Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BUENOSAIRES903
2006-04-21 19:15:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Buenos Aires
Cable title:
ARGENTINA NAMES STRONG CHAVEZ ALLY AS AMBASSADOR
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C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000903
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV OVIP ENRG AR VZ
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA NAMES STRONG CHAVEZ ALLY AS AMBASSADOR
TO VENEZUELA
REF: 05 STATE 1049
Classified By: Ambassador Lino Gutierrez, Reasons 1.4(b) and (d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000903
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV OVIP ENRG AR VZ
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA NAMES STRONG CHAVEZ ALLY AS AMBASSADOR
TO VENEZUELA
REF: 05 STATE 1049
Classified By: Ambassador Lino Gutierrez, Reasons 1.4(b) and (d).
1. (C) SUMMARY: The GOA announced April 18 that it was
seeking acceptance from the Government of Venezuela to name
former airline stewardess, union leader, congresswoman, and
Chavez ally Alicia Castro as the new Argentine Ambassador to
Venezuela. Castro, 56, is known as one of Chavez's most
ardent supporters in Argentina, and was a main force behind
the ""anti-Summit"" last November in Mar del Plata. Her
appointment comes at a time when Argentine-Venezuelan
relations were beginning to cool, and may represent an
attempt by President Kirchner to please both Chavez and the
Argentine left. We believe Castro will continue to advocate
that Kirchner pursue a closer relationship with Chavez rather
than act as a moderating influence. END SUMMARY.
2. (C) First elected to Congress in 1997, Castro was
reelected in 2001 and recently vacated her seat in December
2005. From 1991-2004 she also led the union that represents
Argentine flight attendants and pursers and still holds a
high-ranking position within the union. She worked as a
stewardess for Aerolineas Argentinas from 1969-1990.
Unmarried, Castro currently lives in Buenos Aires with her
18-year old daughter.
3. (C) Castro is an unflinching supporter of Chavez and his
policies (see reftel). In 2004, Castro sponsored four
pro-Chavez resolutions in the Argentine Congress. Last year
Castro called herself ""Chavez's vanguard in this country,""
and lauded Chavez's economic policies for their ""humanism and
better distribution of incomes."" (Rumors have swirled that
there is also a romantic relationship between the two.)
Castro also said that ""Bush is the real threat,"" and weapons
purchased by Venezuela from Spain ""are part of a strategic
defense."" In November 2005 she was one of the main speakers
at the anti-American ""People's Summit"" (at which Chavez also
delivered a 2-hour speech) that was held simultaneously with
the Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata. She also sent a
letter to President Bush several weeks before the Summit
asking him not to travel to Argentina because he represented
""a danger to the democracies of South America.""
4. (C) Kirchner,s decision comes at a time when relations
between Argentina and Venezuela had appeared to be cooling.
Kirchner had canceled a scheduled mini-Summit with Lula and
Chavez to be held in Mendoza after Bachelet,s inauguration
to discuss the Venezuela-Brazil-Argentina gas pipeline
project. Kirchner had said at the time that not enough
progress had been made in developing a serious project
proposal worthy of discussion by the heads of state.
5. (C) Kirchner has also remained concerned about Chavez,s
increasingly successful seduction of Morales, which he views
as meddling in Argentina,s backyard. (Note: Morales is
playing tough with the Argentines on the gas issue and the
Bolivia-Uruguay-Paraguay mini-Summit in Asuncion has
Chavez,s overt support.)
6. (C) In addition, Argentina and Venezuela have been
involved in a spat related to Venezuelan sales of fuel oil to
Argentina in 2004. The Venezuelan oil parastatal, PDVSA,
wants Argentina to pay nearly $20 million in shipping/port
costs when PDVSA vessels had to wait several months to
unload. Argentina argues that the sales contract did not
cover such a situation and refuses to pay. Finally,
Argentina,s recent lead role in blocking Venezuelan antics
at the recent CICTE meeting in Bogot brought tensions to a
head.
7. (C) COMMENT: From our point of view, the timing of
Castro,s appointment couldn't be worse, particularly in the
wake of Argentina,s position on Venezuela at the UNSC.
However, Chavez has not been invited back to Buenos Aires
since the Summit, and some believe that Kirchner may be
outsourcing his Venezuela policy to Alicia in Caracas, while
he tries to put some distance between himself and Chavez.
There is also an emerging rift among Kirchner,s advisors
between Planning Minister De Vido, who wants to avoid
ideology and keep the Venezuelan relationship strictly to
business, and the Bolivarian minority within the Peronist
movement headed by Alicia Castro. De Vido told us in a
meeting a couple of months ago that Kirchner would gladly
meet with Venezuelan opposition leaders here in Buenos Aires,
and noted that no requests had come in two years. The
Venezuelan opposition should take him up on this and try to
deflate some of the public momentum that Chavez won with
Castro,s appointment.
