U/S BURNS AND FM TAIANA DISCUSS REGIONAL STABILITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000402 SIPDIS SIPDIS P FOR HEIDE BRONKE E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON AR CU HA VZ BZ SUBJECT: U/S BURNS AND FM TAIANA DISCUSS REGIONAL STABILITY ISSUES Classified By: AMBASSADOR E. ANTHONY WAYNE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) U.S. Participants: Under Secretary for Political Affairs R. Nicolas Burns Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas Shannon Ambassador Early Anthony Wayne DCM Mike Matera William McIlhenny, Member, Policy Planning Council (S/P) Heide Bronke, P Special Assistant David Alarid, Control Officer Heidi Gomez, Notetaker Argentine Participants: Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana Vice Foreign Minister Roberto Garcia Moritan Under Secretary for Foreign Policy Amb. Luis Cappagli North America Director Ambassador Vicent Espeche Gil Maria Belen Garcia Alcat, Notetaker ¶2. (C) Summary. On February 9, Under Secretary for Political Affairs R. Nicolas Burns met with Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana and Vice Foreign Minister Roberto Garcia Moritan. GOA officials who met with U/S Burns just prior to the meeting made a point to underscore the message that "there are more things that unite us than separate us." On that note, U/S Burns and FM Taiana exchanged views on how best to achieve stability in the region, particularly in Haiti, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Cuba, with U/S Burns stressing that the USG wishes to engage the hemisphere in a "positive and ecumenical" manner. He also extended an invitation from Secretary Rice to Taiana to visit Washington in the next three months. Taiana welcomed the invitation and stressed that more dialogue between the U.S. and Argentina is needed. As this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Falklands/Malvinas war, he requested USG assistance in encouraging the UK to agree to holding sovereignty talks to resolve the long-standing dispute and stressed that Argentina seeks to resolve the dispute diplomatically. U/S Burns indicated that the USG does not want to interfere in the matter, but that the USG would be willing to serve as a messenger between both countries. End Summary. -------------- An invitation to Washington -------------- ¶3. (C) On February 9, Under Secretary for Political Affairs R. Nicolas Burns met with Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana and Vice Foreign Minister Roberto Garcia Moritan to exchange views on how best to achieve stability in the region, particularly in Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti. Just prior to the meeting, Trade Secretary Chiaradia made the point to tell U/S Burns that "there are more things that unite us than separate us." On that note, U/S Burns began the meeting by extending Secretary Rice's invitation to FM Taiana to visit Washington to review the state of bilateral relations and discuss ways to build on our already strong bilateral cooperation. Taiana thanked him for the invitation and noted that it is important to improve the dialogue between the two countries. -------------- Nonproliferation -------------- ¶4. (C) U/S Burns then commended Argentina for being "a real partner on difficult issues," especially at the IAEA, where Argentina has voted with the USG to refer Iran to the UNSC for noncompliance with IAEA nuclear safeguards. He also expressed appreciation for Argentina's leadership role in nonproliferation issues, noting that it is the only country in Latin America to have signed on to the Proliferation Security Initiative and one of two countries to have signed on to the Container Security Initiative. -------------- Regional Issues -------------- ¶5. (C) Turning to a discussion of regional issues, U/S Burns stressed that the USG wishes to engage the hemisphere in a "positive and ecumenical" manner. He reiterated that the USG does not wish to close the door on the more difficult countries of the region like Bolivia and Ecuador. He pointed out that Venezuela, however, is "trickier;" the USG has a poor relationship with Chavez, and yet has an important economic relationship with Venezuela. U/S Burns noted that the U.S. does not view Chavez as a direct threat to vital interests, however, there is concern over the negative influence he exerts in the region. ¶6. (C) Taiana began by explaining Argentina's own turbulent history in recent years. In the 1990s, Argentina completed its transition to democracy while simultaneously adopting extensive economic reforms. Many other countries in Latin America did as well. At first, the reforms went well, but by the early 2000s, the public became disillusioned with the reforms as poverty and social and political exclusion continued to persist. As a result, different countries in the region are now experimenting with new policies to address their political, social and economic difficulties. Argentina is only one example of this trend due to its own economic crisis in 2001-02. The GOA aims to achieve a "long and sustainable period of Prosperity," Taiana asserted, adding that when Argentina is stable, it can exert a moderating influence in South America. -------------- Mercosur -------------- ¶7. (C) Taiana suggested that perhaps Mercosur could be used as a mechanism to achieve regional stability, as it is becoming a major sphere of influence in South America. Mercosur is not a trade agreement, he claimed, but rather a political process aimed at achieving regional integration. For example, one of Mercosur's major successes has been to strengthen Argentine-Brazilian relations, he stated. VFM Garcia Moritan added that to strengthen Mercosur is to strengthen