VZCZCXYZ0017
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0596/01 0862046
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 272046Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7677
INFO RHMFISS/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL//SCJ2//
RULGPUA/USCOMSOLANT

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000596 
 
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; US REACTION TO CHAVEZ'S ANTI-BUSH RALLY IN 
ARGENTINA; CHAVEZ'S LAND SEIZURES; CHINA'S ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF 
PRIVATE PROPERTY; 03/27/07; BUENOS AIRES 
 
¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT 
 
International opinion pieces today are mainly focused on the USG's 
reaction to Venezuelan Hugo Chavez's anti-Bush rally in Buenos 
Aires; Venezuelan President Chavez's land seizures; and China's 
acknowledgement of private property. 
 
¶2. OPINION PIECES 
 
- "The US complaint over Chavez's rally was a well-calculated 
reaction" 
 
Ana Baron, Washington-based correspondent for leading "Clarin," 
writes (03/27) "According to a USG official, 'the US Department of 
State has long sought to have a good relationship with Kirchner. We 
put up with criticism during the Mar del Plata Summit of the 
Americas and also with the fact that he never thanked us for the 
help we gave him during the (Argentine) economic meltdown. However, 
Kirchner went too far when he allowed Chavez to lead a rally in 
Argentina while Bush was in Uruguay.' 
 
"According to the source, US Under Secretary for Political Affairs 
Nicholas Burns' statements were not a personal rebuff but a change 
of policy that signify the cooling of bilateral ties. 
 
"The source adds, 'First and foremost, it is the first time in a 
long time we have a strong ambassador in Argentina. Wayne is not the 
kind of person who is there only to say nice and diplomatic things, 
but just the opposite. He came up with the idea to make a formal 
complaint for what he considers unacceptable behavior. Since Wayne 
was not able to call Bush, he discussed it with US Ambassador to 
Uruguay Frank Baxter, and Baxter fully agreed with him.' 
 
"... 'Just when Bush was landing in Uruguay with his delegation, 
Baxter passed it on to Dan Fisk, Western Hemisphere Director at the 
National Security Council, in front of Burns. And they decided to do 
something about it. Bush and Rice were furious.' 
 
"According to the source, US Assistant Secretary for Western 
Hemisphere Affairs Tom Shannon was not able to prevent the complaint 
from occurring. 
 
"... The source pointed out that the Bush administration still 
thinks that the relationship between Kirchner and Chavez is 
basically one of convenience due to (Venezuela's) purchase of 
Argentine bonds. 
 
"'Nevertheless, when Chavez planned the rally, Kirchner should have 
said no. It is absolutely infantile to say 'I did not take part in 
organizing the rally. The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo were the ones 
who organized it.' That's stupid. The truth is that, after all this, 
Kirchner is weakened and, in the eyes of the Bush administration, he 
totally depends on Chavez.'" 
 
- "Hands on lands" 
 
Michael Soltys, executive editor of liberal, English-language 
"Buenos Aires Herald," writes (03/27) "Venezuelan President Hugo 
Chavez doubtless spends sleepless nights trying to think up new ways 
to be the wild man of the Americas and land seizures would seem to 
be his latest stunt, judging from last weekend. 
 
"Not that such confiscations are a total novelty in Venezuela - 
something like two million hectares have been seized since Chavez 
became president in 1998. But this figure includes something like a 
third of a million seized in one day last weekend at gunpoint. 
Perhaps that is why Chavez has been purchasing so much weaponry in 
the last three years - perhaps he needs to arm a peasants' revolt. 
 
"Where these land seizures are heading is hard to say - it is merely 
handing over idle land to the landless, as Chavez claims, or is 
there a more ideological agenda of collectivization, even 
'kolkhoz-ization' of Venezuelan agriculture afoot? Whatever is 
happening, it is definitely a question of 'Watch this space.' 
 
"If indeed Chavez is thinking of introducing the kolkhoz collective 
farms of Stalinist Russia into Venezuela, he has yet to convince 
Venezuela's Communist Party of Stalinist vintage to merge into the 
new United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PUSV), into which all 
Chavez supporters are now being dragooned. This is not so much a 
party as an anti-party - designed to stifle all debate in favor of 
the single thinking of a single person: Chavez." 
 
- "China's historic reform" 
 
Daily-of-record "La Nacion" editorializes (03/27) "China has just 
 
 
taken a transcendental step in its road toward the full 
implementation of a market economy by having approved a reform 
recognizing private property. This change demolishes one of the 
fundamental pillars of China's prevailing collective ideology ever 
since the emergence of the Mao-Tse-Tung-led Communist regime in 
¶1949. 
 
"The legislation approved by China's National Popular Assembly is a 
substantial step towards the reinforcement of capitalist reforms 
introduced in 1978 and in the protection of private economic 
interests, which are the main reason for the economic growth 
achieved by the country during latest decades... 
 
"The legislation, which will be in force in October, states that the 
government-owned, collective and individual property 'are protected 
by law and no one can infringe on them'... 
 
"Even when many and more profound economic, political and human 
rights-related reforms are still required in a country that is 
becoming one of the engines of world economy, the recognition of 
private property deserves to be welcomed as a major breakthrough 
since it will consolidate the capitalist amendments introduced by 
Beijing's Communist regime." 
 
To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our 
classified website at: 
http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires 
 
WAYNE