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UNCLAS SANTIAGO 001041 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR R/MR, I/PP, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR KPAO PGOV OPRC PREL PGOV SNAR EFIN CI
SUBJECT:  CHILE MEDIA REPORT - NOVEMBER 28 
 
Lead Stories 
------------ 
¶1.  At ENADE, Chile's most important annual and national business 
gathering, speakers concurred that one way to reactive the economy 
is by lowering taxes and making labor laws more flexible.  Bachelet 
announced a bailout program for the salmon industry.  Ricardo Lagos 
scheduled meetings with the PS and PPD political parties amid a 
growing feeling that he will not run as the Concertacion's 
presidential candidate. 
 
U.S.-Related News 
----------------- 
¶2.  Attorneys working with U.S. criminal attorney Michael Tiger 
wanted to meet with President Bachelet to inform her of the state of 
a criminal suit they filed against Henry Kissinger.  Their position 
is that by financing military regime intelligence operations, 
Kissinger is indirectly responsible for human rights violations 
committed during those years (Que Pasa, conservative news weekly, 
circ. 101,000, 11/28). 
¶3.  Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean (ECLAC) 
advisor Eduardo Sanhueza said that Obama's election is changing 
expectations at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Poland about 
the role that the United States in the fight against global warming. 
 He said the expectation is that the new U.S. administration will 
take a leading role on this issue (El Mercurio, circ. 129,000, 
11/28). 
 
¶4.  The election of Barack Obama was ranked as the most important 
event this year in Que Pasa's ranking for 2008.  The interesting 
element here is that the results are based fundamentally on the 
perception of what the new U.S. administration will accomplish (Que 
Pasa magazine, 11/28). 
 
¶5.  Editorial entitled, "Efficiency of the Bailout Plans":  "In the 
past days the United States government has launched three bailout 
plans....  The efficiency of these programs has several elements to 
consider.  On the one hand, they increase public expenses... and the 
other 'unblock' wholesale loan markets....  But this aid only 
reaches external intermediaries, and does not reach those who have 
the loan, such as owners of homes and companies, who need to 
renovate or renegotiate (their loans)" (El Mercurio, 11/28). 
 
Nuclear Energy 
--------------- 
¶6.  British Amec-Cade, Finish Stuk, and Russian consortium CNE-Chile 
won the GOC's bid to develop framework studies for the development 
of nuclear energy in Chile (La Tercera, conservative, independent, 
circ. 101,000, 11/27;  El Mercurio, conservative, influential 
newspaper-of-record, circ. 129,000, 11/28). 
 
¶7.  Finish Ambassador to Chile, Iivo Salmi, wrote a 
letter-to-the-editor of La Tercera, stating that an article 
published last week stating that Finland is promoting nuclear energy 
in Chile" is wrong and intentionally misleading."  The workshop to 
which the article refers, said the Ambassador, "was conducted "at 
the request of Chilean authorities who wanted to learn more about 
Finland's  energy policy and technology....  The government of 
Finland does not promote nuclear energy....  Our policy is to have a 
wide and diverse energy matrix," said the diplomat (La Tercera, 
11/28). 
 
Local 
----- 
¶8.  President Bachelet announced a US$120 million bailout program 
for the salmon industry.  The plan provides funds through the 
Economic Development Agency, Corfo, guaranteeing up to 60% of loans 
contracted by the local producers, and includes incentives for those 
who start new projects and conduct research (All dailies, 11/28). 
 
¶9.  The Metropolitan health authorities advised consumers not to eat 
raw ham "Serrano," smoked salmon, and some kinds of meat and frozen 
vegetables until it can determine the source of an outbreak of 
Listeriosis, a bacteria that withstands cold temperatures and can 
cause death.  Ninety-one people have contracted the disease this 
year, compared to just 20 in 2007.  Traces of the bacteria have been 
found in Brie cheese, which has been removed from the market (La 
Segunda, conservative, afternoon, circ. 33,000, 11/26). 
 
¶10.  The Production and Trade Confederation, CPC, elected highly 
respected entrepreneur Rafael Guilisasti as its new president. 
Guilisasti is responsible for turning Via Concha y Toro into the 
most successful winery in the country and very well known abroad. 
He is a man known to have close friends across the political 
spectrum and in a wide array of areas of expertise.  His profile is 
also different from that of his predecessors in that he holds a 
history degree and in the 70s was a member of the Leftist United 
Popular Action Movement, MAPU (El Mercurio, La Tercera 11/27). 
 
¶11.  The government and the UDI agreed that it will be necessary to 
use the 2% emergency fund provided for by the Constitution to 
finance the Transantiago.  However, both agreed with would extend 
only until March 2009, until a new formula is found to permanently 
finance Santiago's transportation system (Diario Financiero, 
business and financial daily, circ. 30,000, 11/28). 
 
¶12.  The Investigations Police, PDI, are facing another major 
scandal -- the fourth in less than two months.  Yesterday, its 
national Chief for Crimes against Property, Trevor Oyarzun, was 
charged with keeping money seized from a major theft at Santiago's 
international airport this year (La Tercera, 11/28). 
 
SIMONS