VZCZCXYZ0012
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #1105/01 1571452
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 061452Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8335
INFO RHMFISS/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL//SCJ2//
RULGPUA/USCOMSOLANT

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001105 
 
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; BRAZILIAN LEGISLATORS AGAINST CHAVEZ; US 
ANALYSTS OPINE ABOUT MAURICIO MACRI; PRESS FREEDOM IN LATIN AMERICA; 
06/06/07 
 
¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT 
 
Major international opinion pieces include the Brazilian Congress' 
offensive against Chavez's entry into Mercosur; and US analysts' 
opinion about Mauricio Macri; and the status of press freedom in 
Latin America. 
 
¶2. OPINION PIECES AND EDITORIALS 
 
- "Brasilia's offensive against Chavez's entry into Mercosur" 
 
Eleonora Gosman, Sao Paulo-based correspondent for leading "Clarin," 
writes (06/06) "The Brazilian Congressional opposition wants to 
increase pressure on Venezuela. Now, it has threatened to block the 
ratification of the treaty allowing for Venezuela's entry into 
Mercosur as a full member. Brazilian center-right legislators will 
only support this treaty as long as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez 
retracts his statements against the Brazilian Congress. 
 
"... According to 'Folha de Sao Paulo' newspaper, two senators who 
oppose Lula promoted the rejection of Venezuela's entry as a full 
member of Mercosur. 
 
"... Caracas' spat with Brasilia started last week when the 
Venezuelan leader criticized the Brazilian Congress for mimicking 
Washington views 'just like a parrot.' 
 
"... Lula preferred to close the case and referred to Venezuela as 
an important 'partner' of Brazil. Now an OAS offensive looms on the 
horizon - the US asked the OAS to send a team to look into the RCTV 
case." 
 
- "The US compares Macri with the New York mayor" 
 
Ana Baron, Washington-based correspondent for leading "Clarin," 
wrote (06/06) "Most US analysts with expertise in Argentina believe 
that Mauricio Macri will win the runoff election and become the next 
mayor of the city. However, there is no consensus as to Macri's 
chances for offering a viable alternative to the party in power at 
the national level. 
 
"Many analysts compare Macri with Michael Bloomberg, the renowned 
businessman who is currently the mayor of New York. Bloomberg has 
been successful as a mayor but if he ran for president no one 
believes he could win. 
 
"Peter Hakim, head of the Inter American Dialogue, told 'Clarin': 
'Just like New York voters are very different from those of the rest 
of the US, I believe porteos have nothing in common with voters 
from the Argentine provinces.' 
 
"Instead, former US Ambassador to Argentina James Cheek thinks that 
the Capital city is a good platform for Macri to become a national 
figure... 
 
"In Cheek's view, 'Bloomberg handles New York as a corporation and 
this is why he is successful. The same could happen for Macri... The 
former US Ambassador believes Kirchner will do his best to defeat 
Macri in the runoff election, but he doubts he will be able to do 
so... 
 
"Mark Jones, an expert in Argentina who is a consultant to the US 
Department of State, also believes 'Filmus has no chance to win the 
second round of elections. Only in the event Kirchner has some 
'hidden bomb' against Macri, will he be able to defeat him, but I do 
not think so. Ideological criticism will not suffice.' 'Porteo' 
voters do not buy what Kirchner says about the energy problem, 
inflation, the quality of democracy, the lack of investment; they 
simply do not think things are going well.' 
 
"... Mark Jones does not believe that a victory in Buenos Aires 
elections will automatically enable Macri to become the leader of 
the opposition. Jones said '(Macri) will be a good case because he 
is a clearly non-Kirchnerist political leader, but the opposition 
will continue to be divided for the moment. Macri has already been 
in politics for five years and has revealed no ability to make 
alliances,' ... Jones dismissed the possibility of discontent with 
the Kirchners spreading to the provinces. ('There, the Kirchnerists 
will continue winning.')" 
 
- "Get out of the way" 
 
Jorge Elias, columnist of daily-of-record "La Nacion," writes an 
op-ed piece (06/06) "... (Due to governmental pressure), Latin 
American media are at a crossroads: to campaign for the governments 
in order to show their 'patriotism' or to do real journalism and be 
 
 
accused of working for 'the opposition.' 
 
"The time of dictators is over in the region but, for many reasons, 
authoritarianism still abounds... - 316 journalists have been 
murdered in Latin America between 1987 and 2006." 
 
To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our 
classified website at: 
http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires 
 
MATERA