Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05BUENOSAIRES141
2005-01-20 15:25:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Buenos Aires
Cable title:  

ARGENTINA: KIRCHNER'S INNER CIRCLE

Tags:  PGOV PREL AR 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 08 BUENOS AIRES 000141 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/FO, WHA/BSC, WHA/EPSC, USOAS, PM, AND INR/RA

NSC FOR TOM SHANNON, KIM BRIER, NILMINI GUNARATNE, DEL

RENIGAR

TREASURY FOR DAS NANCY LEE AND CHRIS KUSHLIS AND

USCINCSO FOR POLAD

PASS USTR FOR PETER ALLGEIER AND SUE CRONIN



E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2014

TAGS: PGOV PREL AR

SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: KIRCHNER'S INNER CIRCLE





Classified By: Ambassador Lino Gutierrez for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)



------------------------

Summary and Introduction

------------------------



C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 08 BUENOS AIRES 000141

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/FO, WHA/BSC, WHA/EPSC, USOAS, PM, AND INR/RA

NSC FOR TOM SHANNON, KIM BRIER, NILMINI GUNARATNE, DEL

RENIGAR

TREASURY FOR DAS NANCY LEE AND CHRIS KUSHLIS AND

USCINCSO FOR POLAD

PASS USTR FOR PETER ALLGEIER AND SUE CRONIN



E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2014

TAGS: PGOV PREL AR

SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: KIRCHNER'S INNER CIRCLE





Classified By: Ambassador Lino Gutierrez for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)



--------------

Summary and Introduction

--------------




1. (C) This cable takes an in-depth look at President Nestor

Kirchner's closest advisors. It is based on interviews with

the Ambassador, DCM, and other Embassy Officers who have met

with members of Kirchner's inner circle, numerous discussions

with Embassy contacts in the Argentine political

establishment, as well as biographies and press articles

written about Kirchner's key associates. The goal is to

provide Washington with a better understanding of the

individuals with the most influence over President Kirchner.






2. (C) Since coming to office in May 2003, President Kirchner

has largely relied on a handful of individuals -- most of

whom he brought with him from Santa Cruz province -- to help

him make his most important decisions. Others outside of

this inner circle have an important role in advising Kirchner

on specific issues, such as Minister of the Economy Roberto

Lavagna on the debt exchange. However, these individuals are

not part of Kirchner's circle of trust and are not included

in major policy discussions outside of their area of

expertise.




3. (C) Those identified by all sources as being in Kirchner's

inner circle are his wife Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner;

Secretary for Legal and Technical Affairs Carlos Zannini;



SIPDIS

Santa Cruz Governor Sergio Acevedo; Minister of Federal

Planning, Public Infrastructure and Services Julio De Vido;

Cabinet Chief Alberto Fernandez; and Secretary General of the

Presidency Oscar Parrilli. There are numerous other personal

confidants of Kirchner, such as Presidential Spokesman Miguel

Nunez, who have a long history of close friendship with

Kirchner and may well have influence over his decision-making


from time to time. Post has focused this cable on those who

Kirchner seeks daily advice from on policy decisions and

long-term political and economic strategy.




4. (C) The members of Kirchner's inner circle are very

hard-working, loyal, and committed first to President

Kirchner above any personal ambition. Most have a connection

to Patagonia and a personal relationship with Kirchner that

stretches back years. The majority of them are

left-of-center politically, although Alberto Fernandez and

Oscar Parrilli are exceptions to this rule. Most lack a

depth of expertise in politics beyond the provincial level

and have been learning the ropes of international relations

and national politics at the same time as Kirchner. The

primary thing that Kirchner demands from his close advisors

is loyalty and it is their proven loyalty, rather than their

competence, that brought them into Kirchner's inner circle.

End Summary and Introduction.



--------------

Cristina Kirchner: Two for the Price of One

--------------




5. (C) Cristina is President Kirchner's most valued advisor

on most issues, functioning as his close confidant and

political partner for the last 30 years. Cristina Kirchner

has been the main person to energize and motivate her husband

throughout his political career, especially during difficult

times. She also has great influence in determining who is

and is not in the inner circle. President Kirchner has great

respect for her political judgment. A businessman who is

close to President Kirchner recently told the Ambassador that

then-Governor Kirchner originally accepted former President

Eduardo Duhalde's offer to be Duhalde's chief of staff in


2002. After discussing it overnight with Cristina, who felt

it was a bad political move, Kirchner called Duhalde back the

next day and turned it down. Although Kirchner frequently

seeks his wife's political advice, long-time Kirchner

associate Luis Corsiglia reported to POLOFF that President

Kirchner generally does not seek her advice on economic

issues. He tends instead to consult with his key economic

advisors De Vido and Lavagna on matters related to the

economy.


