Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BUENOSAIRES876
2009-07-29 21:15:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Buenos Aires
Cable title:  

ARGENTINA: ISRAELI FM VISITS ARGENTINA AND

Tags:  PREL PGOV IS IR AR 
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PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0876/01 2102115
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 292115Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4147
INFO RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY 1914
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 1973
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 2538
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY 0106
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 0023
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000876 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2039
TAGS: PREL PGOV IS IR AR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: ISRAELI FM VISITS ARGENTINA AND
EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER RISING IRANIAN INFLUENCE IN REGION

Classified By: CDA Alexander A. Featherstone for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000876

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2039
TAGS: PREL PGOV IS IR AR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: ISRAELI FM VISITS ARGENTINA AND
EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER RISING IRANIAN INFLUENCE IN REGION

Classified By: CDA Alexander A. Featherstone for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d).


1. (C) Summary: In what the Israeli Foreign Ministry called
an effort to counter "Iran's heightened activity in South
America," Israeli FM Avigdor Lieberman visited Argentina July
23-26 during the first trip to South America by an Israeli FM
in over two decades. Argentina was the second stop on
Lieberman's ten-day visit to Latin America, with stops in
Brazil, Peru and Colombia. According to local newspapers,
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (CFK) did not meet
with Lieberman "to distance herself from the ultranationalist
politician." (She also was absent from Argentina on July 24
to participate in the Mercosur Summit in Paraguay.)
Lieberman met separately with Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana
and CFK's Chief of Staff Anibal Fernandez reportedly to raise
the Israeli government's concerns that Venezuela was
facilitating Iran's growing influence in Latin America. He
also relayed Israeli President Shimon Peres' intention to
visit Argentina in November.


2. (C) Lieberman paid homage to the victims of the 1992
bombing of the Israeli Embassy and the 1994 bombing of the
Argentine Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA). He met with AMIA
special prosecutor Alberto Nisman and encouraged him to push
INTERPOL to help capture former Iranian officials implicated
in the bombing. In an effort to promote greater economic
ties, Lieberman, who was accompanied by a trade delegation,
met with Buenos Aires Provincial Governor Daniel Scioli,
Buenos Aires City Mayor Mauricio Macri and leaders of the
Argentine Industrial Association. He also met with members
of the Israeli Friendship Congressional Caucus. The Foreign
Minister's visit received positive press coverage and some
protests from local left-wing groups and social
organizations. End Summary.

Israeli FM Visit is First in 23 Years...
--------------


3. (C) Israeli Minister of Foreign Relations Avigdor
Lieberman visited Argentina July 23-26 in the first trip in
23 years by an Israeli FM to South America. According to
largest-circulation daily "Clarin," the visit was part of a
diplomatic offensive to respond to Iran's growing involvement

in the region, including the tri-border area that Argentina
shares with Brazil and Paraguay. Argentine media
characterized Lieberman and his party, Yisrael Beitenu
("Israel is our Home"),as right-wing nationalists.
Lieberman was accompanied by 20 business leaders from the
communication, high tech, and agriculture sectors.

...But CFK Meeting not on the Agenda
--------------


4. (C) Argentina was the second stop in Lieberman's ten-day
trip to South America, which includes Brazil, Peru and
Colombia. Although Lieberman met with Brazilian President
Lula and was scheduled to meet with Presidents Garcia in Peru
and Uribe in Colombia, President Cristina Fernandez de
Kirchner (CFK) did not receive him. She was absent from
Argentina for one day of his visit in order to attend the
July 24 Mercosur summit in Paraguay. Pro-government and
left-of-center daily "Pagina 12" speculated that CFK avoided
meeting Lieberman "to distance herself from the
ultranationalist politician" with whom she differs on the
Palestine issue. An MFA source confirmed that CFK had made a
deliberate decision not to meet Lieberman. In explaining the
GOA's position, pro-government "Pagina 12" stated that "the
idea is to maintain balance, not favor one side over another,
and respect the historically good relations enjoyed by our
two countries." An Israeli Embassy contact told us the visit
went better than expected, although it was disappointing that
CFK was the only president who did not receive Lieberman on
this four-nation trip.

Lieberman Raises Concerns about Iran and Venezuela
-------------- --------------


5. (SBU) On July 23, Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana
received FM Lieberman, Daniel Gazit, the Israeli Ambassador
to Argentina and the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Director
General for Latin American Affairs Dorit Shavit. During the
meeting, Lieberman relayed President Shimon Peres' intention
to visit Argentina in November. An MFA source confirmed that
Lieberman focused on his concerns that Venezuela is

facilitating Iranian activity in Latin America and that the
GOI was worried about ongoing Iranian activity in the
tri-border area. The press also said that Lieberman asked
the GOA for quick ratification of the free trade agreement
between Israel and Mercosur.


6. (SBU) According to "Pagina 12," Taiana assured Lieberman
that Argentina does not have strong relations with Iran. He
pointed out that at the UN the GOA has called on Iran to
cooperate in the investigation of the 1994 bombing of the
Argentine Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA). Taiana also
reportedly told Lieberman that Argentina differed with Israel
on the Palestine situation and expressed concern about
Israel's late 2008 military incursion in the Gaza strip.
After the meeting, the MFA issued a press release saying that
Taiana and Lieberman had agreed to move forward with
preparations for Peres' visit in November.


