ARGENTINE ECONOMY MINISTER SEEKS BILAT WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000680 SIPDIS SIPDIS TREASURY FOR CLAY LOWERY, NANCY LEE, AJEWEL, WBLOCK, LTRAN NSC FOR JOSE CARDENAS, ROD HUNTER PASS FED BOARD OF GOVERNORS FOR RANDALL KROSZNER, PATRICE ROBITAILLE PASS EXIM BANK FOR MICHELE WILKINS PASS OPIC FOR JOHN SIMON, GEORGE SCHULTZ, RUTH ANN NICASTRI USDOC FOR 4322/ITA/MAC/OLAC/PEACHER E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2017 TAGS: EFIN ECON EINV AR SUBJECT: ARGENTINE ECONOMY MINISTER SEEKS BILAT WITH SECRETARY PAULSON; WILLING TO EXPLORE PARIS CLUB OPTIONS SIPDIS REF: A. BUENOS AIRES 621 ¶B. BUENOS AIRES 637 ¶C. BUENOS AIRES 642 Classified By: Ambassador E.A. Wayne for Reasons 1.4 (b,d) Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) On April 9, Economy Minister Felisa Miceli requested Ambassador's support in arranging a bilat with Treasury Secretary Paulson during upcoming IMF/World Bank meetings to SIPDIS discuss Paris Club and other bilateral economic issues. While still rejecting any IMF role, Miceli and Finance Secretary Sergio Chodos showed willingness to consider an SIPDIS informal payment plan to resolve Argentina's Paris Club arrears. Ambassador encouraged GoA flexibility, explained Washington anger over Chavez's anti-Bush rally in Buenos Aires on March 9, and described recent pressure from U.S. bondholders, supported by letters from the U.S. Congress, calling for a solution to the holdout situation. Miceli noted that the GoA would not be in a position to deal with holdouts "for several years." On Banco del Sur, Miceli noted the plan is less ambitious than reported in the press. Ambassador supports a Paulson/Miceli bilat to discuss both Paris Club and U.S. bondholder issues. Post also recommends Treasury officials visit Argentina following the World Economic Forum meeting in Chile, in order to further discussions on Paris Club options, to maintain pressure on resolving holdouts, and to discuss regional financial issues, including Argentina's relations with the IDB and other financial institutions. End Summary. Ambassador Explains U.S. Irritation with Argentina -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) The Ambassador and Econoffs met April 9 with Minister Miceli and Finance Secretary Chodos to review bilateral economic issues prior to their departure for the April 14-15 IMF/World Bank spring meetings in Washington. As he had previously done with Foreign Minister Taiana and Legal and Technical Secretary Carlos Zannini (Refs A and B),the Ambassador emphasized that high-level officials in Washington were angered, disturbed, and puzzled by the GoA's decision to allow Venezuelan President Chavez a platform to criticize President Bush. He noted that our concern had nothing to do with the growing economic relationship between Argentina and Venezuela, rather it was the timing of Chavez' anti-Bush rally, coinciding with the President's March 9 visit to nearby Uruguay, that was so disturbing. ¶3. (C) The Ambassador stated that the U.S. was interested in maintaining a mature relationship, noting that our two countries have important mutual interests, and enjoy close cooperation on critical foreign policy issues such as counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics and intelligence sharing. He expressed U.S. willingness to continue a positive dialogue in areas of interest to Argentina, such as the Paris Club and attracting U.S. investment, while continuing to try to find solutions for U.S. interests, i.e., bond holdouts from the 2005 debt exchange and commercial disputes. The Ambassador noted as evidence of our common interests that the U.S. Department of Commerce had invited Miceli to participate in the inaugural Americas Competitiveness Forum in Atlanta in June. Miceli expressed interest in the Forum, and agreed to arrange a call with Commerce Secretary Gutierrez to discuss her role. Miceli Speech in Washington on Argentine Recovery -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Minister Miceli departs Wednesday, April 11, for Washington. Prior to the IMF/World Bank spring meetings, she plans to speak at a conference organized by the Center for Economic and Policy Research on the subject: "A Latin American Success story: Five Years of Extraordinary Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction in Argentina." She told the Ambassador that she had been surprised by reports in the press that USG officials were upset over her participation in this conference, since her speech would focus on Argentina's recovery since the crisis. (Comment: Miceli will likely repeat typical GoA criticisms of the IMF during her speech, and possibly renew her previous calls for reform of the IMF structure, but she did not indicate any intention to discuss relations with the U.S. or Venezuela. End Comment). Miceli/Paulson Bilat; GoA flexibility on Paris Club -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Miceli noted her strong interest in meeting with Secretary Paulson on the margins of the IMF/World Bank SIPDIS meetings, and asked for Ambassador's support with Treasury. She hopes to discuss bilateral economic issues, especially Argentina's interest in negotiating a deal with its Paris Club creditors. The Ambassador agreed that a bilateral meeting with Paulson could be useful to further the dialogue on Paris Club, but noted that in Embassy discussions with Treasury it seemed