Cablegate: Chile Media Report - May 6

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TAGS: KMDR KPAO PGOV ECON PREL SNAR EFIN CI
SUBJECT: CHILE MEDIA REPORT - MAY 6

Leading Stories
---------------
1. The government will announce a package of measures to help lower
unemployment that would include a solidarity fund and a subsidy for
low-income non-working women. Dailies also report that there are
signs of economic recovery, as Chile's monthly economic growth rate
for March declined significantly less than expected.

AH1N1 Influenza
---------------
2. As recommended by the WHO, Chile is monitoring all individuals
returning from countries with confirmed cases of AH1N1, namely the
United States and Mexico. It has now added Canada. Chile has seven
cases under study and bought an additional 600,000 does of antiviral
doses for eventual distribution (El Mercurio, conservative,
influential newspaper-of-record, circ. 129,000, 5/6).

Chavez Visit Postponed
----------------------
3. President Hugo Chavez postponed his visit to Chile, scheduled
for May 17-18. The Foreign Ministry said the agendas of the two
presidents did not concur, adding that the visit would be
rescheduled perhaps around the UNASUR meeting in July (El Mercurio,
conservative, influential newspaper-of-record, circ. 129,000; La
Tercera, conservative, independent, circ. 101,000, 5/6).

4. Foreign Affairs Minister Mariano Fernandez said that if there is
no consensus on the candidate to head UNASUR, but in an election
Chile "would stand by" the candidacy of former Argentine President
Nestor Kirchner (La Segunda, conservative, afternoon, circ. 33,000,
5/5).

Former Concertacion Leader Joins Pinera
---------------------------------------
5. Opposition presidential candidate Sebastian Pinera responded to
the commotion caused by the announcement that Senator Fernando
Flores -- a former Allende cabinet member and exiled political
prisoner -- would support his candidacy. "This is an act of
freewill and courage that I fully appreciate, (because) no one will
change the view that Senator Flores has of the military regime,"
said Pinera. UDI Joaquin Lavin said, "When someone who is part of
the Concertacion's heart, who was an exile and Allende's minister
supports the opposition coalition today, it means that all previous
political scenarios have been ruptured." "The question is what those
citizens who voted for Flores as a Concertacion senator think about
this," said spokesperson Minister Carolina Toha (El Mercurio, 5/6).

Military
--------
6. In Anakara, Defense Ministry sources said that Turkish company
Aselsan is in discussions with Chile over a contract to modernize
100 Leopard tanks (La Segunda, 5/5).
SIMONS

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