NEW PRIME MINISTER, FOREIGN MINISTER AND DEFENSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LIMA 003548

SIPDIS

ASUNCION PLEASE PASS TO SECDEF

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2015
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL MARR PE
SUBJECT: NEW PRIME MINISTER, FOREIGN MINISTER AND DEFENSE
MINISTER TO RECEIVE SECDEF IN LIMA

REF: A. LIMA 3489


B. LIMA 3476

Classified By: Polcouns Alexander Margulies. Reason: 1.4(b/d).


1. (C) New Prime Minister-designate Pedro Pablo Kuczynski
(PPK) phoned the Ambassador on the morning of 8/16 to confirm
press reports that he would be sworn-in later that day as
Prime Minister. The Ambassador inquired as to other Cabinet
changes that might affect upcoming meetings with SECDEF. PPK
said that that Marciano Rengifo, a retired Army Lieutenant
General and currently a governing Peru Posible party
Congressman, will be named Minister of Defense. He added
that Oscar Maurtua, formerly Vice Minister of Foreign
Relations, will be the new Foreign Minister. All were indeed
sworn in by President Alejandro Toledo that afternoon. Bios
for PPK, Rengifo, and Maurtua follow. Embassy will report
Septel on full Cabinet changes.


2. (C) PRIME MINISTER: Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI Godard
(commonly called "PPK") was born in Lima on 3 October 1938.
He received his B.A. and M.A. in philosophy, politics, and
economics from Exeter College, Oxford University, and holds
an M.P.A. from the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and
International Affairs, Princeton University. PPK served as
Deputy Governor of the Central Reserve Bank of Peru in the
1960s, and as president of a mining company in the 1970s. He
served as Minister of Energy and Mines from 1980-1982, and
from 1982-1992 was managing director of the investment
banking firm First Boston Corporation and chairman of First
Boston International. Between 1992-2001, he managed a series
of U.S.-based investment funds, and served on several
multinational, U.S., and Peruvian corporate boards. When
President Toledo selected Kuczynski for Minister of Economy
and Finance in July 2001, he was president and CEO of the
Latin American Enterprise Fund. Kuczynski remained Minister
of Economy and Finance until July 2002, when he was replaced
in a general Cabinet shakeup. PPK returned to the Finance
Ministry in February 2004 and remained in that position to
the present. He has remained politically independent for
most of his career. PPK,s strength lies in his management
of the economy, which has grown every month since Toledo took
office. The Embassy has excellent relations with PPK, who is
sympathetic to USG objectives and policies in Peru and the
region. Kuczynski is married to a U.S. citizen. He has four
children, one of whom is a reporter for the New York Times.
He speaks excellent English.


3. (C) DEFENSE MINISTER: Marciano RENGIFO Ruiz is a
70-year old retired Army Lieutenant General and currently a
governing Peru Posible party Congressman representing the
Department of San Martin. Born in Bellavista, San Martin, he
received his primary military training in Peru and France. He
also trained in the former Soviet Union during the Velasco
government. He served as a military attach to Argentina from
1979-1980. Rengifo is one of the founding members of the
Peru Posible party and was elected to Congress in 2000. He
was President of the Defense and Intelligence Committee for
two sessions, 2000-2002. From 2003-2004 he was first Vice
President of Congress. In prior press interviews he
identified narcotrafficking and terrorism as the biggest
threats to Peru, the region, and the world. He is married
with four children. Post has worked well with Rengifo on
congressional issues. He is solid on the important issues of
military reform, professionalization of the military, and
civilian control over the military.


4. (C) FOREIGN MINISTER: Ambassador Oscar MAURTUA de
Romana formerly served as Vice Minister of Foreign Relations.
He graduated from the Universidad Catolica and San Marcos
with post-graduate studies at Oxford and Johns Hopkins all in
international affairs. He is a lawyer and career diplomat,
having entered Peru's diplomatic service in 1969. Maurtua
served as Ambassador to Canada (1985-1988),Bolivia
(1988-1993),Thailand (1995-1999),and Ecuador (1999-2002).
Domestic positions include Under Secretary for Political
Affairs, Secretary General to the President (1980-1985),
Director General of Planning, Director General of Judiciary
Affairs, and Judiciary Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. He is married with three children. Maurtua has
been an excellent and accessible Embassy contact in the
Foreign Ministry. He is quite amiable, but generally prefers
to focus on generalities and platitudes in lieu of detailed
substantive discussion of issues. We expect that his
appointment will result in continuity in the foreign policies
practiced by Peru under outgoing Foreign Minister Manuel
Rodriguez.
STRUBLE