6. (C) Cristina enjoys traveling to the United States and has

been described as having a positive view of the U.S.

However, she has never learned English because, as she

explained in a recent speech at Berkeley University, she ""is

part of a generation in which learning English was seen

almost as a defect because of the Yankees go home,

attitude prevalent at the time."" Cristina was the main

instigator for her husband's first trips to the United States

(to Miami and New York),where she introduced him to her

extensive contacts in the Democratic Party and the academic

and think tank communities. She also keeps in close touch

with former President Carter and the Carter Foundation.




7. (C) Cristina Kirchner has told the Ambassador that she is

always available to meet with him and take on issues of

importance to the U.S. At the Ambassador's suggestion,

Cristina met with President Carter at the Carter Center

during a visit to Atlanta to discuss the political crisis in

Venezuela. As a result of her visit, Cristina played a

proactive role in encouraging President Kirchner to press

Venezuelan President Chavez to hold the Recall Referendum and

to meet with members of the opposition Democratic

Coordinating Group during his two visits in 2004 to Caracas.

Cristina has also conditioned any potential visit to Cuba on

being able to bring Hilda Molina back with her and meet with

the wives of jailed dissidents.




8. (C) Cristina is a force in her own right, working

tirelessly as a senator from Santa Cruz with ambitions of

becoming a senator from the politically most important

province of Buenos Aires in 2005. She is not shy about

expressing her views in the Senate. Her biographer Jose

Angel Di Mauro describes her as being a poor negotiator,

preferring instead to use a confrontational style with her

political opponents. She has publicly clashed with many

political figures, including Elisa Carrio, Hilda ""Chiche""

Duhalde, and Vice President Daniel Scioli on the floor of the

Senate. Di Mauro reports that President Kirchner has

frequently made use of this personality trait to let

Christina play the role of ""bad cop"" in political conflicts,

allowing President Kirchner to act more conciliatory. She is

said to never attend meetings of the Peronist Party (PJ) bloc

of Senators, instead relying on her allies in the bloc Miguel

Pichetto and Nicolas Fernandez to get the other PJ senators

to toe the Kirchner line.




9. (C) Cristina Kirchner was born in 1956 in La Plata in the

province of Buenos Aires. Cristina met Nestor Kirchner while

they were both studying law at the Universidad Nacional de La

Plata and they were married in 1975. The Kirchners have two

children. Cristina was first elected as a Deputy to the

Santa Cruz Provincial Legislature in 1989. She was elected

in 1995 as a National Senator for Santa Cruz, but was forced

to leave the Senate to become a National Deputy in 1997 due

to conflicts with the PJ bloc leadership. In 2001 Cristina

Kirchner was again elected to a National Senate seat for

Santa Cruz, which she continues to hold. She is reportedly

very particular about her appearance, spending thousands of

dollars every year on the latest fashion and having silicone

injections on her face and hair extensions to make her appear

younger.



--------------

Carlos Zannini: The Strategy Man

--------------




10. (C) Carlos Zannini, the Secretary for Legal and Technical

Affairs, is Kirchner's most trusted official and is the main

person that conceptualizes and plans the strategies for

Kirchner. Kirchner seeks Zannini's advice on every decision

he makes. Zannini lacks experience in international

relations and managing national politics in Buenos Aires, so

he is at a disadvantage when he attempts to guide Kirchner on

foreign relations and sophisticated national political

issues. By most accounts, Zannini is honest by Argentine

standards.




11. (C) Since accepting his current position in May 2003,

Zannini has taken part in all relevant meetings where

presidential decisions are made and is one of the few

associates that the Kirchners regularly invite to their

Saturday coffee sessions at the Quinta de Olivos to discuss

tactics and strategy. Zannini reviews and signs off on every

major piece of legislation and Kirchner Administration policy

initiative, including providing clearance on draft texts of

IMF agreements, which he discusses with Kirchner in meetings

at the Casa Rosada that sometimes go to midnight. Carlos

Zannini is also very close to Cristina Kirchner, with whom he

speaks with at least two or three times a day to give her

legal and political advice, according to the leading weekly

magazine Noticias.




