Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BUENOSAIRES500
2009-04-30 21:11:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Buenos Aires
Cable title:  

ARGENTINA: "SALTENOS" WELCOME AMBASSADOR'S APRIL

Tags:  PREL PGOV SNAR KTIP AR 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0500/01 1202111
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 302111Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3625
INFO RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000500 

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV SNAR KTIP AR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: "SALTENOS" WELCOME AMBASSADOR'S APRIL
28 VISIT; YOUTH OUTREACH AND COUNTER-NARCOTICS TOP ISSUES

Ref: Buenos Aires 225

-------
Summary
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UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000500

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV SNAR KTIP AR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: "SALTENOS" WELCOME AMBASSADOR'S APRIL
28 VISIT; YOUTH OUTREACH AND COUNTER-NARCOTICS TOP ISSUES

Ref: Buenos Aires 225

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (SBU) Ambassador Wayne made his third visit to
Argentina's northwestern province of Salta on April 28.
The province is gearing up for national congressional
mid-term elections on June 28, with three of its seven
deputy seats in play; the province's shifting coalitions
partially reflect major national alliances and appear to
portend a two or three-way division of the seats. The
Ambassador presided with Salta Governor Uturbey at the
official opening of a USG-sponsored training for the
regional Center for Drug Information (CDI) network. The
Governor also accompanied the Ambassador to a donation of
baseball equipment to youth and adult representatives of
the six teams in Salta's long-running baseball league,
and he also joined the Ambassador at a match between the
U.S. national women's field hockey team and Argentina's
own, "Las Leonas." The Ambassador presented certificates
the evening of April 28 to 55 enthusiastic middle
school/high school-aged recipients of USG grants to study
English through the binational center in Salta. Luncheon
remarks on bilateral relations and at an FCS-organized
event promoting tourism in Orlando rounded out the
Ambassador's full schedule. The Ambassador was greeted
positively at all events, and the provincial press
covered the event in print, radio and television. Key
issues raised by the press included U.S. views of
Argentina's economy, swine flu, and aspects of U.S.
cooperation with the Province. End Summary.

Governor Uturbey Describes a Positive Record
--------------


2. (SBU) Salta's young, Kirchner-allied governor Juan
Manuel Uturbey, narrowly elected in 2007 against another
pro-Kirchner Peronist, greeted the Ambassador at the
airport on April 28. Uturbey thanked the Ambassador for
supporting his participation in the Americas
Competitiveness Forum in August 2008 and said that he
hoped to institute changes in the province to make it
more attractive to foreign investment. He said that the
province was suffering a 17-20% decline in central-
government provided revenue due to the economic crisis,
but that his team had planned for a decline and was

managing it. Moreover, he was drawing down some current
reserves in anticipation of soy export tax co-
participation funds that the province could begin
receiving in June. He was hurrying the funds out, he
said, because the end of the Salta rainy season was
approaching and it was the best time for infrastructure
work. Uturbey emphasized the decentralized nature of his
approach, in which 50% of co-participation funds were
dedicated to municipalities which were allowed to select
their own projects.


3. (SBU) Uturbey thanked the USG for its support for
counter-drug operations in Salta, saying that nonetheless
the problem was big: "let's speak clearly," he said, "the
problem is from Bolivia and probably 80% of cocaine
coming into Argentina comes through Salta." He said that
provincial-national law enforcement cooperation was good.
The Governor also described provincial efforts to combat
trafficking in persons, saying that the province had
freed 30 adolescent victims from their traffickers in
recent months. He also noted the creation of a
provincial office dedicated to domestic violence.


4. (U) Ambassador shared his condolences over the
February landslide in the provincial city of Tartagal,
which cost lives and destroyed houses and businesses. He
also inquired about provincial efforts to address the
outbreak of dengue fever. Uturbey noted the problem was
serious, though not necessarily worse than outbreaks in
1998 and 2004, and that provincial programs were
established to deal with the health emergency. (Note:
There are at least 1,200 confirmed cases of Dengue in the
province; printed dengue advisories were available at
several stores in the city of Salta. End Note.)

Counter-Drug Cooperation
--------------


5. (U) Governor Uturbey and Provincial Minister of

Justice, Security, and Human Rights Dr. Pablo Kosiner
participated with the Ambassador the morning of April 28
in opening a DEA-organized regional training conference
for Southern Cone Center for Drug Information (CDI),
previously seated in Bolivia. (Note: Argentina's
Minister of Justice Anibal Fernandez had agreed that the
Federal Police (PFA) could manage the network following
DEA's expulsion from Bolivia, and the head of the PFA's
counter-drug unit was also in attendance at the launch.
INCLE-funds were used to support this regional training,
organized by DEA Buenos Aires Country Office. End Note).


