ARGENTINE MINISTER OPEN TO BROADER 3 + 1 DIALOGUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 001709 SIPDIS SIPDIS WHA FOR CHRIS MCMULLEN, DEBORAH MCCARTHY, CAROLINE CROFT, BRUCE FRIENDMAN AND KENDALL MOSS S/CT FOR VIRGINIA PALMER AND ARNOLD SIERRA FBI FOR COUNTERTERROISM DIVISION AND OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT FOR ICE/OIS H E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER KTFN AR BR PA SUBJECT: ARGENTINE MINISTER OPEN TO BROADER 3 + 1 DIALOGUE REF: BUENOS AIRES 1685 Classified By: AMBASSADOR E. ANTHONY WAYNE FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) Ambassador asked Argentine Minister of the Interior (MOI) Anibal Fernandez August 27 about his views on dealing with terrorist threats and other serious problems in the Tri-border area (TBA). He asked the Ministe his views on the potential benefits of addressing a broader scope of issues in the 3 1 Working Group. MOI Fernandez reacted positively, indicating that the GOA was open to discussing "any pertinent issues." MOI Fernandez acknowledged that problems of terrorism, narcotics, arms trafficking, trafficking in persons, and money laundering are often interrelated and that the same groups are often involved in many of these activities at the same time. ¶2. (C) MOI Fernandez was also candid about the challenges of working in the TBA. Argentina has a good working relationship with Brazil on these issues and sees Brazil as a valuable and serious partner. Paraguay, alternatively, is not a reliable partner. MOI Fernandez referred to Paraguay as a "plastic" country, with institutions that are much less than what they seem, and fraudulent documents readily available. He urged caution in dealing with Paraguayan authorities. He also acknowledged, however, that Paraguay is the source of many of the problems in the TBA region, so that its role in regional TBA efforts, including the 3 1 mechanism, was critically important. ¶3. (C) The Ambasador also noted recent reports of numerous unauthorized flights entering Argentine air space, particularly in the TBA. MOI Fernandez acknowledged the problem, particularly as it relates to the entry of narcotics into the country, and the paucity of the GOA's response. Dismissing Argentine radar as "artisinal" ("hand- made"),he complained that Argentina does not have the contemporaty radar technology needed to aggressively confront the issue. He also noted that the corruption on both the Argentine and Paraguayan sides of the border make this a particularly difficult problem. KELLY