ARGENTINA: CFK PRAISES U.S. ROLE IN OAS RESOLUTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000657 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/04/2029 TAGS: PREL PHUM ETRD OAS CU AR SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: CFK PRAISES U.S. ROLE IN OAS RESOLUTION ON CUBA REF: BUENOS AIRES 0614 Classified By: DCM Tom Kelly for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d). ¶1. (C) Summary and introduction: President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (CFK) praised the USG's role in the the OAS decision to lift the ban on Cuba's participation, which she called "historic" and a portent of "new winds" blowing in the hemisphere. Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana took credit for brokering the consensus that ended the "anachronism and injustice" of excluding Cuba from OAS proceedings. Following CFK's and Taiana's lead, the press focused mostly on the lifting of the ban rather than the democratic conditions for re-joining, and a columnist in largest-circulation daily "Clarin" questioned whether the OAS decision would really allow Cuba back into the fold. One NGO activist privately told us he was disappointed that CFK's and Taiana's remarks did not call on Cuba to undertake democratic reform, release its political prisoners, or otherwise improve its observance of human rights. We, however, are pleasantly surprised by CFK's praise for the Obama Administration on this issue. End summary. CFK Praises the United States -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Barely two hours after the OAS General Assembly moved to lift Cuba's exclusion from the OAS, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (CFK) called the OAS decision "historic" and praised the USG's role in the effort. Newspaper of record "La Nacion" claimed June 4 that CFK's emphasis on giving credit to the United States was "part of Casa Rosada's official strategy to achieve a change in bilateral relations with Washington." ¶3. (SBU) In a June 3 appearance in suburban Buenos Aires, CFK announced that "in the OAS, in the presence of Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, and obviously on President Obama's instructions and with the consensus and acclamation of all the member states of that organization, it was decreed to nullify the sanction that Cuba had for so many years." Largest-circulation daily newspaper "Clarin" quoted CFK saying the OAS decision "contributes to a new world with different paradigms." ¶4. (SBU) CFK added that "this also reveals the perception of our discourse at the Summit of the Americas that new winds are blowing. The idea that we are facing a historic opportunity is being heard by all those who in some way make this continent's decision." FM Taiana Sees the U.S. Going Multilateral -------------- ¶5. (SBU) According to "La Nacion" and "Clarin," FM Jorge Taiana said it was "evident" that the Obama Administration "has initiated a return to the values and principles of multilateralism." Taiana said "we have finished with an anachronism and an injustice. After much effort, and when many believed that there was no possibility for success, we continued working in the search for consensus." ¶6. (C) An Argentine MFA official was similarly elated when she spoke with polcouns June 3. Recalling that Argentina was one of a handful of OAS member states that had abstained in 1962 on the expulsion of Cuba from the OAS, she claimed that Argentine officialdom had over the years been uncomfortable with the double standard that had been applied to Cuba but not to regimes such as Somoza's in Nicaragua or Stroessner's in Paraguay. Several center-left congressional deputies told the media they hoped the OAS opening was an omen that the United States would lift its embargo on trade with Cuba. Media Coverage Mostly Positive -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Silvia Pisani, "La Nacion" correspondent in Washington, wrote that President Obama's "new era of diplomacy made its first and thunderous burst onto the scene in Latin America." Pisani noted that WHA A/S Shannon made clear at a press backgrounder that the OAS decision was completely in line with White House's insistence that Cuba's return to the OAS be predicated on respect for democracy and human rights, and that Cuba's "hypothetical" return to the OAS was "far from automatic." According to the article, NSC Director Dan Restrepo said at the joint press briefing with Shannon that if Cuba asks to join, what follows is the second part of the resolution which establishes that the re-admission will be the result of a process of dialogue between the island and the inter-American system preserving the values of democracy and respect for human rights. ¶8. (SBU) Argentine media coverage largely dwelled on the historic import of lifting the ban on Cuba's participation in the OAS. There was some skepticism. Under the headline "The end of an anachronism and a political embarrassment," "Clarin" columnist Oscar Raul Cardoso wrote that "the devil is in the details and the fine print" and opined that "it will take at least a year to see how truly historic is this instrument," noting that a committee needs to be formed to study Cuba's readmission. He noted it was the United States that had insisted that Cuba must ask to re-join the OAS and adhere fully to the Inter-American Democratic Charter. Human Rights Activist Criticizes GOA -------------- ¶9. (C) A leader of CADAL (the Center for the Opening and Development of Latin America),an Argentine NGO that has actively promoted human rights in Cuba, told polcouns he was disappointed that media coverage fed the impression that the OAS had re-admitted Cuba and downplayed the pending requirement that the OAS must still decide when Cuba's participation meets the organization's purposes of promoting democracy and human rights. He expressed disappointment that CFK's and Taiana's remarks did not call on Cuba to undertake democratic reform, release its political prisoners, or otherwise improve its observance of human rights. He noted that Taiana focused on the "anachronism and injustice" of keeping Cuba out of the OAS but said nothing about the "much greater injustice" of atrocities and human rights violations committed by the Castro regime. Comment -------------- ¶10. (C) From their public statements, we can see that CFK, Taiana, and other Argentines are pleased by what they see as USG responsiveness to their clamor for a change in policy toward Cuba, which they consider a litmus test of American commitment to reappraise and change hemispheric relations. CFK's quick and effusive praise of the U.S. role in this "historic" change is particularly noteworthy and welcome. It is disappointing but not surprising that neither CFK nor Taiana used this opportunity to urge democratic reform in Cuba; as we reported reftel, they are loathe to voice any criticism of Cuba. WAYNE