8. (U) Reftel available at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires.< /a>
GUTIERREZ
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
"
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV OVIP ENRG AR VZ
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA NAMES STRONG CHAVEZ ALLY AS AMBASSADOR
TO VENEZUELA
REF: 05 STATE 1049
Classified By: Ambassador Lino Gutierrez, Reasons 1.4(b) and (d).
1. (C) SUMMARY: The GOA announced April 18 that it was
seeking acceptance from the Government of Venezuela to name
former airline stewardess, union leader, congresswoman, and
Chavez ally Alicia Castro as the new Argentine Ambassador to
Venezuela. Castro, 56, is known as one of Chavez's most
ardent supporters in Argentina, and was a main force behind
the ""anti-Summit"" last November in Mar del Plata. Her
appointment comes at a time when Argentine-Venezuelan
relations were beginning to cool, and may represent an
attempt by President Kirchner to please both Chavez and the
Argentine left. We believe Castro will continue to advocate
that Kirchner pursue a closer relationship with Chavez rather
than act as a moderating influence. END SUMMARY.
2. (C) First elected to Congress in 1997, Castro was
reelected in 2001 and recently vacated her seat in December
2005. From 1991-2004 she also led the union that represents
Argentine flight attendants and pursers and still holds a
high-ranking position within the union. She worked as a
stewardess for Aerolineas Argentinas from 1969-1990.
Unmarried, Castro currently lives in Buenos Aires with her
18-year old daughter.
3. (C) Castro is an unflinching supporter of Chavez and his
policies (see reftel). In 2004, Castro sponsored four
pro-Chavez resolutions in the Argentine Congress. Last year
Castro called herself ""Chavez's vanguard in this country,""
and lauded Chavez's economic policies for their ""humanism and
better distribution of incomes."" (Rumors have swirled that
there is also a romantic relationship between the two.)
Castro also said that ""Bush is the real threat,"" and weapons
purchased by Venezuela from Spain ""are part of a strategic
defense."" In November 2005 she was one of the main speakers
at the anti-American ""People's Summit"" (at which Chavez also
delivered a 2-hour speech) that was held simultaneously with
the Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata. She also sent a
letter to President Bush several weeks before the Summit
asking him not to travel to Argentina because he represented
""a danger to the democracies of South America.""
4. (C) Kirchner,s decision comes at a time when relations
between Argentina and Venezuela had appeared to be cooling.
Kirchner had canceled a scheduled mini-Summit with Lula and
Chavez to be held in Mendoza after Bachelet,s inauguration
to discuss the Venezuela-Brazil-Argentina gas pipeline
project. Kirchner had said at the time that not enough
progress had been made in developing a serious project
proposal worthy of discussion by the heads of state.
5. (C) Kirchner has also remained concerned about Chavez,s
increasingly successful seduction of Morales, which he views
as meddling in Argentina,s backyard. (Note: Morales is
playing tough with the Argentines on the gas issue and the
Bolivia-Uruguay-Paraguay mini-Summit in Asuncion has
Chavez,s overt support.)
6. (C) In addition, Argentina and Venezuela have been
involved in a spat related to Venezuelan sales of fuel oil to
Argentina in 2004. The Venezuelan oil parastatal, PDVSA,
wants Argentina to pay nearly $20 million in shipping/port
costs when PDVSA vessels had to wait several months to
unload. Argentina argues that the sales contract did not
cover such a situation and refuses to pay. Finally,
Argentina,s recent lead role in blocking Venezuelan antics
at the recent CICTE meeting in Bogot brought tensions to a
head.
7. (C) COMMENT: From our point of view, the timing of
Castro,s appointment couldn't be worse, particularly in the
wake of Argentina,s position on Venezuela at the UNSC.
However, Chavez has not been invited back to Buenos Aires
since the Summit, and some believe that Kirchner may be
outsourcing his Venezuela policy to Alicia in Caracas, while
he tries to put some distance between himself and Chavez.
There is also an emerging rift among Kirchner,s advisors
between Planning Minister De Vido, who wants to avoid
ideology and keep the Venezuelan relationship strictly to
business, and the Bolivarian minority within the Peronist
movement headed by Alicia Castro. De Vido told us in a
meeting a couple of months ago that Kirchner would gladly
meet with Venezuelan opposition leaders here in Buenos Aires,
and noted that no requests had come in two years. The
Venezuelan opposition should take him up on this and try to
deflate some of the public momentum that Chavez won with
Castro,s appointment.
8. (U) Reftel available at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires.< /a>
GUTIERREZ
=======================CABLE ENDS============================
"