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