ARGENTINA: AMBASSADOR THANKS SUPREME COURT CHIEF

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000626 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KJUS SNAR PHUM AR SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: AMBASSADOR THANKS SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE FOR JUDICIAL COOPERATION REF: A. BUENOS AIRES 0381 ¶B. BUENOS AIRES 0428 ¶C. BUENOS AIRES 0056 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Ambassador paid a farewell call, May 26, on Supreme Court Chief Justice Ricardo Lorenzetti, commending the Court for its efforts to strengthen the judicial system and to improve its functioning and access for the country's most vulnerable sectors. The Chief Justice had recently returned from a May 16-23 trip to Washington DC, where he met with U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Alito and Ginsburg and also held meetings with WHA A/S Shannon and NSC Director Restrepo. Lorenzetti expressed appreciation for USG interest in the Judicial Conference of the Americas, which the Court will host in September (ref A). End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Ambassador Wayne paid a farewell call on Supreme Court Chief Justice Ricardo Lorenzetti on May 26. The Court's two female justices -- Vice President of the Supreme Court Elena Highton de Nolasco and Justice Carmen Maria Argibay -- also attended. The Chief Justice had recently returned from a May 16-23 trip to Washington to participate in the American Law Institute's annual conference and to invite U.S. judicial authorities to attend the Judicial Conference of the Americas, which the Court will be hosting in September (ref A). In addition to meeting with Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Samuel Alito and Ruth Ginsburg, Lorenzetti also held meetings with WHA A/S Thomas Shannon and NSC Director Dan Restrepo. (Note: Lorenzetti's visit received positive local press play, emphasizing Washington's interest in the upcoming September conference.) Lorenzetti was very pleased to have been so well received by the executive as well as the judicial branch in Washington. ¶3. (SBU) Lorenzetti expects a strong regional turnout at September's judicial conference. He was heartened by signs of USG interest in the conference, which he perceived during his visit. He said all of the countries in the Americas will be represented and half of the region's Supreme Court justices are expected to attend, including Justice Alito and possibly Justice Ginsburg. Lorenzetti relayed that the conference's principal theme will be rule of law, but that it will also address judiciary independence, international courts, and judicial management issues. He noted that the Court is hoping to hold parallel workshops during the conference, which would address rule of law issues, the Inter-American Development Bank's initiatives in Latin America, and judicial training. ¶4. (SBU) The Ambassador commended the Court's commitment to strengthen the country's judicial system and to restore the image of the courts. He highlighted the Court's efforts to improve its functioning and access for the country's most vulnerable sectors, including establishing the Office on Domestic Violence and the Access to Justice Map, an online introductory guide to Argentina's judicial system. Lorenzetti and Justices Highton and Argibay expressed their appreciation for the Ambassador's dedication to judicial issues. (Note: During a May 20 farewell lunch for the Ambassador, Justice Highton thanked the Ambassador for the high-level attention he brought to Argentina's judicial system. She noted that previous Embassy relations with Argentina's judicial system were good but functioned at the working level only.) In closing, the Ambassador offered continued Embassy support for the September conference and other initiatives, such as the Embassy's voluntary visitor program "Justice Undergoing Change" and the "Judges Go to School" program, an educational outreach program by the NGO Conscience "Conciencia" and the Association of Judges and Judicial Officials of the National Judiciary. ¶5. (SBU) Comment: Under Ricardo Lorenzetti's responsible leadership, the Supreme Court has embarked on an ambitious reform program to modernize the judiciary and improve the rule of law in Argentina. While progress has been gradual (ref B),the Supreme Court has stepped up its efforts to establish a more robust institutional role after a long period of judicial passivity (ref C). In addition, Lorenzetti and his fellow justices have been very receptive to judicial exchanges with U.S. counterparts, an interest they reiterated during the meeting. We are pleased that Lorenzetti now seeks to expand this dialogue to the Americas, and we support his initiative to host a Judicial Conference of the Americas. The conference will help spark much-needed hemispheric dialogue and cooperation on judicial reform issues and presents us with an opportunity to underscore to our partners that judicial independence, rule of law, and strong legal clarity and consistency are fundamental elements of democracies. WAYNE