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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSG #1846/01 3241043
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201043Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2427
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 1863
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0007
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 0614
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1549
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 5299
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 1780
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ 5497

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 001846 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR IIP/G/WHA, INR/R/MR, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO PGOV PREL VE CI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION - IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT AFTERMATH 
 
 
¶1.  Summary:  The Chilean press continues to collect opinions among 
experts and international commentators about the impact of the clash 
between the King of Spain and Chavez.  The overall consensus is that 
Chavez' primary goal is to disrupt relations among nations in the 
region to his own advantage and that the Venezuelan President is 
rude, offensive, and unwilling to comply with established rules. 
The commentators also agree that other leaders in the region should 
speak out against Chavez, but do not because they are afraid of the 
Venezuelan leader's influence and losing access to his cheap oil. 
Analysts also concur that Chavez has unquestionably hurt the region, 
by undermining future summits and dialogue.  Others argue that that 
those countries that are working wholeheartedly to overcome 
underdevelopment, such as Chile, have no business dealing with 
individuals such as Chavez.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  On November 18, conservative, influential, newspaper-of-record 
"El Mercurio" (Sunday circ. 260,100) quoted Sergio Abrue, former 
Uruguay Foreign Minister:  "What is significant here is that there 
is a head of state, such as Chavez, who tries to impose a model that 
creates division and conflict wherever he goes....  Chavez is 
incontrollable and does not respect any type of formality." 
 
¶3.  Inigo Saenz de Ugarte, Spanish daily Publico said:  "Latin 
America has changed and someone should have warned the President of 
Chile that several countries, headed by Venezuela...use the media in 
these Summits to launch their aggressive messages.  They are 
fighting an ideological war....  The government of Chile failed to 
foresee a situation that was bound to happen sooner or later...and 
it did not put a stop to Chavez' unruliness....  Bachelet was like a 
referee who let the game continue until she realized the players 
were breaking each others bones.  She did not interfere, did not set 
the boundaries, and in the end was overtaken by events." 
 
¶5.  Carlos Figueroa (former state minister of Chile) said:  "The 
summit incident has been blown out of proportion, because it 
involved the King of Spain, who showed he is as human as anyone else 
and becomes enraged with the Chavez and Ortega's nonsense....  I 
would respectfully advise the President (Bachelet) to keep a more 
distant official relationship with Chavez." 
 
¶6.  Milos Alcalay, former Venezuelan Ambassador to United Nations 
stated: "The Presidents (of the region) are too tolerant with 
Chavez....  They should tell Chavez -- paraphrasing the Spanish King 
-- to 'shut up.'" 
 
¶7.  An Opina survey on the King-Chavez incident at the 
Ibero-American summit revealed that:  45.3% graded President 
Bachelet's handling of the incident between 1 and 4 (D and F). 
Asked if Chile should oppose Chavez or remain neutral, 66.4% said 
"neutral" and 21% said "oppose"; 39.2% said the King of Spain's 
reaction to Chavez had been "appropriate" and 39.7% said President 
Bachelet should have reprimanded Chavez. 
 
¶8.  On November 18, "El Mercurio" reported that discontent in 
Venezuela is growing and increasingly evident among the students who 
are demonstrating every day.  Orlando Ochoa, PhD in economics from 
Oxford University, said that a 30% inflation rate, shortages of 
basic products, price controls, and a nearly one-third drop in oil 
production assures a bleak future for Venezuela.  "Venezuela is the 
land of corruption, consumerism, black market, and shortages.  That 
is the 21st century socialist revolution paid for by oil," stated 
Ochoa. 
 
¶9.  Ivan Carratu, former Venezuelan Military Attache to the United 
States, stated Chavez's primary goal is to destroy democratic 
institutions in other countries in the region.  Carratu says that 
Venezuela's military association with Belorussia, Russia, Algeria, 
Cuba, China, North Korea, and Iran, and his decision to manufacture 
rifles can be understood in the limelight of Chavez' efforts to 
establish the South America Treaty Organization.  He stated these 
associations are accompanied by efforts to influence other 
countries, primarily through Venezuela's Foreign Service, adding 
that Chavez will become uncontrollable once he acquires 800-kilomter 
range Scud missiles from North Korea. 
 
Scathing Editorials 
------------------- 
 
¶10.  On November 18, conservative, independent "La Tercera" (Sunday 
circ. 222,084) carried a column by Ascanio Cavallo entitled, "Chavez 
Notices Chile."  Quote: 
 
"Chavez' purpose was to polarize the Summit, which is the same as 
destroying it.  The Venezuela Commander does not feel comfortable 
with multilateralism where he has to be one more among his 
counterparts.  He wants control.  That is why he destroyed the 
Andean Community, has Mercosur in agony... and wants to replace the 
OAS.  And now that we are familiar with Chavez' script -- unexpected 
arrivals, hostility against the hosts, taking over the limelight, 
attacks and insults, interfering in domestic issues -- Chavez has 
become a worrisome guest....  Chavez is pushing the continent toward 
a division of two blocks and has had as much progress as 
setbacks....  It is not clear if the President's diplomacy and 
multilateralism will be able to resist the pressure.  The first test 
will be in six months at the European and Latin American Summit in 
Lima.  After what happened in Santiago, all foreign ministries will 
be wondering whether the King of Spain and Zapatero will be willing 
to attend the same plenary with Chavez or furthermore, whether the 
Europeans in general will want to." 
 
¶7. On November 18, "La Tercera" also carried a column by Mario 
Vargas Llosa entitled "The Commander and the King."  Quote: 
 
"The incident at the Ibero-American summit says more about 
Venezuela's strong man, of the ties between Latin America and Spain, 
than dozens of essays....  The most obvious lesson from this 
psychodrama is that there still is an outdated, barbarian, ignorant 
and demagogic Latin America and that these meetings are a waste of 
time and money for those democratic and modern societies that aspire 
to create an Ibero-American Summit.  This aspiration is impossible 
while there are Latin American countries that have rulers such as 
Chavez, Ortega or Evo Morales, not to mention Fidel Castro....  The 
fact that individuals such as them were freely elected to office 
denotes the political ignorance and democratic fragility (of our 
societies).... 
 
Of course there is another more decent, honest, democratic, and 
hard-working Latin America.  It was present at the Summit, invisible 
and mute....  They often keep quite because they are afraid of 
becoming victims of the violence and insults of these bullies, who 
can also instigate domestic radical groups....  Why are they 
quiet... if they are infinitely more respectable and deserving of 
being heard?  It is not only because some are bribed by the 
petrodollars that Venezuela disburses.... 
 
Are there other lessons from which to learn?  It is more convenient 
for democratic countries such as Spain to prioritize establishing 
ties with countries that stand for civility, legality, and freedom 
that can assure long-term cooperation, rather than maintaining ties 
with those that represent the antithesis of what Spain is today. 
Neither Cuba nor Venezuela deserves to be Spain's friends....  It is 
possible that the King violated protocol.  But he brought much 
happiness to many Latin Americans and millions of Venezuelans.  The 
proof is that I have written this column listening to the new dance 
and song that is now playing in Venezuelan colleges entitled, 'Why 
don't you shut up." 
 
URBAN