ARGENTINE FM TAIANA ON HIS MEETING WITH THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 002204 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2017 TAGS: PREL ETRD AR SUBJECT: ARGENTINE FM TAIANA ON HIS MEETING WITH THE SECRETARY, THE DOHA ROUND SIPDIS REF: (A) BUENOS AIRES 2154 (B) BUENOS AIRES 2125 Classified By: Ambassador Wayne for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d). ¶1. (C) In the course of an October 26 discussion of other issues (reftels),Argentine FM Taiana told the Ambassador he was very pleased by his meeting with the Secretary at UNGA as well as separate encounters with U/S Burns and A/S Shannon. He characterized it as a very "frank" conversation, noting that the Secretary had made clear her unhappiness with President Kirchner's persistentence in saying that the U.S. had abandoned Argentina during and immediately after the 2001-2 crisis. Taiana said the Secretary reminded him of her own interventions on Argentina's behalf from the White House during that crisis. Taiana said he and the Secretary discussed the need to improve relations. On Paris Club, they agreed that Argentina had to get itself out of the corner it had painted itself into. Taiana thought that the Kirchners' positive meeting with Dominique Strauss-Kahn, when he visited Buenos Aires on the eve of becoming IMF Managing Director, was a good omen for reaching a satisfactory arrangement. He said the Secretary raised the importance of concerted international action to thwart Iran's development of nuclear weapons, and that she thanked Argentina for its support of peace-keeping operations in Haiti. He said the meeting U/S Burns hosted on Haiti was very useful. According to Taiana, the Secretary and A/S Shannon "listened attentively to our concern" about addressing the issue of Argentina's sovereignty over the Falklands/Malvinas. Doha Development Round -------------- ¶2. (C) Taiana said the Secretary had called his attention to the need for progress in the weeks ahead on the Doha Round. The Ambassador said that if the GOA was looking for goodwill in Washington, they needed to show some flexibility on Doha. The U.S. was looking to all WTO members to commit publicly to working towards an agreement on the basis of the Chairs' texts in agriculture, NAMA and services. When Taiana noted the President was making these decisions, the Ambassador pointed out that Argentina would soon be getting a new president and repeated the idea that more flexibility and constructive spirit by Argentines would be favorably viewed by the USG. Taiana said the GOA had been consulting with many others, including the South Africans, and said they were coming up with something "different." WAYNE