the region. The inclusion of Venezuela should be seen in that light, Taiana argued. -------------- Venezuela: Chavez More Peron than Peron! -------------- ¶8. (C) The GOA views Chavez as a friend, Taiana continued, quickly adding that the GOA does not agree with Venezuela's foreign and domestic policies. He claimed that Chavez feels close to Argentina because he thinks his vision for Venezuela is similar to ex-President Peron's. "Chavez is more Peronist than we are", Taiana claimed. He acknowledged that Venezuela has a fragile democracy and a weak political party system. The opposition,s 2005 boycott of legislative actions, for example, was a disaster and a very serious issue, he stated. ¶9. (C) Citing the United States own economic relationship with Venezuela, Taiana asserted that Argentina is trying to build its economic and commercial relationship with the country. Garcia Moritan acknowledged that "sometimes the GOA does not even understand what agenda Venezuela is pursuing", and for that reason the GOA believes it needs to engage Chavez more, particularly within the Mercosur framework. He added that now that Venezuela is in Mercosur, "it must act according to the rules of the club." Still, he cautioned against "excessive U.S. leadership" given the personalities in the region. -------------- Bolivia: Morales must succeed -------------- ¶10. (C) Turning to Bolivia, Taiana described Bolivia as a "disaster in political terms." The historic political, social, and economic exclusion of Bolivia's indigenous population is not just a problem for President Morales to address. It is the problem that over 40 million indigenous people in the Americas face. For this reason, it is important that Morales succeeds. Otherwise, millions of indigenous people will begin to look for solutions outside of the traditional democratic framework. This includes Chile, Taiana cautioned. -------------- -------------- Ecuador: Correa, well-intentioned but facing difficult odds -------------- -------------- ¶11. (C) On Ecuador, Taiana described President Correa as "young, smart, and well-intentioned," but observed that Correa faced difficult odds in trying to restore political stability. Correa is not ideological, and has approached Argentina, Brazil, and Chile to learn from other countries' experiences. Taiana suggested that the USG give Correa "some room," and noted that Argentina is working closely with him and his young team. -------------- Cuba -------------- ¶12. (C) On Cuba, Burns shared that his Brazilian interlocutors cautioned against a heavy-handed approach to a democratic transition, suggesting that the USG make its points quietly. He noted the U.S. has been very muted in its public comments regarding Cuba since news of Castro's deteriorating health became known. However, Burns questioned who will stand up and demand the release of political prisoners and urge the restoration of democracy if the USG is quiet? He urged Argentina and its MERCOSUR partners to take a more assertive stance in favor of a democratic transition in Cuba. -------------- Haiti -------------- ¶13. (C) On Haiti, Under Secretary Burns described the February 1 Haiti Key Players meeting as very positive. Taiana agreed and noted that Latin America's leading role in Haiti is not only good for Haiti but also good for the region. The participation of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay in MINUSTAH has helped to build confidence among the Southern Cone nations in the political and defense arenas. Haiti has compelled all five countries to work together to forge a regional consensus on defense matters. Taiana noted that Argentina and Chile have even decided to stand up a joint battalion together to be deployed in peacekeeping missions. -------------- Falklands/Malvinas -------------- ¶14. (C) Taiana noted that 2007 marks the 25th anniversary of the Falklands/Malvinas War. Over the years, the GOA has urged the UK to hold sovereignty talks to resolve competing claims over the islands, but the UK has refused. He complained that the UK does not permit commercial flights from mainland Argentina to the islands, and requested U.S. assistance in encouraging the UK to agree to sovereignty talks. ¶15. (C) U/S Burns stated that the USG does not want to interfere in this issue, but that it is willing to carry messages between the GOA and the UK. He relayed that the UK had expressed concerns that Argentina may try to use the 25th anniversary to redefine the issue in a way that would violate the UK's understanding of the 1989 sovereignty umbrella agreement. U/S Burns then noted that when former Ambassador Gutierrez expressed such concerns to the GOA in July 2006, the GOA had clearly indicated that it would seek a resolution through diplomatic means. VFM Garcia Moritan agreed, emphatically stating that "Argentina is not a threat." He explained that the war was undertaken during the military dictatorship and stressed that it would be "incomprehensible for a democracy" such as Argentina's to consider taking military action to force the issue. He explained that when Argentina's constitution was revised in 1994, it stipulated that the Falklands/Malvinas issue must be resolved diplomatically with respect for international law. ¶16. (C) When U/S Burns mentioned that the UK would like to explore whether Argentina would consider commemorating the anniversary jointly, VFM Garcia Moritan quipped that offering a joint commemoration is easy for the victor, but that the UK would more likely seek a celebration, rather than a commemoration, of the war. Still, VFM Garcia Moritan will continue to urge the UK to hold sovereignty talks, and that the GOA remains committed to resolving the issue through diplomatic means. WAYNE