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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0291/01 0391258
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081258Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3336
INFO RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 4918
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000291 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL AR
SUBJECT: VISIT OF DASD PARDO-MAURER TO ARGENTINA 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense 
for International Security Affairs Rogelio Pardo-Maurer 
visited Argentina January 26-28.  During his visit, 
Pardo-Maurer met with Argentine Minister of Defense Nilda 
Garre and other senior ministry officials.  During his 
meetings, Pardo-Maurer stressed the importance of regional 
cooperation to create reliable peacekeeping partnerships. 
Minister Garre said the GoA was working closely with Chile 
to increase mil-mil cooperation.  Both the atmospherics and 
the substance of the visit were positive.  Garre conveyed a 
positive attitude toward existing mil-mil relations with 
the U.S. and indicated a willingness to continue 
cooperative efforts.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Ambassador hosted a luncheon on Jan. 26 at 
the residence for Pardo-Maurer with a guest list headed by 
Defense Minister Nilda Garre.  Also attending were 
Secretary for Military Affairs Jose Vasquez Ocampo, 
 
SIPDIS 
Secretary of Planning Oscar Cuattromo and Chief of the 
 
SIPDIS 
Argentine Joint Staff BG Jorge Chevalier (four-star 
equivalent).  Luis Cappagli (the acting Under Secretary for 
Foreign Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and Jose 
Ureta from the North America office of MFA also attended. 
On the U.S. side, Luis Sanchez, OSD Country Director for 
Western Hemisphere Affairs, Embassy Defense Attache, MILGRP 
commander and PolCouns also attended. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Pardo-Maurer congratulated the minister on the 
role of Argentine troops in Haiti.  He noted that the 
regional contribution to MINUSTAH constituted a success 
story in its own right and clearly demonstrated the role of 
a military in a democracy.  He said continued regional and 
hemispheric cooperation would be critical for success in 
Haiti following elections.  In this vein, Pardo-Maurer said 
increased mil-mil cooperation between Argentina and Chile 
would have a very positive impact and urged the MOD to move 
to strengthen exising ties with Chilean counterparts. 
Garre said the GoA was working very closely with Chile to 
increase mil-mil cooperation.  Garre conveyed a positive 
attitude toward existing mil-mil relations with the U.S. 
and indicated a willingness to continue cooperative 
efforts. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Following the luncheon, Pardo-Maurer continued 
discussions with Ocampo and Cuattromo and members of their 
staffs for nearly 90 minutes at the Ministry of Defense. 
The Argentine agenda focused on the two areas in which we 
have traditionally concentrated:  humanitarian and 
peacekeeping operations and professional military education 
(in terms of human rights).  However, the discussion 
expanded to include joint warfighting and bilateral 
military relations. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Both sides agreed that it was mutually beneficial 
to continue close cooperation in peacekeeping operations in 
Haiti.  The GoA is concerned that the ARG public does not 
recognize the strategic importance of regional stability 
and does not see any utility with its efforts in Haiti. 
The Joint Staff is concerned that public support will dry 
up if any Argentines are killed in Haiti.  Additionally, 
both sides agreed that the combined Chilean-Argentine 
peacekeeping force is a positive development.  The GoA 
encouraged U.S. military cooperation in the establishment 
of the combined Chilean-Argentine force.  Both parties 
reinforced earlier Argentine offers to train this force and 
other international forces at CAECOPAZ, as well as 
Argentina providing instructors to the regional 
peacekeeping center in Guatemala being established under 
the Global Peacekeeping Operations Initiative (GPOI). 
Ocampo did caveat this offer with a stipulation that others 
(the U.S.) fund these efforts due to Argentine military 
budget limitations.  At the end of the session, discussion 
returned to peacekeeping and Haiti with an eye to regional 
cooperation.  Cuattromo mentioned that the nations of the 
combined task force were compartmentalizing their efforts, 
with the Chileans focusing on a combat engineer unit for 
construction projects and the Argentines focusing on health 
and medical capabilities (Argentina has a deployed field 
hospital in Haiti). 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  The GoA does not see a military solution to the 
problem in Haiti.  The military and its humanitarian 
programs are a stop-gap measure until civilian agencies can 
build the infrastructure necessary to make Haiti a viable 
nation.  The MOD is interested in continued U.S. 
involvement in their peacekeeping efforts.  Additionally, 
the GoA expressed reluctance to expand cooperation with 
Central American countries due to their lack of capability. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Pardo-Maurer reiterated the desirability of 
increased Argentine military cooperation with Chile, 
particularly the creation of a combined peacekeeping 
force.  The U.S. objective in promoting regional 
integration was to create reliable peacekeeping 
partnerships through increased force interoperability.  As 
a means of assisting this cooperation, Pardo-Maurer raised 
the possibility of assistance from Joint Forces Command in 
Norfolk to a combined Argentine/Chile force through a joint 
visit with Chile to the JFCOM.  Pardo-Maurer said a 
relationship with JFCOM would not diminish ongoing 
Argentine cooperation with SOUTHCOM. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The promotion of jointness struck a chord with 
Ocampo.  He noted a primary objective of Garre and the MOD 
was to transform the Argentine Joint Staff from a primarily 
advisory role to the Minister to that of an actual 
combatant command.  The Chief of the Joint Staff, Brigadier 
General Chevalier, emphasized that their Joint Staff is not 
a command but an advisory body for the Minister of Defense 
and the President.  He was echoed by the MOD officials 
present in expressing the objective of establishing systems 
and processes to integrate the services into joint 
warfighting.  Pardo Maurer stated he would forward the 
Argentine request to the U.S. Joint Forces Command and that 
it may be able to provide some assistance in this area. 
Ocampo said another important objective for the MOD was 
moving forward on an initiative to fully incorporate human 
rights in all military doctrine.  He said the MOD would 
create a human rights directorate.  But Ocampo agreed with 
Pardo-Maurer that human rights initiatives should be foward 
looking rather than dwelling on past abuses. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Both parties agreed that cooperation in science 
and technology is an important initiative.  The Argentine 
MOD is interested in processes that will improve quality 
control and reduce the timeline from research and 
development to production.  The Argentines expanded this 
discussion to include an institutional review of roles and 
missions and of redesigning the armed forces to increase 
interoperability and joint warfighting.  Additionally, MOD 
Undersecretary for Institutional Development Gustavo 
Sibilla made a specific request for software currently in 
use in other countries such as the Philippines that 
analyzes defense management operations and recommends 
changes to improve efficiency.  Cuattromo stated that he 
does not want to use the Chinese system for PPBS. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Ocampo raised the Bilateral Working Group and 
suggested a June meeting.  Pardo-Maurer said no dates are 
set for now  but said our mil/mil relationship was 
stable for the long term.  The question was how to 
reinforce this relationship.  He said both the Secretary of 
Defense and the Joint Staff Chairman Gen. Peter Pace were 
in accord with this and that the more Argentina can 
increase its cooperation with Chile, the more the U.S. can 
increase our inter-relationship. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Comment: Both the atmospherics and the substance 
of the visit were positive.  DASD Pardo-Maurer's message of 
increased military cooperation with Chile was well received. 
His meetings also reinforced the impression that the new 
leadership in the Ministry of Defense supports continued 
close cooperation with the U.S. military.  In fact, the 
Ministry officials appeared eager not only to maintain 
current engagement but also to look at new objectives. 
Ocampo was much more open with us during these meetings than 
in previous encounters we have had with him.  Minister Garre 
displayed an open and positive attitude toward cooperation as 
well.  End Comment. 
GUTIERREZ