VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMN #0437/01 2081715
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 271715Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9247
INFO RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUMIAAA/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

C O N F I D E N T I A L MONTEVIDEO 000437 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR WHA/BSC MARY DASCHBACH 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/26/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PREL UY
SUBJECT: URUGUAYAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE JOSE MUJICA SAYS 
U.S. SHOULD COUNT ON HIS FRIENDSHIP (C-AL9-01505) 
 ...
REF: MVD 0411 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: CDA ALFRED SCHANDLBAUER, FOR REASON 1.4 (B) 
 
Summary 
- - - - 
 
¶1. (C) Governing Frente Amplio coalition presidential 
candidate Senator Jose Mujica told the charge July 23 that 
the U.S. should count on him as a friend.  He noted that he 
has relationships with and access to leaders within the 
hemisphere that have difficult relations with the USG, and 
said that as president he would be happy to serve as an 
intermediary between the U.S. and any of those leaders as 
needed.  Mujica's visit to the charge's residence marked the 
first time in the Embassy's collective memory that he had 
attended an Embassy event.  End Summary. 
 
The Frente Amplio comes to lunch 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶2. (SBU) Rounding out a series of lunches at her residence 
with Uruguay's presidential candidates (septels), the charge 
hosted the ruling Frente Amplio (FA) coalition ticket of 
Senators Jose ""Pepe"" Mujica and Danilo Astori July 23. 
Mujica and Astori stressed the importance of the bilateral 
relationship with the U.S., discussed the basics of the FA's 
campaign strategy, and confirmed press reports that Astori 
will manage Uruguay's economic policy in a Mujica government. 
 
 
Mujica: Count on me as a friend 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶3. (C) Responding to a question about Mujica's foreign policy 
views, both Mujica and Astori were quick to state that they 
see the relationship with the U.S. as fundamentally 
important, and Mujica said that the U.S. should count on him 
as a friend.  Later, without prompting, Mujica explained that 
his past -- which includes twelve years in prison for 
high-level participation in the Tupamaro guerrilla movement 
#¿NOMBRE?
leaders in the region who are not friendly toward the U.S. 
With that in mind, he offered his assistance as a mediator 
between the U.S. and any of those leaders to help ease 
frictions (he used the verb ""aceitar,"" (to oil)) as needed. 
 
Electoral Strategy 
- - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶4. (SBU) Mujica was (probably intentionally) vague about the 
FA's strategy for winning the presidential elections in the 
first round, something many analysts believe he must do if 
the FA is to remain in power.  He said only that he believes 
it will be a hard-fought and clean campaign, and in a caveat 
stated that it was impossible to control what his supporters 
would say about his opponents on the Internet.  Astori was a 
little more forthcoming, but the only information outside the 
public domain that he offered was his observation that their 
ticket's campaign would likely cost around USD 2 million, 
which was approximately the same amount Tabare Vazquez spent 
to win in 2004.  Astori speculated that the rival Blancos 
would spend more.  Both Mujica and Astori view Blanco 
candidate Luis Alberto Lacalle as a serious and formidable 
opponent. 
 
Comment 
- - - - 
 
¶5. (C) This was the first time in any Embassy employee's 
memory that Mujica had attended an Embassy event, and he 
appeared nervous when he first arrived in the charge's 
residence.  He is a famously casual dresser, and news that he 
has commissioned his first suit before an upcoming meeting in 
Brazil with President Lula made headlines, but he wore a 
blazer to lunch.  He soon grew more comfortable, though, and 
began dispensing the homespun wisdom for which he is known as 
he talked of the difficulty of quitting smoking (he quit four 
years ago) and his hobby of raising flowers.  Much has been 
made locally of the dynamic between Mujica and Astori, which 
is commonly believed to be cold.  They seemed quite 
comfortable with each other, however, even if their differing 
personalities and styles don't lend themselves to perfect 
camaraderie. 
 
¶6. (C) Mujica clearly viewed the encounter as more of an 
opportunity to get to know one another than as a forum for 
policy discussion, and so wouldn't be drawn into detail about 
his plans regarding particular policies or appointments.  He 
did mention China in an admiring tone, relating an anecdote 
that credited the Chinese government with long-term thinking, 
but he later joked that those who currently bemoan Yankee 
hegemony will end up thinking of that as the good old days if 
the Chinese ever come to exercise as much influence in the 
region. 
Schandlbauer