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INFO RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
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TAGS: ECON KMDR KPAO PGOV PREL SNAR EFIN CI
SUBJECT: Santiago Sept. 28 Media Report
Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke
--------------------------------------------
1. U.S. Secretary of Commerce to visit Chile for the Third
Americas Competitiveness Forum that starts on Sept. 27 and will
conclude on the 29th. Other key participants are President
Bachelet and her Guatemalan counterpart Alvaro Colom (Mercurio on
line, 9/28).
2. The governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, sent a video
that will be shown at the Forum's official lunch. In the video,
the governor sends his regrets for not being able to attend the
forum due to time constraints and ends with Terminator's well known
farewell, "Hasta la vista" (El Mercurio, 9/27).
3. Seven-page supplement on the Americas Competitiveness Forum
(Financial Diario Financiero, 9/28).
4. One of the key guests to the Third Americas Competitiveness
Forum is U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, whose mission is to
promote U.S domestic demand and act as ambassador of the U.S.
private sector abroad (Diario Financiero, 9/28).
5. President Bachelet will open the Third Americas Competiveness
Forum today with the Minister of Economy of Canada Tony Clement and
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke (Business daily Estrategia,
9/28).
6. The Americas Competiveness Forum will count on the
participation of experts from 34 countries, such as U.S. Secretary
of Commerce Gary Locke (Financial daily Diario Financiero, 9/28).
U.S.-Related News
-----------------------
7. Photo of Ambassador Paul Simons at the launching of the Equifax
Technological Development and Research Center in Santiago, the
first center the company has opened outside the United States (La
Tercera, 9/27).
8. This week there were two high-ranking Chilean delegations in the
United States. One headed by President Bachelet and the other by
Supreme Court Chief Justice Urbano Marin. In Washington, D.C.,
Urbano met with U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts and with Janice
Jacobs in the State Department to discuss international conventions
that seek to prevent child kidnapping. Urbano also signed a
cooperation agreement with the World Bank to develop Chile's
judicial system and met with Harvard School of Law scholars in
Boston (Conservative, afternoon La Segunda, 9/25).
9. U.S. Pattern Energy will invest US$288 million to open a wind
turbine facility in the Fourth Region (La Tercera, 9/26).
10. Photo coverage Chile Independence Day celebrations in other
countries includes a photo of DAS Christopher McMullen and AS
Thomas Shannon at the "18" celebration at Chilean Ambassador Jose
Goni's residence in Washington, D.C. (El Mercurio, 9/26).
11. Republican congressman Jim DeMint continues to block Arturo
Valenzuela's confirmation. In a conversation with this daily,
DeMint said, "The Obama administration fails to realize what is at
stake here, which is that the United States will end up doing the
job for a dictator such as Chavez." DeMint added that "the fight is
not" with Valenzuela, "but with his future bosses." There is now
talk about a possible formula to confirm Valenzuela but block
Shannon. This would send the Obama administration the message
about its policy on Honduras but does not show the Republican party
as undermining Washington's relationship with Latin America (La
Tercera 9/27, Alvaro Vargas Llosa).
Bachelet in Venezuela
---------------------------
12. President Bachelet attended the Unasur summit with African
nations in Venezuela this weekend. Bachelet spoke to an audience
that included Mohammar Kaddafi and the presidents of Equatorial
Guinea and Zimbabwe, urging all nations to respects human rights
and the rights of women and children. She said she hoped that
cooperation between the two regions "will allow us to see an
improved situation with regard to human rights and participative
democracies in the future" (El Mercurio, 9/28).
13. The government said that Bachelet's decision to attend the
Unasur-African nations summit was part of an effort to promote ties
with Africa, where Chile has only five diplomatic missions. La
Moneda underscored that Bachelet had held bilateral meetings only
with her South African and Nigerian counterparts, which represent
democratic regimes (La Tercera, 9/28).
Honduras
-----------
14. A study conducted by the U.S. Library of Congress, and
released by Republican Congressman Aaron Schock, says that while
President Manuel Zelaya's removal from office was legal and
constitutional, his expulsion from the country was unconstitutional
(La Segunda, 9/25).
Poll
-----
15. Results of a telephone poll conducted on 1,198 people after
the presidential debate: First round: Pinera 39%, Frei 23%, and
Enriquez-Ominami 19%. In a runoff between Pinera and Frei: Pinera
47% and Frei 38%. In a Pinera- Enriquez-Ominami runoff: The first
47% and the latter 40% (La Segunda , 9/25).
SIMONS