ARGENTINE PRESIDENT CFK PLANNING TO ESCORT ZELAYA

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000757 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2029 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM OAS HO AR SUBJECT: ARGENTINE PRESIDENT CFK PLANNING TO ESCORT ZELAYA BACK TO HONDURAS? Classified By: CDA Tom Kelly for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d). ¶1. (SBU) Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (CFK) announced during a June 29 press conference regarding the previous day's legislative elections (septel) that she had spoken June 28 with Honduran President Zelaya, Chilean President Bachelet, and Ecuadorian President Correa regarding the situation in Honduras. The following day, Argentine media reported online that CFK had accepted an invitation from OAS Secretary General Insulza to join a delegation that would escort Zelaya back to Honduras on July 2. Zelaya at 1525 local time on "CNN en Espanol" said CFK, Correa, and Insulza had told him they would accompany him on the flight back to Honduras. ¶2. (C) MFA U/S for Latin America Agustin Colombo-Sierra (protect) confirmed to polcouns that CFK was planning to escort Zelaya to Honduras but had no further details to share at this time. When polcouns pointed out that the OAS Permanent Council had not yet appeared to have authorized Insulza to lead this delegation, Colombo-Sierra said that concern was overtaken by events, particularly Zelaya's announcement of his intention to return to Honduras and Zelaya's invitation to others to go with him. Colombo noted that Argentine FM Taiana had travelled to Washington on CFK's instructions to attend the OAS emergency meeting June 30. ¶3. (SBU) Earlier, CFK on June 28 had told the media she was "very concerned about the situation in Honduras. The Armed Forces have just kidnapped the constitutional president in an event that takes us back to the worst instances of Latin American history...We are going to press regional multilateral organizations and the international community to use all means to respect this Central American country's democracy and to ensure the physical safety of the President as well as his reinstatement." KELLY