Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07BUENOSAIRES465
2007-03-10 17:51:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Buenos Aires
Cable title:  

ARGENTINA: CHAVEZ'S ANTI-BUSH RALLY

Tags:  PGOV PREL ASEC AR VZ CU BO UR 
pdf how-to read a cable
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C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000465 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC AR VZ CU BO UR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: CHAVEZ'S ANTI-BUSH RALLY

Classified By: Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne for Reasons 1.4(b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000465

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC AR VZ CU BO UR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: CHAVEZ'S ANTI-BUSH RALLY

Classified By: Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne for Reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (U) SUMMARY: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez led an
inflammatory anti-Bush, anti-imperialism rally on March 9 in
Buenos Aires in which he called President Bush a "political
cadaver." Argentine President Nestor Kirchner allowed the
rally to take place but was careful to distance himself from
the actual event, saying nothing about it to the press,
sending no high-level GOA officials, and attending a film
festival out of Buenos Aires during the rally itself. The
four-hour rally capped a day of protests at the Uruguayan
Embassy, the American Club, and the U.S. Embassy in Buenos
Aires. Argentine press coverage noted Kirchner's mixed
message of allowing Chavez's visit to take place while
remaining distant from the event itself, but has also focused
on a fair amount of objective coverage of Bush's visit. END
SUMMARY.

--------------
The Rally
--------------


2. (C) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez led an anti-Bush
anti-imperialism rally on March 9 in Buenos Aires with a
crowd of approximately 20,000 to 30,000 supporters. Chavez's
rhetoric was predictably an inflammatory criticism of
President Bush and U.S. policies that dragged on for about
two hours. He called Bush a "political cadaver" and
ridiculed U.S. offers of foreign aid in the region. He also
used Bush's comments about sharing a common heritage as sons
of liberators (George Washington and Simon Bolivar) to allude
to what kind of "son" he thinks Bush is. Chavez praised
Kirchner several times in his speech and said that Argentina
and Venezuela are working on strengthening the bilateral
"union" between them, something that Kirchner has never
mentioned. He highlighted his meeting earlier in the day
with Kirchner and the many accords they signed to bring the
two countries closer. Chavez claimed that his visit to
Argentina was not motivated by "sabotaging" Bush's Latin
American tour and that it was mere coincidence that he
happened to be visiting Buenos Aires during Bush's visit to

Uruguay.


3. (C) Chavez financed the four-hour event, which capped a
day of protests at the Uruguayan Embassy, the American Club,
and the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aries. According to Embassy
sources, 200 Venezuelan troops accompanied Chavez to Buenos
Aires, reportedly without the required Argentine
Congressional approval for the ingress of foreign troops or
their weapons. The crowd was composed of various anti-U.S.
and leftist groups, not all of which are pro-Kirchner, and
was organized by the Argentine organization Madres de Plaza
de Mayo headed by Hebe de Bonafini. The crowd could be heard
chanting and singing during Chavez's speech, so loudly that
it forced Chavez to pause at least twice. (COMMENT: The
chanting was sometimes in response to Chavez' speech, but
sometimes indicated a party-like atmosphere that perhaps
distracted the crowd from the speech itself. END COMMENT.)
Politicians and other prominent figures in attendance
included: Congressmen Rafael Bielsa, Edgardo Depetri, and
Miguel Bonasso CTA Union leaders Hugo Yasky, Claudio Lozano,
and Victor de Gennaro; and piquetero leader Luis D'Elia.

--------------
Kirchner and Chavez Meet
--------------


4. (C) Argentine President Nestor Kirchner allowed the
rally but was careful to distance himself from the actual
event, saying nothing about it to the press, sending no
high-level GOA officials, and attending a film festival out
of Buenos Aires during the rally itself. He received Chavez
at his residence in Buenos Aires, where the two agreed to
allow other countries to join their 'Bank of the South' and
signed 11 agreements, including the formation of a Gas
Producer Nations organization along the lines of OPEC. In
the photos taken after the meeting, Chavez and Cristina and
Nestor Kirchner are shown smiling and laughing, which were
viewed by some analysts here as early campaign photos for
Cristina, who is rumored to be the Kirchner candidate for the

presidential elections this October. Embassy sources have
reported that Cristina Kirchner specifically chose to attend
the film festival on March 9 so she would be out of the city
during Chavez's rally.

--------------
TV/Press Coverage
--------------


5. (U) Argentine press coverage gave a lot of attention to
Chavez and the rally, but has also focused on a fair amount
of objective coverage of Bush's visit. Several Argentine

television stations covered Chavez's speech, but interrupted
coverage for Cristina Kirchner's speech at a film festival in
Mar del Plata. None of the stations covering the rally
returned to uninterrupted coverage of Chavez's speech after
that, broadcasting instead small clips in between headline
recaps, horse races, the lottery, and commercials. Even
Bush's arrival in Uruguay trumped coverage of Chavez' speech.


6. (U) The two major papers both covered Chavez's visit on
the front page. Clarin ran a pro-Chavez piece on the front
page and then offered strong criticisms of Chavez inside. La
Nacion focused on the Argentina-Venezuela agreements signed
yesterday on the front page, but also ran a piece that
claimed Kirchner had taken a step back in U.S.-Argentine
relations. Coverage of Bush's message has been objective and
steady, with many of his key points being covered in the
newspapers here.

--------------
Protest at U.S. Embassy
--------------


7. (U) About 450 to 500 protesters demonstrated in front of
the Embassy on March 9 for approximately 35 minutes. The
protest was peaceful, with demonstrators displaying large
banners, playing music, and blocking traffic. Participants
included: Izquierda Socialista, Movimiento Socialista de los
Trabajadores (MST),Movimiento Teresa Rodriguez, 12 de Abril,
Partido Comunista de Peru (PCP),and Partido Obrero. The
banners said "Fuera Bush de Uruguay" (Bush--Get out of
Uruguay). According to RSO, Argentine Federal Police support
to the Embassy was excellent, providing about 200 uniformed
officers and riot police to guard the Embassy and the near-by
Ambassador's Residence.


8. (U) Earlier in the day, protesters demonstrated at the
Embassy of Uruguay where they burned a U.S. flag and
spray-painted the street. the ultra-radical piquetero group,
Quebracho, rallied in the city center at the obelisk and
marched to the American Club, where about 40 to 50 masked
protesters burned effigies of President Bush and U.S. flags,
and sprayed graffiti on near-by buildings. No injuries were
reported in any of the protests.

--------------
Comment
--------------


9. (C) President Kirchner seems to have tried to display
positive relations with Chavez for the official part of the
trip to Buenos Aires, and then to appear uninvolved with
Chavez's rally and anti-U.S. rhetoric. However, allowing the
rally was enough to earn the criticism of several political
analysts and politicians, who feel Chavez's rally violated
the sovereignty of Argentina and that Kirchner's permission
for the event shows he is beholden to Chavez for the purchase
of bonds. Several opposition politicians from various
parties criticized in the press Kirchner's acquiescence to
Chavez, indicating that Argentine society may be starting to
see the relationship with Chavez as more compromising than
beneficial. END COMMENT.
WAYNE