VZCZCXYZ0031
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSG #2185/01 2901916
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171916Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0195
INFO RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1128

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 002185 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR IIP/G/WHA, INR/R/MR, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO PGOV PREL VE CI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION - CHILE'S ABSTENTION IN UNSC VOTE 
 
 
¶1.  Summary:  October 17 dailies highlighted claims that former 
Christian Democratic (DC) party Congressmen Gutenberg Martinez 
influenced President Bachelet's decision to abstain in the UNSC vote 
for a Latin American candidate.  Martinez had warned that voting for 
Venezuela would mark a "before an after" in the relations between 
the DC and the government.  The opposition argued that the President 
lacked leadership.  Three dailies ran editorials on the President's 
handling of foreign policy, criticizing her the delay in making a 
decision, lack of initiative to promote a consensus candidate, and 
failure to discuss her decision with all political parties.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2.  Following are excerpts of reactions and editorial commentaries 
in Chilean dailies: 
 
¶3.  DC Congressman Gabriel Acensio: "Gutenberg Martinez won here. 
It is clearly a decision taken under the pressure of Martinez' 
statement." 
 
¶4.  PS Senator Jaime Gazmuri:  "I understand the President's reasons 
to abstain.... (But) There were attitudes expressed in the 
Concertacion that should not occur again.  I am talking about 
Gutenberg Martinez' statements regarding to a before and after." 
 
¶5.  PS Carlos Ominami:  "We must draw our conclusions... especially 
on the 'before and after,' which was a very violent questioning of 
the President's prerogative." 
 
¶6.  PS Senator Alejandro Navarro:  "Even abroad this decision will 
be read as a sign of weakness." 
 
¶7.  PS Marco Enriquez-Ominami:  "With this decision, Chile's foreign 
policy of integrating the continent falls to pieces." 
 
¶8.  UDI Pablo Longueira:  "This shows lack of leadership....  If he 
(Gutenberg Martinez) had not said there would be a before and after 
if the government favored Venezuela, the President would have voted 
differently." 
 
¶9.  PS Senator Jaime Gazmuri:  "We have to learn to live in a 
conflictive neighborhood with governments and people who are 
different from us, who are internally legitimate, and who want to be 
our friends.  But instead, we systematically attack those people." 
 
 
¶10.  Former Foreign Affairs Minister Hernn Felipe Errazuriz said 
that although the decision would be viewed as a sign of indecision 
abroad, in terms of domestic policy the decision was prudent and 
practical, because it "discourages divisions due to Chavez' 
intervention." 
 
¶11.  RN Senator Sergio Romero:  "Bachelet's abstention shows lack of 
leadership....  All polls showed that except for a small 
minority...no one wanted to favor Venezuela." 
 
¶12.  Communist Party Secretary General Guillermo Teillier said 
Chile's abstention is a "serious setback" and the result of the 
"pressure exerted by the U.S. government and its internal allies to 
stop Latin America from expressing its autonomy and independence in 
the international organization."  The PC also held the DC 
accountable. 
 
¶13.  Saul Ortega, President of Venezuela's legislature:  "We respect 
the government's decision, but the DC acted as faithfully as a 
trained dog with the U.S. .... Chile will have to assess how its 
democracy can benefit from a neo fascist party such as the 
DC...which has its hands tainted with the ousting and blood of 
Salvador Allende, and today again it sings with imperialism."  His 
assessment of Bachelet was very different.  "Bachelet did what she 
had to do as a ruler.  We still consider her a friend." 
 
¶14.  On October 16, conservative, afternoon "La Segunda" (circ. 
33,000) ran an editorial entitled "A Domestic Policy Decision." 
Quote: 
 
"The negative part of this chapter is the image we have shown of how 
Chile conducts its international relations.  The debate revealed a 
conflict between different sectors of the Concertacion and the 
government on diplomacy...and demonstrated that we are, to some 
extent, making the same mistake we accused Kirchner of committing, 
which is conducting foreign policy based on short-term internal 
political considerations." 
 
¶15.  On October 17, business and financial "Diario Financiero" 
(circ. 30,000) carried an editorial entitled "Chile's Abstention in 
the UN."  Quote: 
 
"Chile's decision to not vote for Venezuela was correct.  There is 
no doubt that it would have been a contradiction within Latin 
America unity to legitimize someone who is the main cause of 
division, insecurity, and conflict on the continent....  One 
question is what was the purpose of delaying the decision...and 
another is why didn't the government look for a candidate that would 
represent it more fully, if it did not like Guatemala's bid because 
it was too close to the U.S. and too far from the continent?  These 
questions...show that Chile should play a different role in the 
international context and that its foreign policy is far from 
optimum." 
 
¶16.  On October 17, conservative, influential newspaper-of-record 
"El Mercurio" (circ. 129,000) ran an editorial entitled "Chile's 
Abstention."  Quote 
 
"In general it is a bad sign when a foreign policy issue becomes a 
domestic policy problem, which was the case with Chile's vote in the 
UNSC and Venezuela's bid....  By definition, a state policy entails 
consensus or at least wide support among public opinion.  This was 
not the case, and therefore abstention was better than favoring 
Venezuela....  But the President never discussed the vote with the 
opposition and only informed the coalition parties shortly before 
the announcement of the decision.  No one questions the President's 
prerogative to make a decision, but the sole exercise of this 
prerogative does not constitute state policy." 
 
KELLY