Argentine Former President Kirchner's Bid to Head Unasur

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001595 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV AR SUBJECT: Argentine Former President Kirchner's Bid to Head Unasur Blocked by Uruguay REF: Buenos Aires 1149 ¶1. (U) Leading daily "La Nacion" reported November 20 that the GOA would abandon its effort to win regional backing for former President Nestor Kirchner as head of the South American Union of Nations (Unasur). Argentine sources indicated that Uruguayan President Tabare Vasquez's rejection of Kirchner was to blame, noting that the position requires unanimous support from the twelve countries of South America. Nonetheless, unidentified Kirchner associates told daily financial paper "El Cronista," published November 21, that in fact Kirchner was not giving up (and presumably had the support of President Fernandez de Kirchner in this decision). ¶2. (SBU) On November 20 a private Argentine close to the Casa Rosada told Ambassador and DCM that Kirchner wanted to continue his campaign to lead Unasur. He said the Argentines would try to get Uruguay President Vasquez to lift his "veto." But he asked if Colombia and Peru would still block Kirchner if Uruguay changed its position, citing rumors of their opposition to his candidacy. Ambassador said he had no idea what positions these two governments might ake on the question. ¶3. (U) In October, Argentine Foreign Ministry sources had labeled Uruguay's rejection of Kirchner as an "insult" to Argentina and to those countries that had supported Kirchner's candidacy. Of note, there has been no evident follow-up by Argentina on suggestions reportedly made by President Fernandez de Kirchner in September that the GOA would seek to re-open the binational bridge that has been closed for the last two years by Argentine activists protesting the alleged environmental damage caused by the Botnia paper mill in Uruguay. The bridge spans the Uruguay river between Argentina (Gualeguaychu) and Uruguay (Fray Bento) and is (or was) the border crossing closest to Buenos Aires. ¶4. (U) Although the "La Nacion" and "Cronista" pieces both noted that the Governments of Peru and Colombia were also thought to be concerned over the prospect of Nestor Kirchner leading Unasur, those governments had not made public statements to that effect. Uruguay therefore is the current focus of GOA ill-will. A November 10 "La Nacion" piece went so far as to suggest that Argentine support within the G-20 for measures against financial safehavens was based on a desire to get back at Uruguay by limiting Argentine capital movements across the Rio de la Plata. ¶5. (U) "La Nacion" reported November 21 that Uruguayan FM Gonzalo Fernandez claimed there were several South American countries opposed to Kirchner's candidacy, but they had privately agreed to let Uruguay "pay the price" for blocking him. According to "La Nacion," Fernandez said the GOU expected GOA reprisals. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: Former President Kirchner, by many accounts the principal shadow economic policy-maker in his wife's government, has of late reemerged publicly and taken on an increasingly high profile in political events. His responsibilities as Peronist party leader will also begin to increase as the country approaches 2009 mid-term elections. Whether or not the GOA abandons his candidacy to head Unasur, we doubt that it would receive the greater part of his attention in any case, particularly given Kirchner's well-known distaste for protocol and international travel. WAYNE