VZCZCXYZ0028
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0964/01 1181755
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 281755Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4335
INFO RHMFISS/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL//SCJ2//

RULGPUA/USCOMSOLANT

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000964 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INR/R/MR, I/GWHA, WHA, WHA/PDA, WHA/BSC, 
WHA/EPSC 
CDR USSOCOM FOR J-2 IAD/LAMA 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO OPRC KMDR PREL MEDIA REACTION
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION AMBASSADOR LINO GUTIERREZ'S 
STATEMENTS AT A DIPLOMATIC AND BUSINESS LUNCH IRAN US 
IMMIGRATION POLICY US-URUGUAYAN FTAA MEETING BETWEEN 
IMF HEAD RODRIGO RATO AND ARGENTINE ECONOMIC MINISTER 
MICELI 04/28/06 
 
¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT 
 
All major local papers extensively report on 
statements made by US Ambassador Lino Gutierrez as the 
keynote speaker of a diplomatic and business lunch at 
Club de la Union Nacional. Ambassador Gutierrez is 
reported to have said that his country "never backed 
the violation of human rights or condoned the torture 
of innocent people during the 1976-83 military 
dictatorship." Daily-of-record "La Nacion" headlines 
"The US will not mediate in the pulp mill issue." 
Business-financial newspapers highlight that 
Ambassador Gutierrez underscored that "the US wants to 
re-launch FTAA negotiations before the end of the 
year." 
 
¶2. HEADLINES ON US AMBASSADOR GUTIERREZ'S REMARKS 
 
- Daily-of-record "La Nacion" (04/28) "The US will not 
mediate." 
 
- Liberal, English-language "Buenos Aires Herald" 
(04/28) "US denies condoning 'torture of innocents.'" 
 
¶3. INSIDE PAGE HEADLINES ON US AMBASSADOR GUTIERREZ'S 
REMARKS 
 
- Daily-of-record "La Nacion" (04/28) "The US will not 
mediate in the pulp mills issue." "Ambassador 
Gutierrez said 'We would like to see a solution of the 
problem;' he denied an FTA is being discussed with 
Montevideo." 
 
- Liberal, English-language "Buenos Aires Herald" 
(04/28) "US denies condoning 'torture of innocents' 
during the dictatorship." 
 
- Conservative "La Prensa" (04/28) "The US emphasized 
its support (for Argentina)." "The US ambassador 
highlighted 'Our corporations did not leave the 
country when the crisis took place.'" 
 
- Business-financial "El Cronista" (04/28) "The US 
insists - it wants to re-launch FTAA negotiations 
before the end of the year." 'Ambassador Gutierrez 
said 'We have not lost hope.' They expect a wink from 
Lula." 
 
- Business-financial "Ambito Financiero" (04/28) "Lino 
denies US military bases." 
 
¶4. OPINION PIECES AND KEY STORIES 
 
- "The US will not mediate on the pulp mills issue" 
 
Oliver Galak, political columnist of daily-of-record 
"La Nacion," writes (04/28) "The USG expressed it 
would like the conflict between Argentina and Uruguay 
over the Fray Bentos pulp mills to be solved, although 
it made clear that it only learned about the issue 
from the newspapers. 
 
"During a lunch held at the Club de la Union Nacional, 
Gutierrez confirmed that the US is encouraging the 
signature of FTAs with every country in the region, 
and he sustained that those deals are not against 
Mercosur's continuity. 
 
"Gutierrez said 'I do not see any contradiction 
between a strong Mercosur and FTAs that could be 
reached with the US.' While he emphatically denied 
that Uruguay is negotiating or has asked to discuss a 
deal of the sort with Washington, he clarified that no 
negotiation has taken place 'yet.' 
 
"... The US ambassador added 'The US never supported 
human rights violations or the torture of innocent 
people.'" 
 
- "The US emphasizes its support for Argentina" 
 
Conservative "La Prensa" reports (04/28) "Speaking to 
an audience composed of businessmen, political leaders 
and diplomats, US Ambassador to Argentina emphasized 
 
 
 
 
'There are 540 US companies working in Argentina and 
none of them left the country during the 2001 crisis.' 
'All those companies continue investing in this 
country and provide employment to 200,000 Argentines, 
with good salaries and social benefits.' 
 
"... With respect to FTAs signed between the US and 
Latin America, the diplomat pointed out that 'sooner 
or later' the countries of the region will join the 
free trade system, which in his opinion 'is the best 
of all.' 
 
"... Gutierrez underscored that the Buenos Aires port 
is the number one port in fulfilling US security 
rules." 
 
- "The US insists that it wants to re-launch FTAA 
negotiations before the end of the year" 
 
Jorge Sosa, columnist of business-financial "El 
Cronista," writes (04/28) "... US Ambassador to 
Argentina Lino Gutierrez said that the purpose of the 
US is to re-launch hemispheric negotiations before the 
end of the year without dismissing the possibility of 
reaching an FTA with Uruguay or another country of 
Mercosur. 
 
"... During a lunch at Club de la Union Nacional, 
Gutierrez said 'We have not lost hope on making 
progress on the FTAA, and the idea is to re-launch 
negotiations this year.' 
 
