VZCZCXYZ0010
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #2131/01 3021442
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 291442Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9592
INFO RHMFISS/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL//SCJ2//
RULGPUA/USCOMSOLANT

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 002131 
 
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
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION; ARGENTINE FOREIGN POLICY; PLAN MEXICO; 
CHAVEZ AND BOLIVIA; 10/29/07 
 
 
¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT 
 
Weekend major international stories are related to the foreign 
policy of the future Argentine government; Plan Mexico; and 
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's threat to intervene militarily in 
Bolivia in the event someone attempts to "oust" Bolivian President 
Evo Morales. 
 
¶2. OPINION PIECES AND EDITORIALS 
 
- "A place in the world" 
 
Santiago O'Donnell, international analyst of left-of-center "Pagina 
12," writes (10/28) "... Saying that the world does not care who 
will be elected Argentine president is a cliche. As in every cliche, 
there is something true, but it is also true that Argentine 
(presidential) elections are particularly important to neighboring 
countries... Perhaps, the most interested is Bolivian President Evo 
Morales. The Kirchners' have supported his ambitious transformation 
process in Bolivia at all levels... 
 
"Clearly enough, Chavez is the political leader that most separates 
Cristina Kirchner from Lavagna and Carrio. An important official 
foreign policy counselor (not the FM) said that Chavez's adversaries 
in Argentina and overseas overestimate how dangerous he is, 
allegedly. 'The world changed, guerrillas are no longer an option in 
the region. Who will Chavez destabilize? What is so bad about him? 
That he meets with the Iranian president? Putin also does so, and 
many other presidents. When Americans tell us to stop doing business 
with Chavez, I answer Why don't you stop doing business with Chavez? 
Venezuela has 14,000 Citgo oil stations in the US. No one in the 
world takes seriously Chavez's alleged threat.' 
 
"... The Argentine election will not change the center-to-left trend 
adopted by the region in recent years, regardless of the nuances of 
the liberal bloc formed by Mexico, Colombia, Peru and some 
Central-American countries. Argentina will further its cooperation 
with the US in the antiterrorist struggle, its conflict with Iran, 
its commitment to Mercosur, and the search for new markets. As far 
as the US is concerned, while it is bogged down in Iraq, it will 
continue to disregard the region. Europe will continue like it is. 
Asia is still far and the Middle East is 'burning iron' that no one 
wants to touch. 
 
"... Cristina Kirchner marked the style of her future foreign policy 
when she took a campaign event in Mar del Plata to recall the legacy 
of the summit held in the city, in which the US-promoted FTAA was 
defeated by Mercosur. Temperamental and challenging with her 
opponents, seductive and curious among friends, with Madres and 
Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo as her emblem, keeping the country's 
alliance with Chavez and Lula and sending some winks to the business 
world, Cristina Kirchner will impose her personal style by 
maintaining her husband's geopolitical alignments." 
 
- "The border under surveillance" 
 
Gustavo Sierra, international columnist of leading "Clarin," opines 
(10/28) "The US-Mexican border is plagued with sensors, TV cameras, 
infrared visors, surveillance satellites and even Indian guides that 
are able to read fingerprints on the sand. In spite of all this 
paraphernalia, the border remains porous. 
 
"Now, Washington will be sending to Mexico a 1,4 billion dollar aid 
package for furthering its struggle against the drug trafficking 
between Texas and Mexico... 
 
"... Many in Mexico believe that it would be much more effective to 
use those funds to raise the guards' salaries, and improve the 
selection of police officers and the general welfare of the 
inhabitants of the border. It is already proved that high technology 
cannot relieve hunger. 
 
"The US, instead, intends to provide something similar to Plan 
Colombia, in which 5 billion dollars have been spent during the last 
decade to fight drug trafficking with not result whatsoever. The 
plan is in fact a counter-insurgent campaign that has not put an end 
either to drug trafficking or guerrillas. 
 
"... Perhaps, the 1.4 billion dollar package should be used to look 
for the real roots of the problem. For some business to yield 23 
billion dollars a year (according to the National Drug Intelligence 
Center at the US Department of Justice), there should be strong 
power on both sides of the border that is willing to provide 
shelter, and that power should be immune to infrared detectors." 
 
- "More threats from Chavez" 
 
An editorial in daily-of-record "La Nacion" reads (10/29) 
"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has aggressively and in many ways 
violated the region's principle of non intervention in the domestic 
issues of other countries. 
 
"His firebrand rhetoric seems unlimited. Just a few days ago, he 
pointed out from the Cuban city of Santa Clara, on his 'Alo 
president' radio program, that if someone attempts to 'oust' Evo 
Morales, he will not remain idle. He even added that he is willing 
to 'use machine guns' and he then labeled that probable intervention 
a 'machine gun-Vietnam' in Bolivia. 
 
"Chavez's threatening statement, which suggests the use of weapons 
in a country that is not his own, deserves unanimous repudiation 
because, in addition to Venezuela's remarkable arms race, it implies 
a clear threat to regional peace and security, which should concern 
us all..." 
 
To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our 
classified website at: 
http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires 
WAYNE