ARGENTINA: "WE ARE NOT ORGANIZING AN ANTI U.S.

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000374 SIPDIS SIPDIS P FOR HEIDE BRONKE WHA FOR TOM SHANNON, PATRICK DUDDY AND DEBORAH MACCARTHY WHA/BSC FOR DOUG BARNES, BRUCE FRIEDMAN AND DREW BLAKENEY NSC FOR DAN FISK, JUAN ZARATE AND JOSE CARDENAS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV AR SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: "WE ARE NOT ORGANIZING AN ANTI U.S. RALLY!" REF: A. BUENOS AIRES 360 ¶B. BUENOS AIRES 311 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Ambassador spoke February 27 with Acting Foreign Minister Roberto Garcia Moritan and DCM spoke with Secretary General of the Presidency Oscar Parilli to express SIPDIS our concerns regarding local press reports that the GoA was facilitating the organization of an anti-U.S. rally for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during Chavez' scheduled visit to Buenos Aires next week, to coincide with President Bush's visit to Uruguay. Both assured us that the GoA was "absolutely not" involved in organizing any such rallies or demonstrations. Parilli called the press reports "a shame" and both noted that the visit was still not confirmed. However, Parilli did say that it would be difficult for the GoA to stop Chavez from doing his own public events that often turn "anti-yanqui," as he has been known to do on past visits. Ambassador and DCM made the point that any public anti-U.S. event in Buenos Aires organized by or for Chavez would reflect badly on the GoA even if the GoA is not involved in its organization, and could seriously undermine our mutual efforts to improve relations. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) An article in the daily of record, La Nacion, on February 24 reported that the GoA was working with a number of piquetero groups to organize an anti-U.S. rally March 9 for visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, to coincide with President Bush's visit to Uruguay. Ambassador spoke February 27 with Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Garcia Moritan, who is acting Foreign Minister this week while Minister Taiana is in South Africa, and DCM spoke with Secretary General of the Presidency Oscar Parilli, cited in SIPDIS the newspaper article as the Casa Rosada official involved in planning the supposed event. ¶3. (SBU) With Garcia Moritan, the Ambassador noted our work to build a mature and positive relationship and stressed his serious concerns at reading the press reports about the GoA helping to organize anti-US demonstrations during Chavez' visit. If true, the Ambassador stressed, such actions would seriously undermine our work to improve relations. The acting Foreign Minister told Ambassador that the government would "absolutely not" be involved in organizing any rallies or demonstrations during the possible upcoming visit of President Chavez. He said that Chavez might come to Buenos Aires to finalize the deal to fund the Sancor dairy company (reftels) and to sign some other agriculture-related agreements, but the visit specifics are not yet set. The government, he said, will not organize or help organize any rallies, if Chavez does come. He also stated that when Chavez came to Cordoba, Argentina in November 2006 for a Mercosur summit, he did attend a rally organized by groups sympathetic to him, but the government did not attend and advised him to be respectful of other countries with whom Argentina has friendly relations while on Argentine soil. "And Argentina considers the United States to be a friend," Garcia Moritan said, and that "we will follow the same approach if Chavez visits" in March. ¶4. (SBU) Garcia Moritan said that the MFA had also been surprised by the February 24 articlele in La Nacion reporting this information. He said that on learning of U.S. concern, he had earlier that day called Foreign Minister Taiana in South Africa. Taiana made several calls, he said, and then let Garcia Moritan know that the government would "absolutely not" be involved in organizing any anti-U.S. rallies, and that they have no information about such rallies being planned. He said the Ministry would share any related information if it received it and invited us to call immediately if the Embassy received such information. "If we have any guests, we will expect them to treat our friends with respect," said Garcia Moritan. In response to my repeated stress on U.S. efforts to build a positive and mature relationship, Garcia Moritan said, "Our intention is to work hard for a positive relationship with the United States." Ambassador thanked him for his message. ¶5. (SBU) DCM spoke February 27 with Oscar Parilli, the Secretary General of the Presidency, and one of the persons SIPDIS cited in Saturday,s La Nacion newspaper article as being involved in planning with Chavez the March 9 anti-U.S. rally in Buenos Aires. Parilli denied in the strongest terms that the GoA was doing anything in promoting a public, anti-U.S. event in Buenos Aires during a possible Chavez visit in early March. He called the story "una verguenza" (a shame). First he said that the Chavez visit to Argentina is not confirmed and that nothing has been done in terms of planning any official Kirchner/Chavez meetings. He did say, however, that there was a possibility that Chavez would be visisting to follow-up the Kirchner visit to Venezuela last week (ref. A). He assured that the GoA would certainly have nothing to do with any public act of the sort described in the La Nacion article, and he blamed unfriendly journalists who look for nothing but bad news to report. However, he did say that the GoA would not be able to stop Chavez from doing his own public events that often turn "anti-yanqui," as he has been known to do on past visits. ¶6. (SBU) DCM expressed relief that the basic facts of the La Nacion article were apparently untrue. He noted that the U.S. and Argentina had made great progress in overcoming some of the bad "bilateral" consequences that developed following the November 2005 Summit of the Americas and Chavez, "anti-summit" in Mar del Plata. In this particular case, the anti-summit was organized with some degree of GoA support and participation. DCM said that any public anti-U.S. event in Buenos Aires organized by or for Chavez would reflect badly on the GoA, even if the GoA is not involved in its organization. Parilli repeated that it would be difficult for the GoA to stand in the way of a Chavez gathering with his supporters, including a number of pro-GoA piquetero groups (with whom Parilli admitted having some direct contact as part of his job at the Casa Rosada). DCM asked Parilli to do whatever he could to prevent any perception that Kirchner and Chavez were coordinating anti-U.S. activity during President Bush,s upcoming visit to the region. Parilli agreed to remain in contact with the Embassy in the coming days and expressed the hope that the positive bilateral momentum in recent months would be maintained. DCM suggested that a GoA denial of the La Nacion report would go a long way in putting this story to bed. Parilli suggested that this would not be possible. ¶7. The Ambassador has requested to talk to Chief of Cabinet Minister Alberto Fernandez and Planning Minister De Vido about the same issue. WAYNE