VZCZCXYZ0011
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0689/01 1020903
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 120903Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7804
INFO RHMFISS/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL//SCJ2//
RULGPUA/USCOMSOLANT

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000689 
 
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; IRAN; IRAQ; CUBA; 04/11/07; BUENOS AIRES 
 
¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT 
 
International stories today include the alleged Iranian energy 
crisis that could justify its nuclear program; the upcoming FM 
ministerial on the Iraq issue, which will take place in Egypt; and 
the US embargo on Cuba, which is questioned not only in Cuba but 
also in the US, where the majority of the public opposes it. 
 
Daily-of-record "La Nacion" carries an op-ed piece by Admiral James 
¶G. Stavridis, head of the US South Command. 
 
¶2. OPINION PIECES AND EDITORIALS 
 
- "(Dead end) ally" 
 
Marcelo Cantelmi, international editor of leading "Clarin," penned 
(04/11) "The issue just looks like a (dead end) ally. Ali Lariyani, 
secretary to the Iranian Security Council and the one who solved the 
 
SIPDIS 
crisis posed by the UK Marines, warned European leaders and the 
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the end of the 
Iranian nuclear program should be neither a condition nor the 
outcome of negotiations. 
 
"According to Iranian authorities, their program does not include 
the bomb, but, given the circumstances, most believe that this will 
be an inevitable consequence in the medium term. The concrete thing 
for now is that, in spite of the fact that Iran has abundant amounts 
of oil, its energy structure is broken and the nuclear program is a 
handy option to solve a crisis that could well lead to social 
upheavals. 
 
"As one can see, it is not only pride we are talking about in this 
thorny issue." 
 
- "Iraq and the hell of civil war" 
 
Daily-of-record "La Nacion" editorializes (04/11) "On May 1, 2003, 
US President George W. Bush triumphantly announced to his people and 
the nations making up the military coalition that invaded Iraq - 
'Accomplished mission'... 
 
"Four years later, Iraq is merged in a tough sectarian civil war... 
 
 
"The US seems bogged down in a conflict that not only has impaired 
its image in the eyes of the world but which seems to have a remote 
an unpredictable end. The shadow of what happened some decades ago 
in Lebanon is starting to grow and raises concern in all those who 
are involved in this mess. George W. Bush's declared objective of 
substituting a democracy for Saddam Hussein's tyranny is now 
unrealistic. 
 
"As a consequence of the reshuffling of power occurred due to the 
downfall of Saddam Hussein's regime, Iran has become a new regional 
power and it openly defies the international community with its 
nuclear program, which contributes even further to worsening this 
complex reality. 
 
"... The Iraqi FM has just surprisingly announced that the second 
meeting for multilateral peace talks will take place in Egypt 
instead of Turkey. 
 
"... Four years away from the occupation of Baghdad by the US-led 
military coalition, the scenario has considerably worsened and the 
worst predictions of those who opposed it seem to have been 
accomplished. 
 
"The situation in Iraq will be the prevailing issue in the round of 
negotiations in Egypt... The road to dialogue seems to be the proper 
option to put an end to the climate of violence that has taken hold 
of Iraq and, to some extent, of the entire region. The world should 
not miss, then, a crucial opportunity to promote peace." 
 
- "The (US) embargo on Cuba, anachronistic" 
 
An editorial in leading "Clarin" reads (04/11) "Cuba has suffered a 
US economic embargo for 45 years, which makes it live under severe 
limitations and outside of major trade flows... 
 
"For the first time in history, most people in the US believe that 
sanctions should be lifted or softened, which could open prospects 
of reestablishing major trade. 
 
"Reasons for this change are pragmatic rather than ideological. 
Communism has stopped being the main problem for US foreign policy 
and doubts about Castro's fragile health condition raise concerns 
and expectations. The problem is how to get out of the prolonged 
siege on Cuba without setting off a sudden imbalance in its economy, 
a point on which both Washington and Havana certainly agree." 
 
To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website 
at: 
http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires 
 
WAYNE