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