ARGENTINE PROGRESS ON RATIFICATION OF THE UNESCO

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000338 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR IO/UNESCO M. CRISTINA NOVO, IO/PPC FOR RICHARD WILBUR, AND EB/TPP/MTA FOR LINDSAY CHASON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD SCUL UNESCO AR SUBJECT: ARGENTINE PROGRESS ON RATIFICATION OF THE UNESCO CONVENTION ON CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS REF: A. STATE 019851 ¶B. 05 BUENOS AIRES 01281 ¶1. (U) This message is sensitive but unclassified, and not for Internet distribution. ¶2. (U) Argentina has done little to ratify the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions following its October 2005 adoption. The process by which the Convention would eventually be ratified is initiated by the MFA's International Organizations office, which sends the Convention to the Ministry of Education's Secretariat of Culture for comments. The Secretariat of SIPDIS Culture then returns the Convention and its recommendations concerning implementation to the MFA, where the legal office drafts the implementing legislation that is eventually placed on Argentina's legislative calendar. That process has apparently not begun, as Embassy contacts in the Secretariat of Culture told Econ FSN that the Secretariat has yet to receive the MFA's request for comments. ¶3. (SBU) This issue has received very little attention in the Argentine press (an Internet search revealed only two back-page articles from several months ago). It is the Embassy's impression that very few Argentines are aware of the Convention, and public diplomacy campaign against ratification (as contemplated in Reftel A) would therefore likely be confusing and ineffective (and possibly counterproductive). ¶4. (U) To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires.< /a> GUTIERREZ