VZCZCXYZ0012
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSG #0401/01 1182032
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 282032Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4866
INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 3945
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 2407
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 1464
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0878
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 2070
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 6153
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 4375
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 2333
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000401 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR R/MR, I/PP, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR KPAO PGOV ECON PREL SNAR EFIN CI
SUBJECT:  CHILE MEDIA REPORT - APRIL 28 
 
Leading Stories 
---------------- 
¶1.  Chile's Health Ministry has implemented nationwide measures, 
equivalent to the World Health Organization's (WHO) level 4 alert, 
to identify and contain any outbreak of swine flu in the country. 
Thus far, suspicious cases have all tested negative. Dailies also 
reported extensively on the impact of the outbreak on stock markets 
and tourism worldwide. 
 
U.S.-Related News 
----------------- 
¶2.  The "Nomad" is a robot equipped with technology used by NASA on 
its rovers in Mars.  NASA tested the robot in Chile's northern 
desert some years ago and has agreed to put the vehicle on exhibit 
for five years at the Antofagasta Desert Museum as part of the 
astronomy exhibit, which will open this year.  The museum is located 
on the Huanchaca Ruins (El Mercurio, conservative, influential 
newspaper-of-record, circ. 129,000, 4/28). 
 
Swine Flu 
--------- 
¶3.  The Ministry of Health has implemented preventive measures for 
the early detection of a possible outbreak of swine flu in Chile. 
These include briefing arriving airplane passengers on the symptoms, 
screening travelers at airports and major border crossings for 
temperatures, and referring suspicious cases to two specific 
hospitals for testing.  The preventive measures also include 
distributing anti-viral medication to hospitals; coordinating action 
plans with private clinics; and distributing brochures with 
information on how to prevent contamination.  The authorities 
recommended avoiding travel to locations with outbreaks, such as 
Mexico, the United States, Canada, Spain, and the U.K. 
 
¶4.  Fourteen people who recently traveled to either Mexico or the 
United States have been classified as suspicious and are being 
tested.  So far none have tested positive for swine fever. 
 
¶5.  The swine flu outbreak is causing people to cancel or chance 
their airplane tickets to Mexico and other locations with outbreaks, 
significantly affecting tourism agencies. The sale of anti-viral 
medication, such as Tamiflu, has ballooned.  Local health 
authorities are concerned that the increase in sales could affect 
the stocks of medication needed for an eventual outbreak, and are 
urging the public to refrain from buying anti-viral medication of 
any kind (All dailies, 4/28). 
 
Venezuela 
--------- 
¶6. Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Alberto Van Klaveren confirmed 
that President Hugo Chavez will visit Chile May 17-18, in response 
to an invitation from President Bachelet.  Van Klaveren said that 
two topics on the agenda are strengthening the energy agreement 
between Chile's national oil company ENAP and its Venezuelan 
counterpart PDVSA (signed in 2007), and the election of an Executive 
Secretary in the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) (All 
dailies, 4/28). 
 
Cuba 
---- 
¶7.  Just a few weeks after President Obama lifted the restrictions 
for Cuban-Americans to travel and send remittances to Cuba, 
Department of State spokesperson Robert Wood announced that USG and 
Cuban officials are meeting informally, yet regularly, in 
Washington.  The first meeting was on April 13, and the second 
yesterday, between A/S Thomas Shannon and the Chief of Cuban 
Interest Section in Washington (La Nacion, government-owned, 
editorially independent, circ. 4,200, 4/28). 
 
IPR 
--- 
¶8.  The process to patent an invention -- an industrial design or a 
commercial brand -- is expensive and difficult in Chile, said 
Catholic University IPR expert, Rosario Retamal.  To begin with, the 
patent request costs around US$5,000 and there is no assurance that 
it will be issued.  The period to receive a patent can take up to 
five years. Requests are often poorly worded, therefore rejected, 
and there is ignorance about the procedure.  Finally, Chile has a 
"culture of theft" of ideas, said Retamal.  The sum of these factors 
explains why Chile only has 50 patent requests per year versus 
100,000 in the United States (Estrategia, business and financial, 
circ. 30,000, 4/28). 
 
Presidential Candidate Pinera 
----------------------------- 
¶9.  Opposition candidate Sebastian Pinera finished the voluntary 
transfer of his assets to a blind trust.  But his opponents are 
criticizing him for retaining 25% ownership of commercial airline 
Lan, 20% of the private clinic Las Condes, and full ownership of 
television station Chilevision.  The candidate said he has promised 
to put the airline and the clinic in the blind trust if he is 
elected President in December.  However, he will not do this with 
the TV station.  The daily stated that, "in sum, Pinera has 
transferred less than half of his US$1.2 billion assets to the blind 
trust." (La Nacion, 4/28). 
 
URBAN