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DE RUEHSG #1246/01 3561751
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R 221749Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0473
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
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RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA
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RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 001246 
 
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. 22 Media Report 
 
Lead Story 
 
¶1.      The results o the National College Admissions Tests confirm 
once again the gap that exists between private and public schools 
(Conservative, afternoon La Tercera, 12/22). 
 
 
 
U.S.-Related News 
 
¶2.   Forensic expert Laura Borgel, owner of the Servitox 
laboratory, explained how it was that the US Army pathology 
laboratory assisted in the investigation of the death of former 
president Frei.  Borgel says that in May 2007, US Army scientist 
Jose Centeno attended a conference on toxicology and chemical 
safety in Chile.  In the context of that conference, Centeno met 
with Justice Alejandro Madrid and Borgel. Borgel says that Centeno 
concurred with her that it was "necessary to study heavy metals" 
and offered to cooperate, but with Borgel's direct participation. 
The test to detect heavy metals was done in July 2007, in addition 
to a DNA test, said Borgel (Conservative, influential El Mercurio, 
12/22). 
 
 
 
¶3.   In January 2005, Justice Madrid asked Borgel to look for Sarin 
gas in the Frei case.  But Borgel said that Frei's clinical record 
did not reflect the use of this gas and that she then began looking 
for mustard gas and thallium.  She concluded that the samples 
contained traces of both.  She handed her report to Justice Madrid 
in December 2008 (El Mercurio, 12/22). 
 
 
 
¶4.   Borgel explains that she decided to conduct additional tests 
on her own.  She personally took samples to the US Army pathology 
and toxicology laboratory for tests.  She did the same with 
Canada's Public Health Laboratory and two others in Europe. She 
claims that they all confirmed her results that the samples 
contained thallium and upholds her theory that Frei was injected 
thallium. A laboratory in Sweden, however, did not reach the same 
conclusion. (El Mercurio, 12/22). 
 
 
 
¶5.   Asked if the US Army laboratory would confirm her results, 
Borgel said it would not because it had worked with samples she had 
submitted.  Borgel insists that although she had "overseen" the 
lab's work, the tests constitute an "independent" study.  She said 
the lab "did not draw conclusions because they are chemists and not 
toxicologists." In 2005, however, the US laboratory conducted an 
independent investigation of Frei's body tissues and concluded that 
"there were no traces of biological agents or toxic chemicals" in 
the former president's body (El Mercurio, 12/22). 
 
 
 
Chile - Regional Affairs 
 
¶6.   In his annual revision of Chile's foreign policy, Foreign 
Minister Mariano Fernandez labeled relations with Peru "normal." 
He admitted, however, that Chile "cannot be very creative" in its 
approach to Peru, because of the suit Lima has filed with The 
Hague. Fernandez also talked about Honduras and said the election 
in that country "is not enough to say that democracy has been 
consolidated or restored."  He also highlighted the progress in 
relations with Argentina and the state of relation with Brazil, 
Colombia, Uruguay, and Paraguay.  He especially underscored ties 
with Bolivia. "We are fully satisfied with the work we are doing," 
said Fernandez (Government-owned La Nacion, 12/22). 
 
 
 
OAS 
 
¶7.   Foreign Minister Fernandez said that the change of government 
in Chile should not hurt OAS Jose Miguel Insulza's chances for 
reelection as secretary general of the organization.  The OAS has 
not yet established a date for the election, but Chile is hoping 
that it will take place before the new government of Chile takes 
office.  The United States and Venezuela are among the countries 
that would prefer to postpone the election until other candidates 
emerge, if they do. Insulza has now 12 of the 17 votes needed to be 
elected (La Tercera, 12/22). 
 
 
 
IPR 
 
¶8.     The Chamber of Deputies approved a provision that sets a 
system to judicially denounce IPR violations on the Internet.  The 
chamber, excluded, did not pass the provisions that set a system 
that would grant a court authority to remove content that violates 
IPR from the Internet.  Attorney Rodrigo Velasco says this puts 
Chile in a situation of non-compliance with regard to the 
Chile-U.S. FTA (Diario Financiero , 12/22). 
SIMONS