VZCZCXYZ0007
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSG #0177 0322004
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 012004Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0848
INFO RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1257
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ FEB MANAGUA 0120
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 0069
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0072
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 1648

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000177 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR IIP/G/WHA, INR/R/MR, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA 
 
AMEMBASSIES POR PAO, IO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO PGOV PREL VE BL NU CU EC CI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION - LULA, KIRCHNER, AND CHAVEZ 
 
¶1. On January 31, Chile's conservative, independent "La Tercera" 
(circ. 101,000) carried a column by Venezuelan political analyst 
Alberto Garrido entitled, "Lula and Kirchner's 'Warning' to Chavez." 
 
 
¶2. "The leak to the press of an alleged warning from Lula (da Silva) 
and (Nestor) Kirchner to Chavez 'not to take steps that could weaken 
Venezuela's democracy' is only a summer night's dream for political 
sectors and public opinion in Latin America and the world....  The 
array of economic integration agreements signed by Chavez with Lula 
and Kirchner...can solely be explained in the framework of Chavez' 
intent to promote the creation of a Latin American and Caribbean 
Unified Nation (Patria Grande Latinoamericana y Caribea), for which 
there is already an embryo, which is the Bolivarian Confederation of 
Nations (Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua).... 
Withdrawing from a relationship with Chavez could be costly for Lula 
and Kirchner.  In addition to fragmenting Mercosur, Brazil would 
lose a commercial partner that in 2006 generated a US$ 3 billion 
trade surplus and Argentina would upset its most important 
creditor. 
 
¶3. "As if this were not enough, Lula and Kirchner are looking at the 
Southern Gas Pipeline, a mid-term project largely financed by 
Chavez, as a strategic solution to the gas supply problem. 
Therefore, the 'warning'- if there ever was one -- is just words 
blowing in the wind." 
 
KELLY