PARAGUAY POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC UPDATE, APRIL

UNCLAS ASUNCION 000446 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/BSC, INL, AND EB/IFD/OIA STATE PASS TO USAID FOR LAC/AA STATE PASS TO USTR FOR LYANG NSC FOR SUE CRONIN TREASURY FOR OSIA MAUREEN WAFER TREASURY FOR OTA WARFIELD, VAN KOCH, MILLAR COMMERCE FOR ITA SARAH COOK SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD NAIROBI FOR MICHAEL FITZPATRICK E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR PHUM KCRM SNAR KWMN SMIG PA SP SUBJECT: PARAGUAY POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC UPDATE, APRIL 22-29, 2006 REF: A. ASUNCION 0371 ¶B. ASUNCION 0348 ¶C. ASUNCION 0296 ¶D. ASUNCION 0200 ¶E. ASUNCION 0445 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: --AMB Meets with Colorado Leadership --UTE Seizes Pirated Goods --Ten Generals Retired, Galeano Delayed --TIP Traffickers Arrested in CDE --OTA Meets with Minister Bergen --President Replaces Agriculture Minister -------------- AMB Meets with Colorado Leadership -------------- ¶2. (U) On 4/24, Ambassador accompanied by A/DCM, PolCouns and EconCouns met key Colorado Party leaders including Party President Jos Alberto Alderete, Third Vice-President Senator Nelson Argaa, Executive Board Party Secretaries -- Roberto Gonzlez, Minister of Defense and Deputy Arstides Da Rosa, and Executive Board Members (from opposition to Duarte within Party): Alfredo (Goli) Stroessner, Mario Abdo Bentez, and Doctor Rubn Melgarejo Lanzn. (Note: Colorado Party Second Vice-President Juan Carlos Galaverna, implicated in numerous corrupt activities and considered by many observers as the most powerful individual within the Party, declined to attend the meeting. End Note.) The Ambassador took the opportunity to: -- reenforce the importance we attach to movement on the AML law as part and parcel of the fight against corruption and the effort to attract investment; -- describe the different forms of assistance we are providing Paraguay - MCA, USAID, PC, military exercises, efforts to create more U.S. study opportunities for poor Paraguayans and more export opportunities for Paraguayan products to the U.S.; -- share concern about PPL activity and stress the need for Paraguay to act now; -- appeal for support for new agreement on military exercises including MEDRETES in 2007; -- support Anti-Drug Secretariat,s (SENAD) CN efforts stressing the need for Congress to provide funding for 50 new agents. ¶3. (U) Alderete conveyed appreciation for U.S. assistance and affirmed his Party,s desire for continued collaboration from us in promoting economic development and tackling the threat posed by the PPL. He criticized the opposition for obstructing its initiatives within Congress but insisted the Party leadership was capable of dealing with this problem on its own. -------------- UTE Seizes Pirated Goods -------------- ¶4. (U) On 4/21, Prosecutor Luis Maniagurria and agents of the USG-supported Specialized Technical Unit (UTE) raided four labs in Ciudad del Este seizing 13,550 pirated CDs, 7,184 pirated DVDs, 5,750 virgin CDs, and 32,550 cases for CDs, all with an estimated value of approximately 75,000 USD. The agents also seized 58 boxes containing pirated Nintendo and GameBoy software from two businesses, which are believed to be a front for Lebanese businessman Ali Zaioun. One of the businesses is registered under the name of Ali Hassan Hamaied, a naturalized Paraguayan citizen, and the other under Walli Abdulamir Atwi. -------------- Ten Generals Retired, Galeano Delayed -------------- ¶5. (U) On 4/27, the Duarte administration released its revised military promotions list and announced that ten general officers would pass into retirement. They include Army Commander Lieutenant General Alviso and Air Force Commander General Roberto Vera, but not Military Forces Commander General Jose Kanazawa or Navy Commander Rear Admiral Miguel Caballero, who was reassigned to the Logistics Command. The announcement followed Duarte,s 4/23 attempt to placate the opposition by replacing the three military service commanders and the controversial commander of the Presidential Escort Regiment, Colonel Heriberto Galeano (ref. E). Galeano,s name did not appear on the revised promotions list. However, the opposition continues to call for Kanazawa,s removal as well as Galeano's retirement as a sine qua non for consideration of the rest of the list. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: Once the ten general officers are retired, if their replacements are not promoted because of the impasse, the military brass will be left light at the top. There will be no active duty (three-star) lieutenant generals between the (four-star) Military Forces Commander and the remaining crop of (two-star) brigadier generals. While Galeano,s absence from the revised promotion list is a welcome development, Duarte may attempt to promote him again next year, after the dust settles. End Comment. -------------- TIP Traffickers Arrested in CDE -------------- ¶7. (U) In two raids in Ciudad del Este, authorities apprehended and detained three human traffickers. The detainees are Delsey Eva Garcete, Yeni Sosa Barrios and Noelia Aquino Sosa. According to the prosecutor, Nelson Ruiz, the women had been advertising jobs in Spain to young women, including modeling jobs. Before the trip to Spain, the women were told they had to sign a contract and pay fees, which would have committed them to pay back the contract debts. Ramon Gonzalez, the boyfriend of one of the victims, brought the case to the attention of authorities. -------------- OTA Meets with Minister Bergen -------------- ¶8. (U) On April 26, the visiting Deputy Director of Treasury,s Office of Technical Assistance, Michael Ruffner, who is also the head of OTA,s budget team, met with Finance Minister Ernst Bergen to discuss the budget team,s work and explore future opportunities. The Finance Minister revived an idea raised in September 2005 for OTA to collaborate with the IDB (some funds are already available) to produce a major intervention - "an assault" on the budget process. Bergen emphasized his focus on results rather than continued study. He also discussed the need to better coordinate with Congress so that budget deliberations would stay within the fiscal limits set by the Finance Ministry. In the past few years, Congress has inflated the executive,s budget proposals beyond what can be financed, forcing the Ministry to use a special provision to hold spending in line with revenues. This has helped produced excellent fiscal results, but has resulted in disproportionate cuts to much needed social and capital investment. ¶9. (U) Bergen asserted that the economic team has continued to work independently, free from pressure from the President. Partially as a result, revenues have increased 27 percent year-on-year in the first three months of 2006, much more than expected by either the GOP or the IMF, and 22,000 new taxpayers have registered. These developments are a direct result of the implementation of the fiscal adjustment law which is leading to increased formalization. -------------- President Replaces Agriculture Minister -------------- ¶10. (U) On Saturday, April 22, Minister of Agriculture Gustavo Ruiz Diaz resigned following a meeting with President Duarte Frutos. The outgoing minister noted "outside pressures" that contributed to his decision. The new Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Abel Santacruz, is the former head of the GOP,s Agriculture Credit Bureau. According to media reports, Santacruz is often portrayed as a technocrat, yet he functions more as a politician. Claudia Russer, President of the Soy Producers Association told Econoff that the choice of Santacruz was "a disaster." Russer continued, "The Ministry is being filled with politicians instead of technical experts, and this Minister is a step down from his predecessor." Maris Llorens, President of the beef producers association, was more optimistic, telling Econoff that no change had been made in the Vice Minister of Livestock, and that her industry did not anticipate any changes in the Ministry,s key technical personnel. CASON