MEDIA REACTION AMBASSADOR LINO GUTIERREZ'S

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000964 SIPDIS STATE FOR INR/R/MR, I/GWHA, WHA, WHA/PDA, WHA/BSC, WHA/EPSC CDR USSOCOM FOR J-2 IAD/LAMA SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO OPRC KMDR PREL MEDIA REACTION SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION AMBASSADOR LINO GUTIERREZ'S STATEMENTS AT A DIPLOMATIC AND BUSINESS LUNCH IRAN US IMMIGRATION POLICY US-URUGUAYAN FTAA MEETING BETWEEN IMF HEAD RODRIGO RATO AND ARGENTINE ECONOMIC MINISTER MICELI 04/28/06 ¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT All major local papers extensively report on statements made by US Ambassador Lino Gutierrez as the keynote speaker of a diplomatic and business lunch at Club de la Union Nacional. Ambassador Gutierrez is reported to have said that his country "never backed the violation of human rights or condoned the torture of innocent people during the 1976-83 military dictatorship." Daily-of-record "La Nacion" headlines "The US will not mediate in the pulp mill issue." Business-financial newspapers highlight that Ambassador Gutierrez underscored that "the US wants to re-launch FTAA negotiations before the end of the year." ¶2. HEADLINES ON US AMBASSADOR GUTIERREZ'S REMARKS - Daily-of-record "La Nacion" (04/28) "The US will not mediate." - Liberal, English-language "Buenos Aires Herald" (04/28) "US denies condoning 'torture of innocents.'" ¶3. INSIDE PAGE HEADLINES ON US AMBASSADOR GUTIERREZ'S REMARKS - Daily-of-record "La Nacion" (04/28) "The US will not mediate in the pulp mills issue." "Ambassador Gutierrez said 'We would like to see a solution of the problem;' he denied an FTA is being discussed with Montevideo." - Liberal, English-language "Buenos Aires Herald" (04/28) "US denies condoning 'torture of innocents' during the dictatorship." - Conservative "La Prensa" (04/28) "The US emphasized its support (for Argentina)." "The US ambassador highlighted 'Our corporations did not leave the country when the crisis took place.'" - Business-financial "El Cronista" (04/28) "The US insists - it wants to re-launch FTAA negotiations before the end of the year." 'Ambassador Gutierrez said 'We have not lost hope.' They expect a wink from Lula." - Business-financial "Ambito Financiero" (04/28) "Lino denies US military bases." ¶4. OPINION PIECES AND KEY STORIES - "The US will not mediate on the pulp mills issue" Oliver Galak, political columnist of daily-of-record "La Nacion," writes (04/28) "The USG expressed it would like the conflict between Argentina and Uruguay over the Fray Bentos pulp mills to be solved, although it made clear that it only learned about the issue from the newspapers. "During a lunch held at the Club de la Union Nacional, Gutierrez confirmed that the US is encouraging the signature of FTAs with every country in the region, and he sustained that those deals are not against Mercosur's continuity. "Gutierrez said 'I do not see any contradiction between a strong Mercosur and FTAs that could be reached with the US.' While he emphatically denied that Uruguay is negotiating or has asked to discuss a deal of the sort with Washington, he clarified that no negotiation has taken place 'yet.' "... The US ambassador added 'The US never supported human rights violations or the torture of innocent people.'" - "The US emphasizes its support for Argentina" Conservative "La Prensa" reports (04/28) "Speaking to an audience composed of businessmen, political leaders and diplomats, US Ambassador to Argentina emphasized 'There are 540 US companies working in Argentina and none of them left the country during the 2001 crisis.' 'All those companies continue investing in this country and provide employment to 200,000 Argentines, with good salaries and social benefits.' "... With respect to FTAs signed between the US and Latin America, the diplomat pointed out that 'sooner or later' the countries of the region will join the free trade system, which in his opinion 'is the best of all.' "... Gutierrez underscored that the Buenos Aires port is the number one port in fulfilling US security rules." - "The US insists that it wants to re-launch FTAA negotiations before the end of the year" Jorge Sosa, columnist of business-financial "El Cronista," writes (04/28) "... US Ambassador to Argentina Lino Gutierrez said that the purpose of the US is to re-launch hemispheric negotiations before the end of the year without dismissing the possibility of reaching an FTA with Uruguay or another country of Mercosur. "... During a lunch at Club de la Union Nacional, Gutierrez said 'We have not lost hope on making progress on the FTAA, and the idea is to re-launch negotiations this year.' "According to the US Ambassador's interpretation, the recent Summit of the Americas was not a failure for the US. He said 'There was support for the FTAA and the discussion was crystallized, and this is good'... "Even though Gutierrez did not mention it, according to sources consulted in Washington, the Bush administration is planning to come to terms with Brazil on