12. (C) Zannini plays a moderating influence on Kirchner on

economic issues. He shares Kirchner's obsession with

balanced budgets and fiscal orthodoxy. POLOFFS who have meet

Zannini describe him as fiercely loyal to Kirchner and

unwilling to express views of his own. He is readily

accessible to meetings with the Ambassador and DCM. In

person he is amicable and engaging. He has a way of putting

his visitors at ease, even when he disagrees with them. He

reportedly regularly works 16-hour days. Zannini told DCM

and POLOFF in a recent meeting that he cut his Christmas

vacation short in Rio Gallegos in order to get back to work

in Buenos Aires.




13. (C) A well-known lawyer in Santa Cruz, Zannini served as

a member of Kirchner's provincial cabinet when Kirchner was

governor. Those close to Zannini often refer to him by his

nickname ""El Chino,"" which is a reference to his years as a

Maoist activist in his youth. He spent three years in prison

for his political activities between 1976 and 1979. Carlos

Zannini was born in Cordoba in 1954, but moved to Santa Cruz

in 1984 on the advice of friends. In 1995 Zannini was

elected as a Provincial Congressman, serving after his

reelection in 1999 as the President of the PJ bloc. He

resigned his seat in 2001 to accept a position on the

Provincial Supreme Court and with Kirchner's help he became

the president of the Court only 20 days later. He is married

to a fellow lawyer, who works as a Cabinet Advisor in the

Provincial Government of Santa Cruz, and with whom he has

four children.



--------------

Sergio Acevedo: Kirchner's Rear Guard

--------------




14. (C) Sergio Acevedo, the Governor of Santa Cruz and former

head of the intelligence service SIDE, acts as a

trouble-shooter for the Kirchners and protects their

interests in their home province. The Kirchners chose

Acevedo to be the one to publicly defend Cristina when she

and Hilda ""Chiche"" Duhalde clashed early in 2004 in a

fractious, Peronist Party convention. President Kirchner

also sent Acevedo, together with Alberto Fernandez, to the

Ambassador's residence in May 2004 to get a clarification

when some of A/S Noriega's comments were misconstrued in the

Argentine press. Kirchner sent Acevedo to the U.S. last

December to meet with senior U.S. officials ahead of Foreign

Minister Bielsa's trip to Washington to ensure Kirchner's

message of pragmatism and desiring better relations was

properly delivered. In his current role as governor, Sergio

Acevedo gives Kirchner the ability to continue to control the

politics of Santa Cruz while he focuses on national political

issues in Buenos Aires.




15. (C) Acevedo is the idealist of the inner circle and the

only close advisor of President Kirchner who reportedly will

tell him things that Kirchner does not want to hear. It is

reported that Acevedo will always give the President his

frank opinion, but will close ranks behind him even when

Acevedo disagrees with Kirchner's decisions. For example,

Acevedo has long urged the repatriation of the province's

funds that Kirchner sent abroad in 2001, but his loyalty to

the President prevents him from publicly challenging Kirchner

on the issue.




16. (C) Despite his left-wing antecedents, Acevedo professes

to be pro-American. Before Kirchner's election as President,

Acevedo had little foreign policy experience or exposure to

the U.S. However, Acevedo seems to have been a driving force

in the Kirchner administration for better ties with the

United States. The Embassy worked closely with him on

counter terrorism during his time in SIDE. Later when he

became governor, he invited the DCM to travel to Santa Cruz

to meet with him and his key officials and has actively

sought U.S. investment capital to develop his province's

hydrocarbon and mining resources.




17. (C) Acevedo wants to attract U.S. investors and supports

free trade with the United States. He has repeatedly told

EMBOFFS that he thinks U.S. companies come to compete

honestly in Argentina, while he lambastes the unfair business

practices of many European companies, especially those from

Spain. He has generally supported U.S. oil companies

operating in Santa Cruz facing strong pressure from labor and

piquetero groups. He has indicated to EMBOFFS that he

supports the FTAA and thinks Chile has benefited from its

free-trade agreement with the United States. Acevedo even

attempted to find a way to ""grandfather"" Santa Cruz and the

other Patagonian provinces into the Chile FTA. Acevedo is

also a strong proponent of an Open Skies Agreement allowing

for unrestricted air routes of foreign commercial carriers to

Santa Cruz as a way to develop tourism.




