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UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000680 
 
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 - JULY 20 
 
Leading Story 
------------- 
¶1. Last week President Bachelet said she was willing to "review" the 
possibility of extending her authority to pardon convicted 
individuals to military officers sentenced for human rights 
violation, setting off a controversy that she tried to conclude 
yesterday by saying that she had had "never considered a massive 
pardon." 
 
Insulza sand the OAS 
-------------------- 
¶2. State Department sources said that Secretary Clinton's letter to 
Chilean Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez does not provide 
information on Washington's position regarding Jose Miguel Insulza's 
reelection to the OAS. It just says that the United States will give 
the matter "careful consideration" and advocates for regional 
cooperation, mentioning the Inter-American Democratic Charter. 
Plainly said, Washington is telling Insulza that its support will 
depend on how he performs in the defense of democracy in Latin 
America, in coordination with U.S. objectives. Clinton wants to 
retain the ability to influence Insulza; The U.S. perception is that 
Chavez has been more effective in pressuring OAS members. Washington 
has sent the OAS the message that the Democratic Charter must be 
defended in all countries as strongly as in Honduras: Secretary 
Clinton met with president Zelaya; she appointed Oscar Arias as 
mediator in the conflict, leaving Zelaya no time to coordinate with 
Caracas, and then met with representatives of Globovision, the 
station that Chavez wants to close. Insulza, who has always believed 
that the OAS without the United States is "senseless", has 
acknowledged Washington's pressure.  This would explain his decision 
to meet with the mayor of Caracas and Chavez opponent, Antonio 
Ledezma, and his defense of Arias in the U.N. General Assembly last 
week. If the USG were to conclude that Insulza should be replaced, 
it could either try to build a front with moderate left governments 
in the region, where Brazil is key, or simply ostracize the OAS and 
reduce it to oblivion. In any case, this issue is not a priority for 
the United States (La Tercera, 7/19, Alvaro Vargas Llosa). 
 
¶3.  The disappearance of Russian-American mathematician Boris 
Weisfeiler, in 1985, is a pending issue in the Chile-U.S. agenda. 
"La Nacion" traveled to the exact location where he was last seen 
and talked to key witnesses.  From these accounts the conclusion is 
that Weisfeiler approached the home of a farmer to ask for hot 
water; A police patrol and two civilians well known in the area 
arrived at the farmer's house asking about a foreigner; the group 
was later seen carrying on horseback the body of a man wrapped in a 
blanket.  His hands and feet were visible.  The general belief in 
the area is that Weisfeiler was detained, beaten, and his body 
buried and exhumed days later.  His disappearance is the last human 
rights violation committed by the military regime, mobilizing U.S 
politicians, who have demanded the GOC resolve the case. In 
Santiago, FBI agents have increased their activities with local 
authorities in an effort to solve the case. "La Nacion" claims that 
the witness accounts in this article contain information that "has 
never been revealed before" (La Nacion, government-owned, 
editorially independent, 7/19). 
 
U.S.-Related News 
----------------- 
¶4. In a private meeting, presidential candidate Marco 
Enriquez-Ominami asked Defense Minister Francisco Vidal "to end the 
practice of sending military officers to the School of the 
Americas." In the 60s and 70s, the school trained military officers 
who eventually were involved in coups in their respective countries. 
Vidal explained that the school had closed.  The entity relocated 
and reopened with a new name (La Tercera, conservative, independent, 
7/18). 
 
¶5. In a meeting with Wall Street investors, Finance Minister Andres 
Velasco was asked if any of the presidential candidates could modify 
Chile's economic model."The debate is about some aspects of the 
economy, but the model is not in question," said Velasco (El 
Mercurio, conservative, influential newspaper-of-record, 7/18). 
 
¶6.  U.S. experts on biotechnology Martina Newell-McGloughlin, 
research director for Genetically Modified Products (GMOs) at the 
University of California, and Wayne Parrot, of the University of 
Georgia, spoke on the importance of regulating the use of GMOs. Due 
to lack of adequate legislation, Chile can only import GMOs for 
animal and human consumption, but cannot locally produce them (El 
Mercurio, 7/20). 
 
¶7.  The U.S. economy is equivalent to 1/4 of the world's GDP, which 
is why it is crucial for the U.S. economy to recover. The article 
has a map that compares the GDP's of several countries to that of 
states. Chile is comparable to Alabama (El Mercurio, 7/19). 
 
¶8.  President Obama said he would eliminate the law that bans 
individuals with HIV or suffering aids from entering U.S. territory 
(La Tercera, 7/20). 
 
¶9.  Editorial:   "In spite of Washington's efforts to support those 
countries fighting narcotics trafficking, the increase in the use of 
drugs in the United States undermines any policy in this area" (El 
Mercurio, 7/20). 
 
Chile other countries 
--------------------- 
¶10.  President Bachelet will visit Paraguay July 22-23 to meet with 
Fernando Lugo (Diario Financiero, 7/20). 
 
¶11.  In the Conference of Non-Aligned Countries in Egypt, Minister 
Secretary General to the Presidency Jose Antonio Viera-Gallo 
extended Cuban President Raul Castro an invitation to visit Chile. 
Castro said the invitation was a reflection of the good state of 
bilateral relations and said he would be willing to visit. The 
Foreign Ministry, however, said it had not issued any official 
invitation for the Cuban president and that his eventual visit as 
not on the agenda (La Tercera, 7/19). 
 
Energy 
------ 
¶12.  The government launched a bicentennial project to make the 
Presidential Palace La Moneda an energy efficient building with 
solar panels for water heating, solar powered LED lighting, and 
geothermal energy (La Tercera, 7/20). 
 
URBAN