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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSG #1194/01 3432025
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 092021Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0387
INFO RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
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 001194 
 
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 Dec. 9 Media Report 
 
Chile-U.S. 
 
¶1.      Governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty will meet with President 
Michelle Bachelet, Minister of Energy Marcelo Tokman, and Santiago 
Mayor Pablo Zalaquett on Thursday. Governor Pawlenty is heading a 
trade delegation of 30 businessmen and government officials. 
(Diario Financiero 12/7) 
 
 
 
Honduras 
 
¶2.      Headline: "Mercosur Ignores Elections in Honduras and Once 
Again Calls for Zelaya's Reinstatement" The Mexican and Colombian 
representatives showed their discontent over the presidents' stance 
and asked support for the Central American country.  Chilean 
Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez said "We remain in attentiveness 
and support the intents to restitute President Zelaya, the 
reestablishment of the constitutional and democratic normality   in 
Honduras." (El Mercurio 12/9) 
 
 
 
Local 
 
¶3.      Six days prior to the presidential election in Chile, Judge 
Alejandro Madrid, who is investigating the death of former 
President Eduardo Frei Montalva (1982) indicted six people and 
characterized the case as "homicide." Judge Madrid stated that 
former President Frei died from "the gradual incorporation of 
unconventional substances" and the "placing of a product called 
Transfer Factor, which was at an experimental stage and (...) had 
not been certified or authorized by the Food and Drug 
Administration in the U.S."  Among those charged as presumed 
authors are Dr. Patricio Silva --President Frei's Under Secretary 
of Health and responsible for conducting a second surgery on the 
victim--, President Frei's personal driver, and an intelligence 
former agent. A physician who worked for the Pinochet regime's 
intelligence agency (DINA) was accused as accomplice, while two 
other surgeons were indicted as accessory after the fact.  Judge 
Madrid said he does not rule out further indictments and that 
"decisions are made independently from what is occurring in the 
country." (All dailies 12/8) 
 
 
 
¶4.      Editorial on the latest developments involving the Frei 
case and Judge Madrid's ruling:  "Chile needs more than that in 
this unprecedented case. There is so much involved that it would be 
convenient to take a look at the precedent established in the 
United States after the murder of President Kennedy (...) Only six 
days after his death, the Warren Commission was created to provide 
an account to all Americans about what had happened (...) This 
seems like a necessary model for this case in order to determine 
whether the legal elements considered by Judge Madrid are also 
medically, logically, and in all other aspects substantial ... (El 
Mercurio 12/9) 
 
 
 
Copenhagen Conference 
 
¶5.      Headline "Obama Clarifies Doubts and Sends Signal to 
Copenhagen Summit" Article by Washington correspondent Alvaro 
Vargas Llosa stressing that by publicizing the EPA's announcement 
about new regulations on six greenhouse gases, President Obama is 
sending Copenhagen a message about his commitment. (La Tercera 
12/9) 
 
 
 
U.S.-Latin America 
 
¶6.      Opinion column by international commentator Andres 
Oppenheimer "Honeymoon is Over" "Some romances are short lasting... 
 
The controversy between the United States and Brazil over the 
November 29 elections in Honduras is the latest in a series of 
clashes... In the last few weeks, the elections in Honduras, 
Brazil's open support to the Iranian regime and the debate over the 
Colombia-Washington agreement allowing the presence of American 
troops in Colombian military bases has put an end to the romance... 
My opinion: Obama will prevail over Lula on the Honduran crisis. 
The 27 European Union nations are already leaning towards the U.S. 
stance of acknowledging the elections... Nevertheless, it all seems 
to indicate that Washington and South America will not go back to 
their idyll of some months ago. Obama was applauded by everybody 
for being different from President George W. Bush's political 
arrogance. But not being Bush is no substitution to an active and 
efficient policy in Latin America. If Obama does not give further 
attention to the region, it is difficult to think about a romance 
revival." (El Mercurio 12/9) 
 
 
 
¶7.      Opinion piece by political scientist and former Ambassador 
Boris Yopo headlined, "The United States and Latin America" "Obama 
can still be a relevant actor in the region, but one ought to be 
realistic over the other actors and powers that intervene and 
neutralize many of the policies that the current administration 
wishes to implement." (Estrategia 12/9) 
SIMONS