18. (C) Sergio Acevedo was born in Chubut in 1956, but has

spent almost his entire life in Santa Cruz. He began his

political career as mayor of the small hamlet of Pico

Truncado in Santa Cruz in 1983, later becoming a provincial

deputy in 1991. He served as a national deputy for Santa

Cruz between 1995 and 1999, returning then to be Kirchner's

vice governor until 2001 when he again became a national

deputy. In May 2003 he was appointed the director of the

national intelligence service SIDE before returning to Santa

Cruz at Kirchner's request to run for governor in October


2003. After winning the elections, he assumed office in

December 2003. He is divorced and has three sons.



-------------- -

Julio De Vido: Infrastructure and Project Czar

-------------- -




19. (C) Julio De Vido has been the main person managing

Kirchner's public works and procurement programs for the past

decade and a half and functions as one of his most important

economic advisors. He is a long-time collaborator and

confidant of President Kirchner, dating back to Kirchner's

first forays into politics in Rio Gallegos in the 1980s.

President Kirchner appointed De Vido as the Minister of

Federal Planning, Public Infrastructure and Services in May


2003. De Vido manages Argentina's substantial public works

program and is jointly responsible with Minister of the

Economy Lavagna for the renegotiation of the nation's public

service contracts. Minister De Vido is responsible for the

management of over 30 billion pesos (USD 10 billion) per year

and has under his jurisdiction five secretariats, ten under

secretariats, eight regulatory agencies, the Yacyreta



SIPDIS

Binational Entity, the Salta Binational Entity, the Atomic

Energy Committee, and the control of all matters related to

government procurement.




20. (C) De Vido is the member of Kirchner's inner circle most

likely to push him to expand the role of the state in the

economy, which he sees as providing the most opportunities

for national and personal gain. De Vido's influence over

economic policy now rivals that of Minister Lavagna, who had

unchallenged authority over economic issues during the

Duhalde administration. Kirchner biographers Valeria Garrone

and Laura Rocha report that Kirchner is using De Vido's

expanded role in the economy to blunt Lavagna's political

ambitions by reducing Lavagna's prominence and share of the

credit for the improving economic situation.




21. (C) De Vido is described as a traditional, left-wing

Peronist, although Senior Embassy Officers report that he has

gone out of his way to maintain good relations with the U.S.

De Vido has attended four ""sectoral"" dinners at the

Ambassador's Residence to meet with U.S. investors. De Vido

has been very careful to not publicly criticize the U.S.

When De Vido traveled to Washington, he eagerly changed his

schedule at the Ambassador's suggestion to meet with U/S

Larson. De Vido has been very forthcoming in discussions

with the Ambassador about the concerns of U.S. companies

operating in Argentina. He has repeatedly stated that he

prefers the presence of U.S. companies because of their

honesty, managerial excellence, and technological edge.




22. (C) De Vido has been uniformly friendly in his contacts

with Embassy Officers, visiting USG officials and many U.S.

executives, but has been known to lose his temper in dealing

with some European government officials. In July 2003, he

sharply told the press that if visiting French Minister of

Economy Francis Mer was coming to talk to him only about the

renegotiation of public service contracts for French

companies (in this case a tariff increase for 40 percent

Suez-owned Aguas Argentinas),he would refuse to meet with

him. The main reason for the different attitude toward U.S.

and European visitors is that the U.S. public and private

sector visitors have generally come to him in private to

discuss common concerns, while the European visitors have

gone to the press to advance the interests of individual

companies.




23. (C) De Vido's relationship with Kirchner is described as

being close, but not having the same level of trust as

Kirchner's relationship with Cristina, Zannini, or Acevedo.

Kirchner respects De Vido's intellect and organizational

ability, but knows that De Vido, if anyone, is the one that

has the most dirt on him. When Kirchner was hospitalized

briefly in April 2004, De Vido was not on the list of those

allowed to visit him in the emergency room, which was limited

to his wife, Zannini, and Acevedo. Nevertheless, De Vido is

frequently on call to participate in visits to the provinces

and sit in on meetings in the Casa Rosada. He once told the

Ambassador that he preferred to come to a dinner, rather than

a lunch, because he never knew if he would have to cancel at

the last minute to attend a meeting at the Casa Rosada. De

Vido is in constant contact with Kirchner by cell phone. The

Ambassador's and other visiting USG officials' meetings and

dinners with De Vido have often been interrupted by a cell

phone call from Kirchner. Kirchner usually takes advantage

of these occasions to send greetings to De Vido's hosts

and/or guests.




