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C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000625 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/BSC, WHA/EPSC, AND INR/R, 
SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2015 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SNAR AR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA POLITICAL ROUNDUP FOR MARCH 17 
 
REF: A. BUENOS AIRES 0451 

 

     ¶B. BUENOS AIRES 0497 

     ¶C. BUENOS AIRES 0562 

 

Classified By: DCM Hugo Llorens for Reasons 1.4 (B)(D). 

 

¶1. (U) Reftels and other Mission reporting available at 

http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires 

 

¶2.  TABLE OF CONTENTS 

 

-- ACEVEDO STEPS DOWN FROM TUMULTUOUS GOVERNORSHIP 

-- NARCOTICS UPDATE:  THAT WHICH WAS LOST IS NOW FOUND 

-- TELERMAN TAKES THE HELM 

-- MISIONES PROVINCE IN FLAMES 

 

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

Acevedo Steps Down from Tumultuous Governorship 

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

 

¶3. (SBU)  The Governor of Santa Cruz Province, Sergio 

Acevedo, abruptly resigned on March 15 for what he claimed 

were ""strictly personal reasons.""  Acevedo declined to give a 

press conference, answer questions or give any further 

justification for his departure.  This unanticipated and 

unexplained mid-term resignation has led to much speculation. 

 The most frequently reported hypotheses center around 

several high profile social and political incidents that 

occurred in his province in recent months.  Incidents such as 

the controversy surrounding the repatriation of provincial 

funds from Swiss banks (deposited by Acevedo,s predecessor, 

President Kirchner, just before the 2001 economic crash), the 

conflict with oil and gas workers in February (Reftel A) - 

which involved roadblocks, salary demands, one killed police 

officer and a heavy Gendarmeria presence ) and President 

Nestor Kirchner,s apparent reluctance to associate himself 

with the governor recently, have all played into theories as 

to what precipitated the resignation.  Vice-governor Carlos 

Sancho will replace Acevedo.  (COMMENT: Others cite the 

infighting between Kirchner insiders, Local Secretary Carlos 

Zannini, Minister of Planning Julio De Vido and Acevedo. 

Sources report that De Vido has been keen on ousting Acevedo 

as a means to position himself for his run at the 

Governership in 2007.  Acevedo told DCM the morning after his 

resignation that pressure from Buenos Aires (i.e. President 

Kirchner and Casa Rosada officials) made it impossible for 

him to govern the province and comply with his mandate as 

governor.  The resignation of Acevedo narrows Kirchner's 

already limited circle of advisors and removes from the scene 

one of Kirchner's more honest and pro-U.S. officials.  END 

COMMENT.) 

 

¶4. (U)  In related news, the salary demands first heard at 

the Las Heras oil workers protests in Santa Cruz, appear to 

have had their desired effect: on March 15 the GOA announced 

that in April the taxable income floor will be raised to 2400 

AR pesos (estimated 800 US dollars) per month for single 

people and 3200 AR pesos (estimated 1066 US dollars) for 

married couples. 

 

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

Narcotics Update:  That which was lost is now found 

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

 

¶5. (C) On March 18, responding to an anonymous phone tip the 

Federal Police searched a shipping container bound for Spain 

looking for cocaine.  A cursory search of the container 

failed to turn up any narcotics, but after a second call the 

Federal Police completely unloaded the container and 

discovered between 300 and 350 kilos of cocaine concealed 

inside a shipment of frozen fish.  Gendarmeria General Anibal 

Maizteguai confirmed to DEA that the shipment included the 

160 kilos of cocaine that the Gendarmeria had previously lost 

during a botched controlled delivery operation.  He asserted 

that the seizure contained the exact number of identically 

wrapped packets bearing the same seal as the lost cocaine, 

and agents who worked that case were even able to identify 

the incisions they had made on some of the packets to test 

for purity prior to the controlled delivery operation. 

(COMMENT: If as seems likely, the cocaine is indeed the 160 

kilos lost during the recent controlled delivery, this could 

help defuse press criticism regarding the botched operation. 

News sources and pundits have loudly criticized the handling 

of the controlled delivery while largely ignoring the fact 

that eight of the nine suspects in that case are already in 

custody.  END COMMENT.) 

 

¶6. (C) The Federal Police believe the seizure is related to 

the February 23 seizure in Argentina of 200 kilos in a 

similar shipment (Reftel B) and the March 9 seizure of 400 

kilos located in frozen fish by Spanish authorities following 

information provided by GOA law enforcement.   Also of note, 

the cocaine not believed to be part of the control deliver 

bore the marking common to the Salta based Motok family.  The 

Motok family, the second biggest narcotics transportation 

crime group based in Argentina, was a major target of the DEA 

funded Northern Border Task Force (NBTF) and has been largely 

dismembered.  (COMMENT: The fact that this seizure appears to 

connect three of the highest-profile narcotics investigations 

of the year serves to illustrate the complex and 

interconnected nature of narcotics smuggling operations in 

Argentina. END COMMENT.) 

 

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

Telerman Takes the Helm 

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

 

¶7. (U) On March 13, Jorge Telerman was formally sworn in as 

Mayor of Buenos Aires, following the March 7 vote in the 

Buenos Aires legislature to remove Anibal Ibarra from office. 

