FIRST LADY SENATOR CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000794 SIPDIS SIPDIS EMBASSY VILNIUS FOR THOMAS P. KELLY EMBASSY GUATEMALA FOR ALEX FEATHERSTONE E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/23/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER AR SUBJECT: FIRST LADY SENATOR CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER ON COUNTERTERRORISM Classified By: Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On April 20, Ambassador Wayne called on First Lady and Senator Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to discuss her upcoming May 3 trip to Washington. The Ambassador raised three issues that people may raise during her visit: 1) Argentina's position on support for democracy and press freedoms in Venezuela (septel); 2) the status of draft legislation criminalizing trafficking in persons in Argentina (septel); and 3) the status of draft counterterrorism finance legislation. On the counterterrorism front, Cristina emphasized that Argentina remains committed to fighting terrorism and to continuing cooperation with the U.S., but she also criticized the USG approach to counterterrorism and Iraq in particular as being "too militarily focused". She also stressed that rebuilding the strength and influence of the United Nations and multilateral approaches are key to improving world security and counterterrorism efforts. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) On April 20, Ambassador Wayne and poloffs called on First Lady and Senator Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to discuss some key points that might be raised during her May 3 trip to Washington, including support for passage of two bills pending in the Argentine Congress: one on counterterrorism finance and the other on anti-trafficking in persons (septel). He also indicated that Washington would be interested in Argentina's position on supporting democracy in Venezuela, especially noting concerns over press freedom and the closure of RCTV (septel). The First Lady emphasized that Argentina's commitment to fighting terrorism is "unwavering" including continued cooperation with the U.S. as in the AMIA case, but she expressed concern that the war in Iraq has generated greater instability in the world along with an ever-increasing death toll. While she acknowledged that the USG had to respond after the 9/11 attacks, and that there was a great deal of international support in the U.S. military operation against Afghanistan, she added that, "unfortunately, in Iraq, as in all politics, people judge us by results, not intentions." ¶3. (C) The First Lady continued by explaining that she and her husband, President Nestor Kirchner, disagree with what she described as the heavy military focus of that the U.S. has taken with Iraq, calling it "a mistake." She referred to Kirchner's 2003 UNGA speech where he urged the international community to combat terrorism "intelligently" and warned that military action only strengthens the terrorists' hand by further emboldening radical Muslims and thereby boosting recruitment. She conceded that the U.S. could neither remain isolated and victimized after the September 11 attacks, but argued that most triumphs over evil have been moral victories, not military ones, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall. She also stressed that rebuilding the strength and influence of the United Nations and the role of multilateralism is key to improving world security and counterterrorism efforts. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: Now that President Kirchner has announced that he "will defend her so she can be president," the likelihood that Fernandez de Kirchner will be the official Kirchner candidate for president in the October elections has increased. Many analysts in Buenos Aires have suggested that a Fernandez de Kirchner presidency would be more open to better relations with the U.S. As the President of the Senate, Jose Pampuro, told the Ambassador on April 23, it is very rare for the First Lady to receive and ambassador. On the other hand, her frank criticisms of U.S. policy on Iraq and terrorism is reflective of the opinions of many elites and the general public in Argentina. The fact that she told her staff to note publicly that she and Ambassador talked about her trip to Washington, trafficking in persons, and peacekeeping and not terrorism shows that she wants to keep the most positive items on the agenda in the forefront, while letting us know frankly her more critical views. But her views are clearly reflections of what we have heard from many others here, including Foreign Minister Taiana, who has told us his government disagrees with our approach to Iraq but will not make it a public issue. END COMMENT. WAYNE