7. (SBU) According to press reports, Lieberman raised the
same issues during his 40-minute meeting with CFK's Chief of
Cabinet Anibal Fernandez on July 24. During the meeting,
Lieberman reportedly told Cabinet Chief Fernandez that it had
been too long since an Israeli FM had visited the region, but
"now, we are going to be proactive toward South America.
Unfortunately, the Iranians are ahead of us and that is why
we want to develop economic relations with the region."

Press Offensive
--------------


8. (SBU) In a lengthy, full-page interview with
newspaper-of-record "La Nacion," FM Lieberman said the
purpose of his trip was three-fold: 1) to recognize the
historically strong ties between Israel and South America,
particularly with Argentina, home to the region's largest
Jewish community; 2) to transmit a message of support to all
of the region's Jewish communities; and 3) to renew Israel's
ties with the region in the face of Iranian encroachment. An
Israeli Embassy contact considered the prominent "La Nacion"
interview one of the major accomplishments of the visit.
Lieberman's description of Iran as "a demented regime (that
is) very dangerous" became the banner headline for the
article. Lieberman questioned Iran's rationale that its
nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, and pointed
out that Iran has a more than ample oil supply to meet its
energy needs. (Note: In other comments to the press, he
warned that Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons would spark an
arms race in the Middle East.) Making implicitly clear that
he viewed Venezuela as a stalking horse for Iran in the
region, he said that Venezuelan President "(Hugo) Chavez's
influence on other countries in the region sends a bad signal
and strengthens the extremists." Israeli MFA Director
General of Latin American Affairs Dorit Shavit told local
press that Venezuela was providing false documents to
Iranians to help facilitate Iranian travel throughout South
America.

Solidarity with the Argentine Jewish Community
-------------- -


9. (C) On July 24, Lieberman paid his respects to the victims
of both the 1992 Israeli Embassy bombing that killed 29
persons and the 1994 AMIA center bombing that killed 85
persons and injured hundreds more, visiting both sites.
During the visit to the AMIA, he met with leaders of the
Jewish community as well as friends and family of the AMIA
victims. Lieberman also met with AMIA special prosecutor
Alberto Nisman, whom he encouraged to continue pressing for
the capture of former Iranian officials who have been
indicted in the AMIA case. Israeli Ambassador to Argentina
Daniel Gazit in Buenos Aires told "La Nacion" that Lieberman
and Nisman also discussed the possibility of declaring the
AMIA attack a crime against humanity. Two Jewish community
leaders told post that they thought Lieberman's visit had
been mostly positive in focusing GOA attention on shared
concerns about Iranian support for terrorist activity. One
of the leaders said Lieberman's visit had generated less
controversy in Argentina than anticipated (a view that was
privately echoed to us by an MFA source),although another
Jewish leader noted the appearance around Buenos Aires of
posters comparing Lieberman to Hitler and otherwise "inciting
hatred."

Strengthening Economic Ties

--------------


10. (SBU) Lieberman also used his visit to promote stronger
economic and commercial ties between the two countries. On
July 23, Lieberman, alongside Buenos Aires province Governor
Daniel Scioli, addressed a seminar of the Argentine
Industrial Association (UIA),where he announced an Israeli
investment of 120 million pesos (approximately USD 32
million) in a water plant in La Plata, the capital city of
Buenos Aires province. He described Israeli-Argentine trade
relations of USD 300 million as "not sufficient," saying
there is room to expand in the technology, security
equipment, medical, and agriculture sectors. According to
Ambassador Gazit, Lieberman also discussed expanded technical
and scientific cooperation as well as possible investment in
Buenos Aires City during a July 24 meeting with Buenos Aires
City Mayor Mauricio Macri.

Anti-Zionist Groups Protest Visit
--------------


11. (C) The Foreign Minister's visit received some criticism
from local left-wing groups and social organizations. On
July 23, local anti-Zionist groups and leftist groups,
including the often violent Quebracho group, demonstrated
outside the Argentine Industrial Association's headquarters
to protest the commercial aspects of the visit. The group
then marched to the Israeli Embassy and concluded their
protest outside the Argentine Foreign Ministry, according to
press reports. During the protest, the head of Argentine
Palestinian Entities read a document denouncing "the visit of
this big idiot, a recognized racist and a practicing
xenophobe." Our MFA source noted that there was no major
public criticism of the Lieberman visit or how the GOA
received him, despite the controversy he had generated
elsewhere. A Jewish community leader told us he thought the
visit had no negative public repercussions.

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


12. (C) The GOA's reception of Lieberman, on the surface,
appeared cordial but distant. Given CFK's efforts to
maintain strong and positive relations with Argentina's
Jewish community, it may seem remarkable that she chose not
to meet with Lieberman, unlike her counterparts in Brazil,
Peru, and Colombia. In its approach to Israel and the Middle
East conflict, however, the GOA has long sought to maintain
balance between Israel and the Arab world, largely because it
does not wish to antagonize either its large Jewish or Muslim
populations.

FEATHERSTONE