24. (C) Since his days in Kirchner's Santa Cruz government,

Julio De Vido has been dogged by allegations of corruption,

although none of these have been proven. One of De Vido's

main functions during his time in Kirchner's provincial

government was managing the province's large public works

program, Cuatrienal, which the political opposition later

accused of corruption in its awarding of public contracts.

De Vido is currently under investigation by Federal Judge

Jorge Urso for irregularities with the renegotiation of a

public service contract with Aguas Argentinas, the purchase

of locomotives, and with the awarding of a contract to build

a gas pipeline in the northwest part of the country. His son

Facundo served as his private secretary until a government

internal security source informed Kirchner that Facundo was

taking bribes from private companies in exchange for

arranging appointments with his father. Kirchner told De

Vido to remove Facundo and Facundo is now a travel guide in

Santa Cruz Province.




25. (C) Julio De Vido was born in Buenos Aires in 1949 and

was trained as an architect at the University of Buenos

Aires. He began work as a draftsman at ENTEL, the state

telephone company, in 1974. He later was promoted to

supervisor, but then was exiled to manage ENTEL works in

Patagonia by the military government in 1976. He resigned

from ENTEL in 1982 and moved to Rio Gallegos to work for a

private company. There was a Peronist Party office across

the street from his new home where he first met Kirchner and

established the political partnership that took him to

national prominence. When Kirchner became mayor of Rio

Gallegos in 1988, he appointed De Vido to be the Director

General of Public Works at the Santa Cruz Institute of Urban

Development and Housing and in 1991 as the head of the

Provincial Highway Bureau. In 1991, Governor Kirchner

appointed him as Minister of Economy and Public Works, and in

1999 as Minister of Government. De Vido was a key campaign

organizer and the chief fund-raiser for Kirchner's 2003

presidential campaign. He is married and has five children.





-------------- -

Alberto Fernandez: Kirchner's ""Prime Minister""

-------------- -




26. (C) Cabinet Chief Alberto Fernandez is Kirchner's main

advisor on Buenos Aires politics and on the workings of the

national PJ party structure. Kirchner values Alberto

Fernandez's analysis of people, frequently seeking his advice

on how to work with a given political figure. Kirchner uses

Fernandez as one of his key people to work behind the scenes

to accomplish his national political goals. Fernandez is

present at all important meetings. Fernandez is the one

member of Kirchner's inner circle who really understands the

workings of the PJ at a national level. He also has an

intricate knowledge of the workings of the Argentine

Congress, and understands how the Buenos Aires provincial and

city party mechanics operate and can be influenced. As such,

he is Kirchner's ""real world"" front-line political operator

that can make things happen.




27. (C) Alberto Fernandez lacks the personal history,

connection to Patagonia, and ideological affinity with

Kirchner that others in the inner circle have. He was

associated with former President Carlos Menem in the past and

comes from a center-right political background. He is a

conservative on economics and is the member of the inner

circle most likely to encourage President Kirchner to

maintain neo-liberal economic policies.




28. (C) Fernandez has become one of Kirchner's close advisors

through his proven loyalty and tireless work over the past

few years. A Senior Embassy Officer compared Alberto

Fernandez to Leon Panetta, who entered the Clinton

administration as a hired gun, but grew to become one of

Clinton's most trusted advisors. Alberto Fernandez may not

be trusted as much as other members of the inner circle, but

Kirchner appreciates the fact the Fernandez lacks the

presidential ambitions of other officials like Minister

Lavagna. Kirchner frequently calls on Fernandez to keep the

other ministers in line. Senior Embassy Officers describe

Alberto Fernandez as being fairly low-key, content to operate

in the background while the Kirchners and other advisors take

more of the spotlight.




29. (C) Alberto Fernandez was born in Buenos Aires in 1959.

He received his law degree from the University of Buenos

Aires in 1983. In 1985 he became Records Director for

Juridical Affairs at the Ministry of the Economy and was

later promoted to Deputy Director. In 1989 he was appointed

as the Insurance Superintendent of the Nation. He served as

the Vice President of Grupo BAPRO between 1996 and 2000,

where he was responsible for the development of companies

associated with the Bank of the Province of Buenos Aires.

Fernandez was also an Assistant Professor of Penal Law at the

University of Buenos Aires Law School. In June 2000 he

became a legislator of the City of Buenos Aires for the PJ,

serving in this capacity until accepting his current position

in Kirchner's cabinet in May 2003. He served as Kirchner's

presidential campaign manager. He is married, but separated

from his wife, and has one son.



