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DE RUEHSG #0902/01 2662119
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 232117Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0075
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 0039
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 0038
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0020
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 0019
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 0038
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000902 
 
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. 23 Media Report 
 
Lead Story 
 
------------ 
 
¶1.      The rape of a 14-year old girl and the inability of her 
parents to find the morning-after pill in local pharmacies prompted 
the government to open an investigation.  Drug stores claim they 
have no stock of the product, but the state Central Distribution 
Center says there are 14,000 doses of the pill in stock readily 
available (Conservative, independent La Tercera, 9/23). 
 
 
 
Secretary Clinton-Bachelet 
 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶2.   Headline: "Hillary Clinton's praise marks the beginning of 
Bachelet's agenda in New York" 
 
President Bachelet's first activity in New York was to launch the 
Inter-American Social Protection Network.  "It is always a pleasure 
to be with President Bachelet in any place. Chile is a clear 
example of what we want to achieve in social protection," said 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the event (Financial Diario 
Financiero, 9/23). 
 
 
 
¶3.  Headline: "(Hillary) Clinton highlights Bachelet's social 
programs in New York". At the launching of the Inter-American 
Social Protection Network, Secretary Clinton said that Chile "is a 
clear example of what we want to achieve in social programs." 
Later, at the annual event of the Clinton Global Initiative, Bill 
Clinton praised Chile's policies in the face of the global crisis 
(La Tercera, 9/23). 
 
 
 
¶4.  In the morning, before President Bachelet met with Bill Clinton 
yesterday, Secretary Hillary Clinton praised the Chilean president. 
"President Bachelet's leadership on social and economic development 
has helped make Chile an example of how democracy can provide 
sustainable and important benefits," said Secretary Clinton at the 
launching of the Inter-American Social Network (Government-owned La 
Nacion, 9/23). 
 
 
 
¶5.  Secretary Hillary Clinton praised Bachelet: "Elections don't 
make a democracy.... Leaders must ensure that democracy is 
honored," said the Secretary (El Mercurio, 9/23). 
 
 
 
¶6.  President Bachelet invited Chile's Communist Party Secretary 
General Guillermo Teillier to join her delegation to the U.N. 
General Assembly.  Yesterday Teillier admitted this was the first 
time he had visited the United States (La Tercera, 9/23). 
 
 
 
Honduras 
 
------------ 
 
¶7.   The Micheletti government evicted the demonstrators that had 
gathered outside the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa after Zelaya 
sought refuge on Monday.  The embassy's water and electricity were 
shut off as soldiers were posted on the roofs of the surrounding 
the diplomatic mission.  Micheletti then said he would "respect the 
embassy" if Brazil turned in Zelaya or gave him asylum in Brazil. 
President Lula da Silva responded saying that he would not tolerate 
an attack on the embassy and asked for an urgent meeting of the 
U.N. Security Council.  Following that, Micheletti said he would 
respect the embassy and that Zelaya could stay "ten years if he 
 
wanted," in the embassy, but added that "Zelaya would never be 
president again." At the same time, the Micheletti government 
issued a statement saying that it was willing to talk to Zelaya "if 
and when he explicitly agreed to the November 29 election."  Rafael 
Alegria, a close Zelaya advisor, told this daily that the embassy 
is "being threatened and surrounded by soldiers with their M16s in 
a kind of blackmail."  Zelaya explained that he had asked Brazil 
"for protection and not for political asylum.  We have asked to 
negotiate and were met with repression" (La Tercera 9/23). 
 
 
 
¶8.   In private, the Obama administration believes that Zelaya's 
return to Honduras introduces an element of internal pressure that 
could contribute to resolve the crisis in Honduras.  Washington is 
alleviated, because Latin American governments were asking the 
United States to take a more active role in helping Zelaya return 
to his country. For now the United States has coordinated its 
stance with the OAS in the sense that it will not recognize the 
winner of the November 29 election as long as Zelaya is not allowed 
to return to office (Alvaro Vargas Llosa article, La Tercera, 
9/23). 
 
 
 
¶9.   OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza said the San Jose 
agreement is "a balanced and unifying proposal" that should be the 
basis to resolve the situation in Honduras. Insulza also considers 
Zelaya's return "positive" (El Mercurio, 9/23). 
 
 
 
Local Politics 
 
----------------- 
 
¶10. Senator Alejandro Navarro withdrew from the presidential race 
and gave his endorsement to Marco Enriquez-Ominami (El Mercurio, 
9/23). 
 
 
 
Salitre 
 
-------- 
 
¶11.  Air Force Commander-in-Chief Ricardo Ortega notified the 
Chamber of Deputies of the "Salitre" exercise to take place in 
Antofagasta from October 18-31, that will include the participation 
of U.S., French, Brazilian, and Argentine aircraft (La Tercera, 
9/23) 
URBAN