Ambassador in Mendoza Province - Students and Youth,

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000935

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

USDOC FOR 4322/ITA/MAC/OLAC/PEACHER
PASS NSC FOR JOSE CARDENAS
US SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD
DEPARTMENT PASS TO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EINV ENRG BEXP PREL OTRA TPHY TSPA SCUL OIIP
OSCI, OEXC, OPRC, AR

SUBJECT: Ambassador in Mendoza Province - Students and Youth,
Scientists, Governor, Americans, Business People and Press

Summary
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1. (U) In an active and well-publicized May 3-4 visit to the
central-western province of Mendoza, the Ambassador held a
successful youth outreach event at the Mendoza Binational Center,
where he awarded scholarships to students to study English; met with
Mendoza Governor, and possibly future vice presidential candidate,
Julio Cobos; visited a USG-funded cosmic ray observatory; met
resident Americans and business leaders; and discussed the unique
role of the press in Argentina with media leaders. The visit was
widely and positively covered in the local media. Mendoza,
bordering Chile and the Andes mountains and blessed with excellent
agriculture, climate and outdoor attractions, has an outward looking
trade, tourism and agricultural agenda. END SUMMARY.

Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory
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2. (U) The Ambassador toured the highly regarded Pierre Auger Cosmic
Ray Observatory in the southern Mendoza town of Malargue. The USG
contributes 20% of the observatory's funding via grants from the
Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, and the
project also receives administration support from the Department of
Energy's Fermi Lab. The observatory consists of a series of
interconnected sensors (spread over an area larger than Rhode
Island) that collects and analyzes cosmic ray data. The lab is
working to discover the source and causes of cosmic rays which could
yield clues to the early stages of the universe. The project began
in 1992 and has made several key discoveries on the nature of cosmic
rays. The observatory counts on the collaboration and funding from
17 nations, over 200 physicists, and 70 different scientific and
research institutions. The lab works closely with the local
community, and many Argentine scientists and graduate students work
with the center as well. The province of Mendoza also is involved:
it has been very helpful in acquiring land for the lab, constructing
one of the buildings used to hold the observation equipment, in the
provision of electricity and transmission lines, and the
construction of roads.

Binational Center
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3. (U) A key focus of this Mendoza trip was highlighting our strong
bilateral relations, and the Ambassador's visit to the Mendoza
Argentine-American Intercultural Association (AMICANA) was an
important element of this message. Ambassador's visit to AMICANA
also received very positive press coverage the next day. The
Ambassador met with AMICANA's president and board, toured the
center, and visited many of the students in their classrooms. He
presented 10 Sarmiento-Mann scholarships to study English at the
center. The two leading Mendoza newspapers covered the ceremony and
gave it prominent play. One of them, Diario Uno, has actually
worked hand-in-hand with AMICANA to promote the scholarship program.
The paper described the Ambassador as "the man of the hour" for his
visit to the province. A local television station and two radio
stations also covered the scholarship-awarding ceremony. The
Ambassador also met with returnees from last year's U.S.-based
Science Camp and the Rhode Island World Scholar-Athlete Games. The
Ambassador also met with a number of former Fulbright scholars and
International Visitors, learning about their experiences in the
United States. During the discussion, one idea proposed was to set
up a listserv to keep all former visiting scholars, visitors and
journalists in contact.

Governor of Mendoza Julio Cobos
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4. (U) The Ambassador next met with Governor Julio Cobos, from the
faction of the national opposition Radical party that now supports
Kirchner. Mendoza is enjoying a relatively healthy economy,
bolstered by growing domestic and international trade; and healthy
wine, tourism, service, construction, petroleum and potassium

production sectors. Mendoza boasts an impressively low unemployment
rate (6.9% compared to the national average of 10.4%),which Cobos
attributed to his push to diversify the province's economy.
Governor Cobos, an engineer by profession, also cited the role of
education and the province's emphasis on science and mathematics,
for the province's relatively strong economy. Governor Cobos and
his ministers also expressed an interest in working with the Embassy
on regional and bilateral commercial development.


