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UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000788 
 
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 - AUGUST 19 
 
Leading Story 
---------- 
¶1. Opposition Deputy Gonzalo Arenas reacted aggressively against 
Minister of the Interior Edmundo Perez Yoma during his testimony at 
the Chamber of Deputies yesterday. Minister Perez Yoma was 
testifying on the violent events in Region Nine involving Mapuche 
indigenous, but his explanations did not fulfill Deputy Arenas' 
expectations.  Deputy Arenas threw to the Minister's face the 
document pardoning a Mapuche leader who had been indicted for 
terrorist acts. (El Mercurio, conservative, influential, 8/19) 
 
SOUTHCOM General Fraser in Chile 
-------- 
¶2. Interview with SOUTHCOM Commander General Douglas Fraser who is 
on an official visit in Chile. General Fraser was asked about the 
recent U.S. - Colombia defense cooperation agreement: "We need to be 
very specific... These are not U.S. bases.  The United States does 
not need to have bases, and with this agreement it is not attempting 
to establish them," he told El Mercurio.  General Fraser noted that 
the agreement regulates the U.S. longstanding cooperation with 
Colombia by supporting its "fight against narcoterrorism and the 
FARC."  He explained that the bases will be controlled by Colombians 
who will decide which activities will be carried out.  "Plan 
Colombia has been very successful, but what is important is that 
although Colombia has been successful --in reducing the number of 
kidnappings and homicides, and the country's atmosphere is good-- 
the fight hasn't ended. The FARC have decreased but they are still 
there, therefore it is necessary to continue supporting (Colombia's) 
efforts," he said.  General Fraser also presented a multilateral 
focus to his mission as head of SOUTHCOM and pointed out the need to 
work with all Latin American countries to confront common threats. 
He ruled out a conventional military crisis in the region, but 
underscored his concern about the impact of transnational illegal 
trafficking and the potential implications for drug trafficking. "To 
me the main problem is security because (drug trafficking) is well 
financed and they have good weapons. We need to find a good way of 
dealing with that problem and the only way to do it is by working 
together.  "We invite Venezuela to participate in exercises. They 
are openly invited to our schools.  In the past we had good 
relations with Venezuela and we seek to recover them..."  General 
Fraser noted that he is optimistic and that he sees great 
possibilities for cooperation with countries in the region.  He 
emphasized, though, that each country must decide over its defense 
requirements. He said that the United States "would like the 
militaries to purchase U.S. equipment, I will not say that we 
wouldn't like that." (El Mercurio, conservative, influential, 8/19) 
 
U.S.-Colombia Defense Cooperation Agreement 
------------------------------------------ 
¶3. Wire story reporting on Secretary Clinton's press conference with 
Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Belaundez in Washington.  Secretary 
Clinton noted that the agreement does not involve creating permanent 
U.S. bases in Colombia. She pointed out that the agreement "does not 
concern" other countries in the region. (La Tercera, conservative, 
independent, 8/19) 
 
UNASUR 
------ 
¶4. The opposition Alliance is inclined to vote against Chile's 
membership in UNASUR. In the next few days, Chile's Foreign Ministry 
will try to reinitiate negotiations with the opposition in order to 
ratify by September the draft treaty that creates UNASUR. Last year, 
on August 19, 2008 the initiative was submitted to Congress for 
approval. The strong controversy unleashed two weeks ago by 
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in Quito has raised strong 
reticence among Chilean opposition senators.  Chavez' remarks 
announcing "winds of war" in the region and the events in Quito are 
seen by Chileans as a threat that could damage the relations between 
South America and the Obama Administration. (El Mercurio, 8/19) 
 
SIMONS