FOREIGN MINISTER TAIANA DECIPHERS ARGENTINA FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 001069 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/11/2019 TAGS: PREL PHUM PARM ECON AR SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER TAIANA DECIPHERS ARGENTINA FOR NEW AMBASSADOR Classified By: Amb. Vilma Martinez for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Ambassador Martinez presented copies of her credentials on September 18, the day of her arrival in country, to Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana. A friendly and expansive Taiana emphasized the high priority the Government of Argentina (GOA) placed on securing a meeting for President Fernandez de Kirchner (CFK) with President Obama, saying that there would be a cost to the relationship if such a meeting were delayed much longer. Ambassador Martinez encouraged the Foreign Minister to ensure that Argentina raised its voice in opposition to Iran's nuclear ambitions and asked him to consider more of a leadership role for Argentina in defending human rights and democratic values abroad, including in Bolivia, Venezuela, and Cuba. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Ambassador Martinez met one-on-one with Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana the afternoon of September 18 to present a copy of her letter of credentials. The friendly meeting lasted for 75 minutes, more than twice as long as Taiana usually takes for such meetings. The Foreign Ministry had previously requested that Ambassador Martinez move forward her arrival in country by one day to facilitate the meeting (prior to Taiana's travel to the UNGA),a request meant to signal the importance the Government of Argentina attaches to improved bilateral relations. ¶3. (C) The Foreign Minister spent much of the meeting talking about Argentina's history and trying to introduce the Ambassador to peculiarities of the Argentine psyche. He shared the oft-noted claim that Buenos Aires has more psycho-analysts per capita than any other city in the world. Apparently further suggesting collective neurosis, he also related that when in Washington he had always had to catch Woody Allen movies at small theaters, while in Buenos Aires Allen's movies were premiered in the best venues. ¶4. (C) Turning serious, Taiana stressed that the time has come for Presidents Fernandez de Kirchner and Obama to meet. He told the Ambassador that ""if the United States doesn't cultivate her, others will."" He said that the prolonged failure to arrange a meeting had been an embarrassment for CFK, with her opponents mocking her for her failure to secure a meeting. This is a negative dynamic that does not redound to the bilateral relationship's benefit, Taiana said. Taiana said that he had encouraged CFK to accept the President's invitation to next year's nuclear security summit. ¶5. (C) Minister Taiana talked at length about the economic situation, describing the CFK government as ""populists with a fiscal surplus."" The fundamentals, he argued, were good. ¶6. (C) Ambassador Martinez voiced appreciation to Taiana for receiving her so quickly and shared her eagerness to present credentials to the President. She described the Obama Administration's commitment to a good and constructive partnership with Argentina. She encouraged the GOA to support Embassy efforts to promote greater person-to-person contacts between our two countries. ¶7. (C) The Ambassador took the opportunity to encourage Argentina to raise its voice in international fora to insist that Iran engage in real dialogue with the P5 plus 1 and that it abide by its obligations to the IAEA and the Non Proliferation Treaty. Minister Taiana acknowledged the utility of increasing independent voices on this topic and promised to consider what steps Argentina might take. ¶8. (C) Ambassador asked Taiana to consider Argentina's leadership role in hemispheric and international issues of human rights and democracy, noting that the Minister had earlier pointed to these values as something held in common by both our countries. She suggested to Taiana that he consider how Argentina could assume a leadership in promoting human rights and democracy agenda akin to its peacekeeping role in Haiti, an agenda that could usefully include Venezuela and Bolivia. ""Don't forget to mention Cuba,"" Taiana interjected, anticipating the next point. On this, Taiana was noncommittal, averring that ""Argentina and Venezuela have always been friends."" In Other News: The Tea that Wasn't -------------- ¶9. (C) The Casa Rosada, through an intermediary, also asked the Ambassador at the last minute to include a New York City stop in her Los Angeles-to-Buenos Aires travel plans to ""have tea"" with CFK; the Ambassador declined, preferring to adhere to normal protocol and the previous, more straightforward travel plan. This invitation was later leaked to leading paper Clarin, which tendentiously characterized the episode as another indication of the USG's disinclination to engage with CFK. Positive Press -------------- ¶10. (U) All major dailies as well as most broadcast news carried positive and prominent stories on the Ambassador's arrival and presentation of credentials to Taiana. Press carried our statement that Ambassador Martinez would represent the Obama Administration's interest in improving the existing good bilateral relationship between the United States and Argentina. MARTINEZ