5. (SBU) Governor Cobos has been frequently mentioned as a potential
vice presidential candidate to run alongside either President
Kirchner or Cristina Kirchner in the October 2007 presidential
elections. Cobos discussed such a Peronist-Radical alliance on the
national ticket in the context of the ever changing nature of the
main political parties here. Cobos said that both the Peronists and
the Radicals have much in common - and noted that each party also
has wide divergences within their respective parties - and that the
lines between these two historic parties are often blurred. Cobos
has also been a leading Radical proponent of a possible
Peronist-Radical "concertacion" (coalition). In a move that has
been widely interpreted as a possible signal of a formal alliance
between Kirchner and Cobos, President Kirchner recently announced
that he will commemorate May 25, Revolution Day in Argentina, in
Mendoza. This event is normally celebrated by the President at the
traditional May 25 religious service in the Buenos Aires Cathedral.
This visit has also fueled further rumors that Cobos will be a
Kirchner running mate in the October election. End note

Dinner with Enrique Pescarmona of IMPSA
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6. (U) Ambassador attended a private dinner with Enrique Pescarmona,
CEO of IMPSA, an Argentine metallurgical multinational company that
is in the process of purchasing General Electric's worldwide hydro
electricity business. Pescarmona companies operate in 27 countries,
and posted revenues of US $600 million in 2006. Pescarmona has a
very positive attitude towards the United States and has actively
supported educational exchanges between universities in Pittsburg,
PA (his former home while in exile in the U.S.) and in Mendoza. As
a leading Argentine business leader, Pescarmona is a strong advocate
for efforts to increase the competitivity of Argentina's business
sector and to emulate world best practices in business, a stance
which does not always align with GOA approaches.

Breakfast with the Mendoza Expatriates Club
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7. (U) The Mendoza Expatriates Club has about 70 members and a
mailing list of 200, many of whom are from the United States. The
growing number of business people from the United States and other
countries prompted the founding of the club. Many American citizens
have been very successful starting a wide variety of businesses in
real estate, tourism and wineries. At the breakfast, the Ambassador
reviewed his visit to Mendoza, and highlighted the strong bilateral
ties the U.S. enjoys with Argentina. He particularly noted the
previous days' success at the binational center, and his awarding of
more scholarships to young Argentines. Ambassador also answered
several general questions about bilateral relations, investment and
the Embassy's American Citizen Services. The members showed a
strong interest in the discussion and also asked several follow-up
questions of the consular officer who was also present.

Off the Record Press Event
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8. (U) Finally, the Ambassador met with five leading local
newspaper, television and radio journalists, who he engaged in a
frank, off-the-record discussion on the state of bilateral
relations, the status of press freedom in Argentina and the upcoming
general elections. Mendoza is Argentina's fifth largest electoral
district and has a vibrant and competitive media. The meeting was
informative both for the journalists and the Ambassador. The

journalists discussed with the Ambassador the historic and current
reasons for anti-American sentiment in Argentina, which according to
polls is among the highest in the region. The journalists said that
for many years, Argentine politicians have made political gains out
of slamming the US. This continues to be true in the case of Nestor
Kirchner. Related to this, the journalists said that there is an
ingrained cultural trait in Argentina, which one journalist
described as "perverse," that leads Argentines to place blame for
their problems on an outside agent, and the US has fit that role
well. The journalists also said that, as a result of weak
institutions, journalists in Argentina have had to take up roles
other than simply reporting the news, as citizens sought to satisfy
many demands via the media rather than the established institutional
channels. This process, the journalists argue, has reached the
point that even the President now fights with some journalists and
media organizations rather than with opposition politicians. The
Ambassador told the journalists about the USG efforts to promote and
strengthen our positive agenda with Argentina.

WAYNE