clear that a restructuring was not possible without a current IMF program. Rather, the Ambassador noted that the most viable option may well be an "informal" payment arrangement, as Chodos has discussed previously with Treasury officials (Ref C). In this context, Chodos might want to consider beginning discussions with the Paris Club Secretariat to explore technical questions related to moving forward with unilateral payments. ¶6. (C) While still rejecting any formal IMF role in a Paris Club agreement (other than a comfort letter or using the Article IV),Miceli and Finance Secretary Chodos cautiously indicated willingness to consider creative options -- including beginning unilateral payments -- to resolve Argentina's Paris Club arrears. Chodos said the GoA was evaluating how a unilateral payoff plan would work, and it was clear the priority was how quickly it would give Argentina access to financing from export credit agencies (ECAs). He said he saw no legal impediment that would prevent the French, German, and Spanish ECAs from renewing operations, but asked whether ExImBank would be able to begin operations as soon as Argentina began payments. The Ambassador responded that it was unlikely that ExIm would be able to lend into arrears under its legal mandate. Ambassador: GoA Flexibility Needed to Gain USG Support -------------- -------------- ¶7. (C) Miceli continued to press for an answer on whether the U.S. and other G-7 countries would make a political decision to help Argentina. She accepted that Argentina, as the debtor, bore primary responsibility for developing a workable solution, but argued that creditors must also show good faith and help devise a viable deal. The Ambassador responded that it depended on whether the two sides could find common space between all our limitations. He noted that the Embassy was willing to explain Argentina's political parameters to Washington, but the GoA had to understand that the USG also faces limitations, as do other Paris Club creditors. ¶8. (C) Aside from our concern that a deal with Argentina not set a negative precedent for other countries, nor complicate our approval process with Congress, the Ambassador noted that the Chavez rally in Buenos Aires had reduced interest in Washington to "go the extra mile" for Argentina. Furthermore, U.S. holdouts from Argentina's 2005 debt exchange, represented largely by the American Task Force Argentina (ATFA),had recently written both Congress and Secretary Paulson, calling for the USG to pressure Argentina SIPDIS to reopen the debt exchange. Two members of Congress had subsequently written Secretary Paulson on the issue. Argentina's unwillingness to date to address this issue further limited willingness in Washington to help Argentina find a special deal. The Ambassador also commented that on the Paris Club spectrum, the U.S. was probably somewhere in the middle, with some countries more accommodating and others less interested in pursuing alternative solutions. That the Paris Club works on a consensus basis complicated any chance Argentina might have of reaching a formal deal. ¶9. (C) While acknowledging U.S. interest in the holdouts issue, Miceli stated that from the GoA perspective Paris Club and Holdouts were unrelated. She commented that resolving the holdouts situation "would not be on the agenda for several years," adding that the GoA would need two to three years to pay Paris Club creditors before it could consider negotiating with holdouts. Dealing with both holdouts and Paris Club at the same time would jeopardize the GoA's ability to manage its debt load. Down-sized Expectations for Banco del Sur -------------- ¶10. (C) Miceli admitted that the Banco del Sur project was moving slowly, although the countries had agreed on the basic statutes. She said it would finance both public works and private sector projects, but would start small and only gradually grow to a size where it could compete with the IDB and CAF. The initial capital would come from only three countries -- Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina -- with each country committing about $50 million per year over ten years. When the Ambassador asked whether the countries were still considering using official reserves to capitalize the Bank, and noted that this might complicate relations with both Paris Club creditors and holdouts, Miceli irritably responded that the GoA would obviously have to explain how a bank works. She repeated Chodos earlier comments to Econoffs (Ref C) that Argentina's Central Bank would just be diversifying its reserve holdings. Comment -------------- ¶11. (C) While it remains to be seen whether an informal payment plan has any chance at success, the fact that Miceli and Chodos are openly evaluating possibilities is encouraging. Chodos appears farther along than Miceli in terms of accepting that unilateral payment of arrears is the only viable option. Nevertheless, this was the first meeting where Miceli seemed to be considering this option. Given that a Paris Club deal is a likely precursor to a deal with holdouts, continuing the dialogue seems appropriate. Ambassador, therefore, supports a Paulson/Miceli bilat as a very useful way to explore any possibility for solutions and to send a clear senior-level message to the Minister. Post also recommends Treasury officials visit Argentina following the World Economic Forum meeting in Chile. End Comment. WAYNE