VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSG #0840 2512130
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 082129Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0000
INFO RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000840 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR R/MR, I/PP, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON KMDR KPAO PGOV PREL SNAR EFIN CI
SUBJECT: Sept. 8 Santiago Media Report 
 
Lead Story 
 
-------------- 
 
¶1.    The rain caused three mudslides in the area of Farellones 
near Santiago.  A woman died and her 2-year old remains missing 
(All dailies, 9/7). 
 
 
 
U.S.-Related News 
 
------------------------ 
 
¶2.  Starting tomorrow, the capital of the Second Region, Calama, 
will be the center of the Desert Patrol war game, an exercise for 
special units from Canada, the UK, United States, Argentina, Chile, 
Ecuador, and Paraguay to test preparation and to promote mutual 
trust among participant armies, said the exercise coordinator, 
Colonel Roberto Guillard (Popular, leading-circulation Las Ultimas 
Noticias, 9/5). 
 
 
 
¶3.  The National Economic Prosecutors Office is organizing a 
conference on competitiveness on September 9.  Among the guest 
speakers are William Kovacic, of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, 
and Scott Hammond, of the U.S. Department of Justice (El Mercurio, 
9/6). 
 
 
 
OAS/United Nations 
 
-------------------------- 
 
¶4.  Chile's Foreign Ministry is launching a campaign to garner 
support for Jose Miguel Insulza's reelection to the OAS.  To this 
end it has organized a meeting of Caribbean Community (Caricom) 
members on September 21 in New York in the framework of the U.N. 
General Assembly (Government-owned La Nacion, 9/8). 
 
 
 
¶5.  In her visit to New York for the U.N. General Assembly on 
September 22, the Council for the Americas will distinguish 
President Bachelet for Chile's economic  management in times of 
crisis (Conservative, independent La Tercera, 9/6). 
 
 
 
Chile-Military 
 
----------------- 
 
¶6.  Amid Peru's continuous accusations that Chile is embarked in an 
arms race, the Bachelet government will publish by the end of the 
year its third Defense Book with detailed information of Chile's 
military equipment, acquisitions, budget, and policies (La Tercera, 
9/8). 
 
 
 
Intellectual Property 
 
--------------------------- 
 
¶7.  Pharmaceutical laboratory Bago has requested access to 
information on five pharmaceutical products.  The laboratories that 
own these products -- Novartis, Roche, and GlaxoSmithKline - have 
objected, stating that this entails revealing entrepreneurial 
secrets and violates intellectual property rights. Bago wants 
access to the "specifications" that are submitted to the Public 
Health Institute , claiming the right to public information.  Given 
the complexity of this case, the Transparency Council is looking to 
U.S. courts and other international organizations for jurisprudence 
(El Mercurio, 9/6). 
 
 
 
¶8.  U.S. certification company Woodmark, accredited by the Forest 
Stewardship Council, will conduct a pre-evaluation of 
Arauco-Chile's management of forestry resources as part of the 
certification process (La Tercera, 9/6). 
 
 
 
Mapuche Indigenous Conflict 
 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶9.   Herman Baier, owner of an estate in the heart of the 
indigenous Mapuche conflict, fired at a group of approximately 15 
hooded individuals that entered his land. Baier said he is tired of 
the continuous harassment. "These people threaten to burn 
everything down and then they just laugh. Of course I must react," 
he said Baier (El Mercurio, 9/5). 
 
 
 
¶10.  A group of armed hooded individuals burned two trucks owned by 
a forestry company in the Ninth Region (El Mercurio, 9/5). 
 
 
 
¶11.  The government announced an economic and social aid package 
for indigenous Mapuche communities. There will be bonuses for small 
farms, subsidies for small businesses, the creation of 1,500 jobs, 
and land and business development offices and projects (El 
Mercurio, 9/5). 
 
 
 
¶12.  Mapuche organization Coordinadora Arauco Malleco (CAM) issued 
a statement through the media claiming responsibility for several 
acts of arson in the Region of Araucania involving trucks along 
different roads (Government-owned, La Nacion, 9/5). 
 
 
 
Human Rights 
 
------------------- 
 
¶13.   Last week the army submitted the Defense Ministry a list of 
13 army officers and petty officers who were members of the 
military regime's repressive organization DINA and that had been 
rehired. The new information is that two of these officers are 
active and were indicted for human rights violations.  However, no 
sentence has been dictated (La Nacion, 9/8). 
SIMONS