"According to the US Ambassador's interpretation, the 
recent Summit of the Americas was not a failure for 
the US. He said 'There was support for the FTAA and 
the discussion was crystallized, and this is good'... 
 
"Even though Gutierrez did not mention it, according 
to sources consulted in Washington, the Bush 
administration is planning to come to terms with 
Brazil on calling a hemispheric ministerial meeting 
before the end of the year, which was proposed by the 
head of the White House to Lula during their latest 
meeting." 
 
- "Lino denies military bases" 
 
Business-financial "Ambito Financiero" reports (04/28) 
"US Ambassador Lino Gutierrez denied yesterday ongoing 
negotiations with Uruguay for the signature of an FTA, 
and he also made clear that 'there is no interest in 
establishing military bases in Paraguay or any other 
part of South America.' 
 
"'We have not lost hope that the FTAA can be signed.' 
 
"... Gutierrez spoke about Venezuela and he expressed 
his concern 'about the actions against the opposition' 
in that country and about its ties with Iran, which is 
violating international treaties in not stopping its 
uranium enrichment program." 
 
- "US denies condoning 'torture of innocents'" 
 
Liberal, English-language "Buenos Aires Herald" front- 
pages (04/28) "The US Ambassador in Argentina said 
yesterday that his country never backed the violation 
of human rights or condoned the torture of innocent 
people during the 1976-83 military dictatorship that 
according to President Nestor Kirchner assassinated or 
made disappear 30,000 people. 
 
"'The US never supported the violation of human rights 
or that innocents be tortured,' said outgoing 
Ambassador Lino Gutierrez at a diplomatic and business 
lunch. 
 
"He was asked by the 'Herald' to comment on documents 
recently declassified in the US that said the then US 
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had sought 
 
SIPDIS 
immediate support for the Argentine dictators. 
 
"Asked whether the US was planning to issue a mea 
culpa, such as the Argentine military forces have made 
 
 
 
 
for the dictatorship's aberrations, Cuban-born 
Gutierrez said, 'I have no instructions about that.' 
 
"... The ambassador denied reports that the US was 
planning to install a military base in Paraguay, which 
had caused concerns within Argentine government 
official circles." 
 
- "Iran disregards UN ultimatum and the crisis 
worsens" 
 
Daily-of-record "La Nacion" (04/28) reports "Today is 
the deadline for the UN Security Council ultimatum for 
Iran to suspend any uranium enrichment-related 
activities, which has not raised concern in Iranian 
authorities. Their decision to continue with their 
nuclear plans remains firm. 
 
"... US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said 
yesterday 'The US believes that, in order to preserve 
its credibility, the UN Security Council should act 
now.' And, while she recalled that US President George 
¶W. Bush has not dismissed a military attack against 
Iran, the country is 'committed' to a diplomatic way 
out of the crisis." 
 
- "Absurdities" 
 
Marcelo Cantelmi, international editor of leading 
"Clarin," opines (04/28) "There is no room for doubt 
on the harmful nature of anti-immigration policies, 
which, with more xenophobia than economic reasons, is 
being promoted by a broad sector of the ruling G.O.P. 
 
"Based on that blindness they have established 
another, even more absurd - the barbaric repression of 
Hispanics, which is a shot in the foot of those 
responsible for this direction. It was the missing 
factor in uniting an immense US community of over 30 
million inhabitants (one-third of whom are 
undocumented)." 
 
- "Mercosur - an attempt to prevent Uruguay from 
leaving" 
 
Business-financial "Ambito Financiero" reports (04/28) 
"Argentine and Brazilian experts will finish drafting 
an offer to be made to Uruguay to enable it to get 
protection from the exports of both countries and, in 
this way, prevent Uruguay from leaving Mercosur. 
 
"If the Vazquez administration does not accept the 
proposal and prefers to continue negotiating an FTA 
with the US after his meeting with George W. Bush, 
Argentina and Brazil will not make any further efforts 
to maintain it in Mercosur. 
 
"In return for this, Argentine and Brazilian 
government officials will draft a strategy so that 
Paraguay stays and that, eventually, the Duarte Frutos 
administration can establish the US military base near 
the Triple Border area in Ciudad del Este." 
 
- "The (Argentine) mission to Washington had a bitter 
taste" 
 
Marcelo Bonelli, economic columnist of leading 
"Clarin," writes (04/28) "Rodrigo Rato was, as 
usually, direct and tough when he told Miceli 
'Minister, Argentina has an inflationary problem, and, 
in our opinion, you are not targeting it in the right 
way.' 
 
"... 'The price accord and control strategy you are 
carrying out is not adequate and it will not solve the 
problem of price increases.' 'In our opinion, you will 
have a 13-per-cent rise in prices by the end of the 
year, and next year you will have a 15% inflation, 
even without increasing public rates.' 
 
"While Minister Felisa Miceli defended the Argentine 
Government's strategy to fight inflation), the IMF 
head said 'You are wrong. In order to really stop 
inflation you have to lower the exchange rate, 
 
 
 
 
increase the interest rate, and reduce growing  public 
expenditures in order to cool down domestic demand." 
 
To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our 
classified website at: 
http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires 
 
GUTIERREZ