ARGENTINE FM TAIANA ACCEPTS SECRETARY'S INVITATION FOR

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000186 STATE FOR OES/OPA - LAWRENCE O. HUGHES STATE FOR OES/FO - ELIZABETH O. COLTON STATE FOR OES/PCI - NINA FITE AND FRANCES COLON STATE FOR WHA/BSC SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC AY KSCA KTIA SENV TPHY AR SUBJECT: ARGENTINE FM TAIANA ACCEPTS SECRETARY'S INVITATION FOR ANTARCTIC TREATY COMMEMORATION REF: STATE 12850 ¶1. Post delivered Secretary Clinton's invitation to Argentina's Foreign Minister to attend the April 6 event in Washington commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty (reftel). FM Taiana told the Ambassador that he planned to attend the event. His office later confirmed that the FM would be pleased to deliver remarks, if requested to do so. ¶2. Bio information follows: Jorge Taiana was first appointed Foreign Minister by former President Nestor Kirchner in December 2005. President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner asked Taiana to remain as Foreign Minister in her cabinet. Although not a career diplomat, Taiana has held several diplomatic posts under various administrations, including the position of Vice Foreign Minister from May 2003 to December 2005 under former President Nestor Kirchner. He was also the GOA's coordinator for the IV Summit of the Americas, hosted by Argentina in November 2005. During former President Menem's administration, Taiana was first Director for International Organizations and then Ambassador to Guatemala and Belize. Political Background: Ambassador Taiana's public sector career dates back to 1973 when he served as Chief of Cabinet in the National Ministry of Education for his father, Jorge Alberto Taiana, who was Minister during the third government of Juan Domingo Peron. Taiana's father was also Peron's personal physician. Taiana was active in the Juventud Peronista, the youth branch of the Justicialista Party, and a supporter of the Montoneros, attending high school with the future leaders of the leftist guerilla group. Taiana and his wife were arrested by the military dictatorship ostensibly in connection with the July 4, 1975 terrorist bombing in Buenos Aires, which killed a waiter and a woman in a cafe. He spent the next seven years in prison. Previous Positions: After his release from prison, Taiana worked as an analyst for the Under Secretariat of Programming of the Ministry of Economy. Between 1984 and 1985 he served as Educational Advisor for the Buenos Aires City Council. He was also an advisor to the Committee of Foreign Relations of the Chamber of Deputies from 1987 to 1989. In 1989, he was appointed Under Secretary of Special Organizations and Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship and later, Under Secretary of Foreign Policy in 1990. Taiana has had a strong interest in human rights throughout his career. He served as the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Human Rights Commission from 1996-2001 and from 2002 to 2003 he served as Secretary of Human Rights of the Province of Buenos Aires. Ambassador Taiana has broad experience in the academic area. He worked as an assistant professor and lecturer from 1972 to 2001 for several Argentine universities, - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Universidad de Lomas de Zamora and Universidad Nacional de Quilmes- and Guatemala -Universidad Rafael Landivar. Personal Information: Ambassador Taiana was born in Buenos Aires on May 31, 1950. He has a degree in Sociology from the Universidad de Buenos Aires and a Master's degree in Social Sciences from FLACSO (Latin American School of Social Sciences). He is a member of CARI (Argentine Council for International Relations),CELS (Center for Social and Legal Studies),and the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington, DC. Taiana is married; he and his wife three children and several grandchildren. KELLY