BLUE LANTERN LEVEL 3: PRE-LICENSE END-USE CHECK ON

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000095 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS PM/DTCC - BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR US SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC KOMC AR SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN LEVEL 3: PRE-LICENSE END-USE CHECK ON APPLICATION 05-0047619 IN ARGENTINA REF: 07 STATE 161127 ¶1. (SBU) Per Reftel request, post carried out a pre-license check on Aerospacio SRL, based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on January 9. It is Post's opinion that the company will be a responsible recipient of United States Munitions List items. ¶2. (SBU) A site visit by Blue Lantern Officer and inquiries with the Ministry of Defense by Post's MilGroup yielded positive feedback about prospective USML items importer Aerospacio SRL in Buenos Aires. Most importantly, a known contact of the MilGroup in the Estado Mayor (the final foreign end-user of the shipment) confirmed the intended purchase, and that it had been arranged through Aerospacio via public tender. ¶3. (SBU) Company owner Mario Guevara (who said he was an ex-Argentine Army aviator, retired as a captain) stated that he has been contracted by the Argentine military on other occasions, and provided paperwork to support the claim. Some of his other company names are Helitecno and Alhos SA. He stated that he was been providing goods to the Argentine military -- Army, Air Force, Ministry of Defense, as well as the Prefectura (Coast Guard-equivalent) and Federal Police -- since 1984, such as Sikorsky helicopters by Alhos when it was the official Sikorsky representative in Argentina. He uses different business names depending on products, and also to avoid the stigma of having provided services to the GoA under the Menem Administration, which might be perceived negatively by current procurement officials. He also stated that Aerospacio was only a middleman in the purchase, had not offered any maintenance service, and that his firm would never have physical possession of the goods at any time, which were intended as spare parts for helicopters involved in Argentina's Antarctic operations. WAYNE