calling a hemispheric ministerial meeting before the end of the year, which was proposed by the head of the White House to Lula during their latest meeting." - "Lino denies military bases" Business-financial "Ambito Financiero" reports (04/28) "US Ambassador Lino Gutierrez denied yesterday ongoing negotiations with Uruguay for the signature of an FTA, and he also made clear that 'there is no interest in establishing military bases in Paraguay or any other part of South America.' "'We have not lost hope that the FTAA can be signed.' "... Gutierrez spoke about Venezuela and he expressed his concern 'about the actions against the opposition' in that country and about its ties with Iran, which is violating international treaties in not stopping its uranium enrichment program." - "US denies condoning 'torture of innocents'" Liberal, English-language "Buenos Aires Herald" front- pages (04/28) "The US Ambassador in Argentina said yesterday that his country never backed the violation of human rights or condoned the torture of innocent people during the 1976-83 military dictatorship that according to President Nestor Kirchner assassinated or made disappear 30,000 people. "'The US never supported the violation of human rights or that innocents be tortured,' said outgoing Ambassador Lino Gutierrez at a diplomatic and business lunch. "He was asked by the 'Herald' to comment on documents recently declassified in the US that said the then US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had sought SIPDIS immediate support for the Argentine dictators. "Asked whether the US was planning to issue a mea culpa, such as the Argentine military forces have made for the dictatorship's aberrations, Cuban-born Gutierrez said, 'I have no instructions about that.' "... The ambassador denied reports that the US was planning to install a military base in Paraguay, which had caused concerns within Argentine government official circles." - "Iran disregards UN ultimatum and the crisis worsens" Daily-of-record "La Nacion" (04/28) reports "Today is the deadline for the UN Security Council ultimatum for Iran to suspend any uranium enrichment-related activities, which has not raised concern in Iranian authorities. Their decision to continue with their nuclear plans remains firm. "... US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday 'The US believes that, in order to preserve its credibility, the UN Security Council should act now.' And, while she recalled that US President George ¶W. Bush has not dismissed a military attack against Iran, the country is 'committed' to a diplomatic way out of the crisis." - "Absurdities" Marcelo Cantelmi, international editor of leading "Clarin," opines (04/28) "There is no room for doubt on the harmful nature of anti-immigration policies, which, with more xenophobia than economic reasons, is being promoted by a broad sector of the ruling G.O.P. "Based on that blindness they have established another, even more absurd - the barbaric repression of Hispanics, which is a shot in the foot of those responsible for this direction. It was the missing factor in uniting an immense US community of over 30 million inhabitants (one-third of whom are undocumented)." - "Mercosur - an attempt to prevent Uruguay from leaving" Business-financial "Ambito Financiero" reports (04/28) "Argentine and Brazilian experts will finish drafting an offer to be made to Uruguay to enable it to get protection from the exports of both countries and, in this way, prevent Uruguay from leaving Mercosur. "If the Vazquez administration does not accept the proposal and prefers to continue negotiating an FTA with the US after his meeting with George W. Bush, Argentina and Brazil will not make any further efforts to maintain it in Mercosur. "In return for this, Argentine and Brazilian government officials will draft a strategy so that Paraguay stays and that, eventually, the Duarte Frutos administration can establish the US military base near the Triple Border area in Ciudad del Este." - "The (Argentine) mission to Washington had a bitter taste" Marcelo Bonelli, economic columnist of leading "Clarin," writes (04/28) "Rodrigo Rato was, as usually, direct and tough when he told Miceli 'Minister, Argentina has an inflationary problem, and, in our opinion, you are not targeting it in the right way.' "... 'The price accord and control strategy you are carrying out is not adequate and it will not solve the problem of price increases.' 'In our opinion, you will have a 13-per-cent rise in prices by the end of the year, and next year you will have a 15% inflation, even without increasing public rates.' "While Minister Felisa Miceli defended the Argentine Government's strategy to fight inflation),the IMF head said 'You are wrong. In order to really stop inflation you have to lower the exchange rate, increase the interest rate, and reduce growing public expenditures in order to cool down domestic demand." To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website at: http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires GUTIERREZ