VZCZCXYZ0138
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHSG #0236/01 0501549
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 191547Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0929
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 000236
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 Feb. 19 Media Report
Lead Story
1. President-elect Pi????era began the process to his shares in
commercial airline Lan Chile which are worth US$ 1.237 billion
(Conservative, independent La Tercera, 2/19).
Chile-U.S.
2. David Rockefeller, Jr., was interviewed during his visit to
southern Chile. Rockefeller has embarked on the conservation of the
oceans and is navigating the Americas to collect data on the
acidity of the oceans and other variables related to climate
change. The data will be relayed to research centers such as
ScQps to be processed (Weekly news magazinQue Pasa, 2/19).
Regional affairs
3. President Bachelet and President-elect Pi????era will both
receive on behalf of Chile the pro tempore secretariat of the Rio
Group in Cancun. This situation has generated expectation in other
Latin American delegations, considering that Bachelet represents
the center-left and Pi????era a right-wing coalition. Pi????era is
expected to meet in Cancun with Presidents Felipe Calderon
(Mexico), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), and Alvaro Uribe (Colombia)
(Government-owned, La Nacion, 2/19).
Haiti
4. One of the topics to be addressed at the March 31 summit in
New York to launch the final reconstruction plan for Haiti is
Brazil's proposal to channel aid to the island. Brazil wants to
create an international agency headed by a Haitian official and two
international coordinators, and has proposed Bachelet and mentioned
former President Bill Clinton. Bachelet's representative to Haiti
Juan Gabriel Vald????s said Chile will support Brazil's proposal in
Cancun (Conservative, influential newspaper-of-record, El Mercuro,
2/19).
Defense
5. Defense Minister Francisco Vidal headed a ceremony to
receive the first of three KC-135 aerial refueling tankers bought
from the United States. Asked about eventual criticism from other
countries over the acquisition, Vidal said, "We don't aspire to
even an inch more beyond our territory, but have the strength to
defend every inch that is ours." It is possible that the KC-135
will be on exhibit at Chile's International Air and Space Fair
(Fidae) 2010 in March (El Mercurio, 2/19).
OAS
6. The Washington Post published Chilean Foreign Minister
Mariano Fernandez' letter responding to a recent editorial calling
on the USG to prevent Jose Miguel Insulza's reelection to the OAS.
"The editorial makes a simplistic characterization of how the OAS
handled the coup (in Honduras), ignoring the diplomatic efforts
taken before and after the coup and the support given to President
Oscar Arias' mediation," says Fernandez' letter (El Mercurio,
2/19).
7. Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez said in a
television interview that his country would endorse Insulza's
reelection to the OAS, but only because there is no other
candidate. Yesterday, the foreign minister of Uruguay also
confirmed through his country's endorsement of Insulza's reelection
(El Mercurio, 2/19).
IPR
8. Letter to the editor by the Executive Vice President of the
Association of Industrial Pharmaceutical Laboratories (Asilfa)
Maria Angelia Sanchez in response the remarks to the press by the
president of the chamber that represents foreign laboratories in
Chile (CIF) that since 1991, 73 patented products have been copied
with more than 3 copies per product on the average. Sanchez said
the CIF should present the data to the courts of justice to back
its accusations, adding that the new oral judicial system assures a
rapid resolution (El Mercurio, 2/19).
Cuba
9. The U.S. government will send a delegation to Cuba headed
by Principal Deputy Secretary of State Craig Kelly, to discuss
immigration issues. The U.S. and Cuba renewed immigration talks in
United Nations on July 14 (Conservative, afternoon La Segunda,
2/18).
Terrorism
10. Undersecretary of Interior Patricio Rosende responded to
questions about the invitation placed on the Internet by an
organization that calls itself "Marzo Anarchista" (Anarchist March)
for anyone interested in attending a series of workshops and
conferences throughout March. Rosende said that these meetings have
been taking place for the past years and that they "don't entail a
greater threat than before," adding that "few people attend"
(Government-owned La Nacion, 2/18).
SIMONS