business-financial "El Cronista" reports (05/10) 
"According to Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, 
Brazilian President Lula warned his Venezuelan 
counterpart, Hugo Chavez, that his regional 
interference will harm South American integration and 
its project to manufacture a gas pipe line. 
 
 
 
 
"The Brazilian Senate Foreign Relations and Defense 
Committee asked Amorim what the impact will be in 
Brazil of the recent Bolivian nationalization of 
hydrocarbons... Several senators criticized Chavez's 
participation in the Puerto Iguazu presidential 
summit, held last week." 
 
- "Argentina obtained support and it will become a 
member of the UN Human Rights Council" 
 
Ana Baron, Washington-based correspondent for leading 
"Clarin," comments (05/10) "Argentina obtained broad 
support in yesterday's elections in the UN General 
Assembly to become a member of the UN Human Rights 
Council. 
 
"Thank to the energetic international lobbying of the 
Argentine Foreign Ministry and particularly by 
Argentine Ambassador to the UN Cesar Mayoral, our 
country obtained 158 votes to become a member of the 
UN Human Rights Council." 
 
- "With the burden of all the problems" 
 
Fernando Cibeira, on special assignment to Vienna for 
left-of-center "Pagina 12," writes (05/10) "President 
Nestor Kirchner will arrive today in Vienna to 
participate in the EU-Latin American Summit, which 
will reveal more conflicts than agreement. 
 
"On the one hand, we have the eternal trade 
disagreement between the European and Latin American 
administrations over farm subsidies. 
 
"To this disagreement, the new clashes in Latin 
America, Mercosur and the Andean Community of Nations 
will add themselves. 
 
"In this way, the expectations of Kirchner's visit 
will be focused on bilateral meetings to be held with 
European leaders and on the news regarding the paper 
mills conflict. The Argentine government is trying to 
lower expectations regarding both issues." 
 
- "The battle over the paper mills sways between 
Washington and Vienna" 
 
Eduardo van der Kooy, political columnist of leading 
"Clarin," comments (05/10) "The conflict over the 
paper mills between Argentina and Uruguay seems to be 
abandoning its natural scenario... Nestor Kirchner and 
Tabare Vazquez have decided to take their conflict out 
to the world. Both presidents will meet tomorrow at 
the EU-Latin American Summit. 
 
"... The Argentine Government's expectations are 
focused on Washington rather than on Vienna. The World 
Bank notified its plans to have environmental 
guarantees before deciding whether it will grant the 
loans requested by Botnia and ENCE to manufacture the 
paper mills." 
 
- "'Realism' recovers some space in the US" 
 
Leading "Clarin" carries an op-ed piece by Fabian 
Calle, political analyst and professor of 
International relations at UCA and UTDT, who writes 
(05/10) "The academic establishment of 
'internationalists' at the main US universities has 
started to criticize the (US) military plans to stop 
Iran's nuclear program. 
 
"... It is not the first time that the realistic 
'think tank' of US academic circles firmly criticizes 
the wars decided by Washington. 
 
"... To this debate we should add the criticism from a 
number of high-ranking US army officials of the way 
the Bush administration, and particularly Secretary 
Rumsfeld, have carried out the invasion and then the 
anti-insurgent war in Iraq. 
 
"... The prevailing tension with Iran will do nothing 
but deepen the current debate, and we will see whether 
 
 
 
 
comments made by realistic academicians and military 
have more influence than neo-conservatives and the US 
military unipolarity itself." 
 
¶3. EDITORIALS 
 
- "The conflict between Venezuela and Peru" 
 
An editorial in leading "Clarin" reads (05/10) "In an 
unacceptable intervention in the Peruvian domestic 
affairs, Chavez gave explicit support for Ollanta 
Humala, and made insulting statements about Garcia... 
 
"The interdependence among Latin American policies and 
the foreign framework in which they work call for 
common approaches rather than rhetorical clashes among 
their leaders, which have negative consequences for 
all involved countries and for the rest of the 
region." 
 
To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our 
classified website at: 
http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires 
 
GUTIERREZ