VZCZCXYZ0021
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUEHBU #0797/01 1141807
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 241807Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7939
INFO RHMFISS/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL//SCJ2//
RULGPUA/USCOMSOLANT
UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000797
SIPDIS
STATE FOR INR/R/MR, I/GWHA, WHA, WHA/PDA, WHA/BSC,
WHA/EPSC
CDR USSOCOM FOR J-2 IAD/LAMA
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO OPRC KMDR PREL MEDIA REACTION
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION; IRAQ; CRISTINA KIRCHNER'S TRIP TO MEXICO;
VERMONT ASKING FOR THE IMPEACHMENT OF US PRESIDENT BUSH AND VP
CHENEY; 2007 INDEX OF ECONOMIC FREEDOM; 04/23/07; BUENOS AIRES
1. SUMMARY STATEMENT
Weekend international stories include the war in Iraq; Argentine
First Lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's upcoming trip to Mexico;
the State of Vermont asking for the impeachment of US President Bush
and VP Cheney; and the 2007 Heritage Foundation Index of Economic
Freedom.
2. OPINION PIECES AND EDITORIALS
- "Sad, solitary end final"
Jorge Elias, international columnist of daily-of-record "La Nacion,"
wrote (04/22) "... If Americans should abandon their oil addiction,
as Bush said in his State-of-the Union address, what is the purpose
of conquering a country (Iraq) that, according to IHS consulting
corporation, is reportedly the second largest oil reservoir in the
world (instead of Iran) after Saudi Arabia. It would not make
sense.
"Following the downfall of Saddam, Iraq turned from an authoritarian
State into a anarchic country. It went from one extreme to the other
without any transition whatsoever. Ever since the invasion, it has
always been far from democracy and freedom, harassed as it was by
the confrontation between Shiites and Sunnis and, on top of
everything, by the action of its own version of Al Qaeda, led by Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi...
"... They are waging a civil war (in Iraq), although Bush refuses to
acknowledge it... If the USG concluded that Iraq is waging a civil
war, public opinion would not hesitate to wonder... what the hell
American buddies are doing there.
"... The war that the most powerful army in the world could have
swiftly won turned into a civil war that no army on earth can win.
In the history of international conflicts, there have been only a
few times such a powerful country invested so much in war to obtain
so little."
- "Cristina arrives in Mexico with the purpose of approaching the US
through its partner"
Diego Genoud, columnist of centrist "Perfil" newspaper, writes
(04/22) "Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will arrive today in Mexico
to take one more step in her busy world agenda... In Mexico,
representatives of the two governments will start working on what
they have called a strategic alliance...
"This will be the fourth country the senator visits this year...
"In addition to the election campaign, Cristina's meeting with
Felipe Calderon has two purposes for the Kirchner administration. An
Argentine Governmental source summarized it in this way for 'Perfil'
- 'Mexico will contribute balance. Economically speaking, if we
increase our bilateral trade, our dependence on Brazil gets smaller.
And politically speaking, it allows us to distance ourselves from
Chavez and get closer to the US though its main ally.'"
- "For the first time in history, the US asks for Bush's
impeachment"
Ana Baron, Washington-based correspondent for leading "Clarin,"
comments (04/23) "... Ever since yesterday, Vermont will become the
first US state that dares formally to ask for the impeachment of US
President George W. Bush and VP Dick Cheney.
"A non binding resolution of great symbolic nature was approved 16
to 9...
"The Vermont resolution sets a precedent for all the countries in
which similar resolutions are being debated, such as California,
Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico and the State of Washington. It also
reinforces the action of several organizations like 'Impeach Bush,'
which already has 850,000 members...
"Important jurists and academics... have also supported the
pro-impeach Bush movement.
"Among the arguments mentioned to legally justify these kinds of
resolutions are: the manipulation of information to justify the war
in Iraq; Bush's order to monitor international calls, which goes
against the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution...; illegal
detentions in Guantanamo...; torture and power abuse...
"According to a Newsweek opinion survey, 51 percent of Americans
support impeachment against George W. Bush while only 44 percent are
against it."
- "Economic freedom and development"
An editorial in daily-of-record "La Nacion" reads (04/23) "The
Heritage Foundation center of studies has made public its 2007 Index
of Economic Freedom for 157 countries.
"... Argentina is in the 95th position with only 57 points. Its
major weak point lies on corruption, price controls and lack of
respect for the property right. This is related to the confiscation
of bank deposits, compulsory pesification and strong write-offs in
the country's default public securities.
"The work performed by the Index of Economic Freedom reveals what is
known, although disregarded or rebutted by political discourse.
Successful countries are those who most honor economic freedom...
The worst social standards are seen in the countries that most
restrict economic freedom..., such as the two Germanys until 1989
and the two Koreas until today.
"Argentina has gone through profound and recurring crises. There is
a prevailing belief today that its latest crisis was the consequence
of the neo-liberal economic policy implemented in the '90s...
However, international evidence shows this is a fallacy. A thorough
analysis of what happened in our country unveils that the crisis
occurred by defect and not excess of economic freedom parameters and
that it was particularly due to public debt accumulation, which led
to default and the destruction of all possible economic structure."
To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our
classified website at:
http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires
WAYNE