VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSG #0886 2602050
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 172049Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0058
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 0013
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0028
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 0027
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0014
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 0013
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 0027
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000886 
 
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: Santiago Sept. 17 Meda Report 
 
Lead Story 
 
-------------- 
 
¶1.                   All dailies report on the array of events that 
the municipalities and the government are preparing in different 
parts of Santiago for the September 18-19 Independence Day holiday. 
 
 
 
U.S.-Related News 
 
----------------------- 
 
¶2.  After inaugurating the Bicentennial and a series of events 
related to Chile's Independence Day, President Bachelet will travel 
to New York to speak at a U.N. session on climate change and attend 
the Clinton Global Initiative annual event.  During her visit, The 
Council of the Americas will distinguish Bachelet for her 
administration's management of the financial crisis. Bachelet will 
also travel to Isla Margarita in Venezuela for the Second Summit of 
Heads of State and Government of South America and Africa (La 
Tercera, 9/17). 
 
 
 
¶3. President Obama will open this year's Clinton Global Initiative 
annual event and will host a reception at the Metropolitan Museum. 
President Bachelet will attend both events (Conservative, afternoon 
daily La Segunda, 9/16). 
 
 
 
¶4.  Bank of America will reopen in Chile through Merrill Lynch. The 
bank left the country twice before -- first directly, and then in 
2006 when it sold Bank Boston to Banco Itau.  It will now reopen 
with business and investment banking and stock market brokerage 
(Financial Diario Financiero, 9/17). 
 
 
 
Unasur 
 
--------- 
 
¶5.  International analysts said that the Unasur meeting of defense 
and foreign affairs ministers in Quito on Tuesday bordered on 
failure. The reason was Colombia's decision not to release 
information regarding its agreement with the United States. 
Venezuela and Bolivia had their usual outbursts and Brazil insisted 
on demanding a written guarantee that the agreement would not 
affect other nations. The discussion heated up again when 
Colombia's defense Minister Gabriel Silva said on a radio interview 
that Bogota would withdraw from Unasur if the discussion continued 
to focus only on the agreement with the United States and not on 
other issues of importance for Colombia, such as weapons and 
narcotics trafficking, and organized crime.  But Chilean Foreign 
Minister Mariano Fernandez was more optimistic and said that there 
had been progress at the summit, noting that the final declaration 
included the principle of non-extraterritoriality.  This means that 
no country can militarily intervene in another country to control 
subversive organizations (Government-owned La Nacion, 9/17). 
 
 
 
Local Politics 
 
---------------- 
 
¶6.  Chile's Radio Association (Archi) has organized a presidential 
debate for October 9, at 8 am.  Unlike the September 23, TV debate, 
four journalists rather than just one will question the candidates. 
The general public can submit questions to www.debateradial.cl (El 
Mercurio, 9/17). 
SIMONS