(Reftel C)  In his inaugural speech, Telerman acknowledged 

the ""weaknesses of the State"" that allowed the Cromagnon 

tragedy that precipitated the downfall of his predecessor. 

Telerman praised President Kirchner and the Buenos Aires 

legislature.  Telerman also thanked on several occasions his 

political ""teacher and father,"" 1980s Peronist Party (PJ) 

strongman Antonio Cafiero, who brought Telerman into 

politics.  Vice President Daniel Scioli, several Cabinet 

members, and a host of Peronist leaders from the Capital and 

Buenos Aires province were in attendance. 

 

¶8. (U) Telerman has announced he plans to form a cabinet 

modeled on the cabinets of the provincial governors.  His 

nominations are largely all Kirchneristas or from Ibarra's 

team, including Raul Fernandez as Secretary General, Donato 

Spacavento as Minister of Health, Javier Gonzalez Fraga as 

Production Minister, and Diego Gorgal as Minister of 

Government. 

 

¶9. (C) Bio Note: In the 1970s, Jorge Telerman was active in 

the Communist Youth Federation, along with former Mayor 

Anibal Ibarra.  Telerman started his career as a journalist 

in the 1980s on ""Badia y Compania"" TV show on Channel 13. 

Through his personal friendship with Antonio Cafiero, who he 

met in 1981, he became Cafiero's spokesman when he was 

Governor of Buenos Aires province (1987-1991).  He later 

served under Foreign Minister Guido di Tella in the Menem 

administration.  He became Menem's Ambassador to Cuba in 

¶1998.  In 1999, he served as Eduardo Duhalde's spokesman and 

campaign advisor during Duhalde's 1999 presidential campaign. 

 Telerman was one of two Peronists that Anibal Ibarra 

incorporated into his administration when he became Buenos 

Aires Mayor in 2000, with Telerman serving as Ibarra's 

Secretary of Communication (July 2000-2003).  Telerman ran on 

 

SIPDIS 

Ibarra's reelection ticket as the Deputy Mayor and head of 

the City Secretariat of Social Development (mid-2003 ) Nov. 

2005).  Since November 14, 2005 Telerman has been the acting 

Mayor of Buenos Aires.  Jorge Telerman was born November 29, 

1955 in Buenos Aires City.  He is married and has children. 

 

¶10. (C) Although Jorge Telerman has long been active in the 

Peronist Party, he has had  difficult relationship with the 

current head of the Buenos Aires City branch of Peronism, 

Cabinet Chief Alberto Fernandez.  His friction with Fernandez 

and his reputation for independence has earned him the 

moniker of ""Non-PJ Peronist,"" a characterization that 

Telerman does not deny.  Telerman recently told the 

Ambassador that he does not consider himself a Peronist, but 

does have good relations with the Buenos Aires Peronists. 

 

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

Misiones Province in Flames 

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

 

¶11. (U)  On March 13, a group of 3,000 farmers and forestry 

workers in the central Misiones town of San Vicente 

vandalized the town hall, demanding that Mayor Luis Benitez 

be removed from office.  Although these protesters were not 

professional piqueteros responding to a larger piquetero 

organization or leader, as we have seen in other instances, 

they did employ the same tried and true tactics: the 

protesters stormed the municipal building and adjacent police 

station with sticks and stones, set it on fire and obstructed 

firefighters, access to the blaze.  The day of riots left 

the building completely destroyed and the streets strewn with 

litter. 

 

¶12. (U)  The group of agricultural workers, which began as a 

collection of roughly 400 people demanding the federal 

subsidies last Tuesday, had grown to an angry mob of 3,000 

within a week.  They accuse Benitez of misappropriating 

$99,000 pesos in federal subsidies disbursed to the 

municipality as federal relief for farmers following the 

severe droughts in January and February.  They are also 

accusing Benitez of illicit enrichment, irregularities in his 

administration and neglect of local roads.  Following the 

arson seventeen people were arrested, though eleven were 

later released.  The director of the local hospital confirmed 

32 injured, the majority of which were police officers. 

 

¶13. (U)  Mayor Benitez has defended himself by blaming the 

media for ""political intentionality,"" and strongly accused a 

local radio station and television channel of encouraging 

people for the last three months to ""attack police and burn 

the town hall.""  The radio and television stations he blames 

are owned by a vocal opponent of his administration.  Also 

pointing fingers in a similar direction is the secretary of 

the Agricultural Producers Association of Misiones (APAM), 

the group that initiated the demands a week ago.  He says he 

thinks the main perpetrators were ""government operatives 

supported by anti-Benitez councilmen"" who infiltrated the 

group and provoked violence.  The investigating judge that 

arrested the protesters has said that he too suspects 

""infiltrators"" and that he will investigate at least one 

member of the city council.  He has also said he will 

investigate the radio station for ""instigating violence."" 

 

¶14. (U)  The episode, while abnormally violent, is not the 

first symptom of political instability in the town.  San 

Vicente has had seven mayors in the last eight years. 

Benitez,s predecessor is a fugitive wanted on corruption 

charges, and even Benitez himself has previously been accused 

of corruption.  In 2005 he was dismissed on charges of 

mismanagement of funds and illicit enrichment, only to regain 

his seat through appeal.  Benitez has said publicly he will 

not resign, but has asked the city council for a leave of 

absence. 

 

GUTIERREZ 


=======================CABLE ENDS============================