--------------

Oscar Parrilli: The Door Keeper

--------------




30. (C) In his current position as Secretary General of the

Presidency (Casa Rosada Chief of Staff),Oscar Parrilli

controls President Kirchner's schedule. Senior Embassy

Officers report that Kirchner does not generally seek

Parrilli's advice on policy matters, as Kirchner does not

have a great respect for his intellect. However, Parrilli is

present at almost every major policy meeting that Kirchner

attends. Kirchner does value Parrilli's organizational

skills and his ability to bring harmony to the Casa Rosada

staff. Parrilli is the go-to person for Kirchner on key

issues like his personal security and managing presidential

travel, including the presidential aircraft Tango 01.

Parrilli is also a person with whom Kirchner can vent his

frustrations. Parrilli does not have a connection to Santa

Cruz, but his long history of activism in PJ politics in the

Patagonian province of Neuquen gives him a natural affinity

with Kirchner.




31. (C) The one policy issue that Kirchner has entrusted to

Parrilli is relations with the piqueteros. Parrilli

regularly meets with Raul Castells and other piquetero

leaders to try to advance Kirchner's agenda of keeping the

movement under control. Kirchner has also used Parrilli to

attempt to draw more moderate piquetero elements into

Kirchner's Transversal political movement. Kirchner gave

Parrilli the piquetero issue because Kirchner recognized that

Parrilli's mild temperament would help him manage the

often-volatile relations between the Casa Rosada and the

protest movement.




32. (C) In meetings with Embassy officers, Parrilli is

positive and engaging. The Ambassador and DCM maintain close

lines of communication with him and have the ability to make

an appointment with Parrilli at any time to discuss any

issue. Senior Embassy Officers describe Parrilli as a

centrist politically. Parrilli is reportedly not good at

managing his own schedule, which compounds Kirchner's natural

tendency to be late to meetings.




33. (C) Oscar Parrilli was born in 1951 in San Martin de los

Andes in Neuquen province. He is an attorney by training,

receiving his law degree from the University of Buenos Aires

in 1976. Kirchner and Parrilli first met and became friends

in the 1970s when both were active in Peronist politics in

Patagonia. Parrilli first held political office as a

provincial PJ legislator in Neuquen in 1983, serving in this

capacity until 1987. In 1989 he was elected as a National

Deputy. He unsuccessfully ran for Neuquen governor in 1991

and then left politics for a private law practice when his

term as National Deputy ended in 1993. In 1998 he joined the

Grupo Calafate, an alternative movement of Peronist activists

opposed to the national PJ party structure dominated by

former President Carlos Menem. Parrilli worked diligently on

Kirchner's presidential bid and was appointed to his current

position when Kirchner assumed office in May 2003. He is

married and has four children.



--------------

Comment

--------------




34. (C) Kirchner's refusal to hold cabinet meetings and

preference for making policy decisions with a handful of key

advisors makes understanding his inner circle of confidants

crucial to comprehending and predicting Argentina's policy

directions. Each member of Kirchner's inner circle of

advisors provides their particular expertise, but for

Kirchner the most important thing they offer him is their

unswerving loyalty. All sources emphasize that ultimately,

after taking in the advice of those important to him,

Kirchner makes all of the decisions himself. Kirchner has

developed a much greater network of informal advisors than

when he first entered office and he has numerous competent

officials to utilize for policy advice. However, in the end,

the real decision-making in Argentina is made at the Saturday

afternoon coffees at the Quinta Olivos where Kirchner and his

wife meet with a few long-time intimates.




35. (C) The political background of most of Kirchner's inner

circle gives some of them a tendency to mistrust U.S.

policies. In fact, Kirchner vowed to end ""carnal relations""

with the U.S. during his 2003 campaign for the Presidency.

Nonetheless, Kirchner and his inner circle recognize the

importance of a positive relationship with the U.S and have

given the Ambassador and Senior Embassy Officers an open door

to meet with them to discuss issues. The inner circle

members are careful to not be seen as being too close to the

U.S. in public, but at the same time they carefully avoid

publicly criticizing the U.S. The Embassy maintains a

positive dialogue with them in private. Post will continue

to engage these individuals, providing an excellent

opportunity to act as a positive influence on Kirchner and

Argentine policy.



GUTIERREZ


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