6. (U) Following the Ambassador's remarks on the value of
the CDI program and the importance of Argentine
collaboration against drug trafficking, Dr. Kosiner
lamented the insidious effects of drug trafficking,
noting that an entire economy had formed both trading in
drugs and using drugs as a currency. Uturbey underscored
the importance of joint efforts against narcotics,
passionately referring to the dangers illicit drugs posed
to Argentine children.

Questions about President Obama, Economy, Drugs
-------------- --------------


7. (U) The Ambassador was the featured speaker April 28
at a luncheon organized by the University of Rio de la
Plata Foundation (FURP),Salta Branch, a event featuring
politicians, provincial officials (including Governor
Uturbey) and local leaders of all stripes (an audience of
45-50). The questioners and FURP President Luis Rosales
noted the non-partisan nature of the event and responded
well to the Ambassador's description of bilateral
relations, particularly the opportunities for enhanced
ties. Questioners asked about U.S. domestic policies
(stem cells and narcotics),U.S. perspectives on
Argentina's economy and the bilateral partnership, the
global economic crisis. Local paper "El Tribuno" focused
its coverage on the Ambassador's statement that the USG
viewed Argentina as under no greater threat in the global
economic downturn than were countries in many other
regions. (Note: This was in reference to unofficial
remarks by the CIA Director in February that were
interpreted here as an official, negative USG assessment
of Argentina's prospects, per reftel. End Note.)

Baseballs and English Instruction
--------------


8. (U) Two events facilitated by the Public Affairs
Section generated significant goodwill and press coverage
in Salta. The first was a donation of baseball equipment
provided by Major League Baseball to Salta's youth and
adult league, comprised of six clubs. (Note: One radio
interviewer later that evening noted that the Ambassador
had promised to provide equipment during his July 2008
visit to the city, and now he had delivered. End Note.)
Children from each club were in attendance to receive the
bats, balls, helmets, and gloves, all eager to break out
the equipment. One player showed the Ambassador the
cracked and crumbling batting helmet with which the team
had been making do. Governor Uturbey also attended, and
spoke to the importance of recreational opportunities for
youth. Later, the Ambassador participated in the opening
of the fourth match in Salta between the United States
women's field hockey team and their popular Argentine
counterpart, "Las Leonas." Governor Uturbey arrived
later to watch part of the game with the Ambassador.


9. (U) The second highly positive event was the awarding
of certificates to 55 teenage students chosen to receive
free English language instruction through the local
Binational Center (BNC). This ceremony was the first in
welcoming over 300 grant recipients in a total of four
BNCs around the country under the Embassy's English
Access Microscholarship Program, providing opportunities
to lower income, high performing students who would not
otherwise be able to study English. All but two of the
selected youth were at the event, along with parents and
teachers, and almost all returned after the presentations
for a second photo with the Ambassador.

Promoting Orlando
--------------


10. (U) Ambassador also spoke briefly at an event
organized by Orlando's tourism promotion office and

attended as well by the Embassy's Foreign Commercial
Service. Approximately 32 tour operators and several
provincial officials were in attendance. The Ambassador
described the value of tourism to both countries in
building mutual understanding and noted that Argentine
visa recipients had increased at a 14% year-on-year from
March 2008 to March 2009, one of the highest in South
America.

Positive Press
--------------


11. (U) The Ambassador's visit received ample and
positive press coverage in the local media. The
province's two leading broadcast television and radio
stations, Canal 11 and AM840 Radio Salta covered his
activities extensively. So did the main and most
traditional newspaper in the province, "El Tribuno,"
which is read through the entire northwestern region of
the country and whose coverage focused on the drug-
enforcement conference. A cable TV program made a
special coverage of the baseball equipment donation. The
Ambassador's visit was also mentioned in a story related
to drug-enforcement in the country's second-largest
newspaper, "La Nacion."

Politics in the Province
--------------


12. (SBU) The Ambassador's visit came at a time of active
politicking in Salta as parties and leaders position
themselves for the June 28 national elections. On the
margins of the Ambassador's visit, Political Officer met
with national deputy Zulema Daher, the Province's one
"dissident" Peronist deputy (allied with Felipe Sola),
and with national Senator Juan Perez Alsina, of the
Partido Renovador ("Renewal"). Both, along with
academics at the FURP lunch, described a province
dominated by Peronism, but in which Peronism was itself
divided both by leadership rivalries and by differing
views about Kirchnerism. Septel will describe their
points of view in detail; both viewed it as less than
likely that Uturbey's Kirchner-aligned Peronist Party
(PJ) could gain more than one of the three contested
seats. Both also said that the Kirchners no longer
played well in the province, in part a legacy of the 2008
agricultural dispute.

Comment
--------------


13. (SBU) Salta is relatively receptive terrain for the
U.S. message, evidenced by the effort its well-spoken,
influential, and Kirchner-allied governor made both to
welcome and be seen with the U.S. Ambassador. The
Embassy's modest but well targeted assistance to youth
was a big hit.

WAYNE