VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #1203/01 1501442
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301442Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4687
INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 5550
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 5353
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ MAY MONTEVIDEO 5587
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 5155
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001203 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
WHA FOR PDAS CHARLES SHAPIRO 
NSC FOR DAN FISK 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV SNAR AR
SUBJECT: EMBASSY-GOA BILATERAL SECURITY WORKING GROUP 
 
REF: (04) BUENOS AIRES 2419 
 
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Summary 
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¶1.  The DCM led the Embassy's Law Enforcement and Homeland 
Security Working Group's first meeting with a GoA interagency 
security group headed by Internal Security Secretary Luis 
Tibiletti on May 23.  Post's Working Group included 
representatives from RSO, LegAtt, MilGroup, DEA, DAO, 
POL/INL, and Econ who outlined their security-related 
programs and received briefings on GOA security forces' 
issues.  GoA participants included: Under Secretary for 
Security Ricardo Colombo; Security Council Executive 
Secretary Hector Masquelet; Federal Police Chief Nestor 
 
SIPDIS 
Valleca; National Border Guard (Gendarmeria) Director General 
Hector Schenone; and Coast Guard (Prefectura) Commandant 
Prefecto General Carlos Fernandez.  The meeting was the first 
of what post envisions as semiannual bilateral discussions on 
security cooperation.  End Summary. 
 
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Emphasis on Multi-Agency Approach 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  The DCM led post's Law Enforcement and Homeland Security 
Working Group in its first meeting with a GoA interagency law 
enforcement and security working group headed by Secretary of 
Internal Security Luis Tibiletti.  Representatives from RSO, 
LegAtt, MilGroup, DEA, DAO, POL/INL, and Econ outlined their 
security-related programs and responsibilities and received 
briefings on the issues facing the GoA's security forces. 
GoA participants included: Under Secretary for Security 
Ricardo Colombo; Security Council Executive Secretary Hector 
Masquelet; Federal Police Chief Nestor Valleca; National 
Border Guard (Gendarmeria) Director General Hector Schenone; 
and Coast Guard (Prefectura) Commandant Prefecto General 
Carlos Fernandez. 
 
¶3.  The DCM emphasized the importance of the multi-agency 
approach to law enforcement and expressed his appreciation 
for the GoA's responsiveness to U.S. counter-terrorism, 
international security, and law enforcement training 
programs.  He also highlighted the success of bilateral 
efforts in counter-narcotics.  He noted that the measurable 
benefits of cooperation, like the Salta Province Task Force, 
meant that drug enforcement funding allocated to Argentina 
"is money well spent."  The DCM also stressed the need to 
increase counter-narcotics cooperation especially in light of 
recent political changes in Bolivia.  Tibiletti echoed the 
DCM's comments and spoke at length about the Interior 
Ministry's objective to coordinate security policies and 
practices across organizations at the national and provincial 
levels.  He recounted how the Internal Security Secretariat 
had worked to establish a cohesive working group for 16 
years.  Structural changes that transferred the secretariat 
from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Justice and 
back interrupted efforts to solidify these coordination 
mechanisms, according to Tibiletti (see reftel). 
 
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GoA Interest in More Interaction 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  The GoA participants praised the U.S. training and 
exchange opportunities for individual law enforcement and 
security personnel.  Valleca said that he wants to increase 
interaction with U.S. law enforcement officials because the 
results he sees are "better officers."  Schenone and 
Fernandez lauded the regional "Garras del Valor" 
counter-narcotics training program in Bolivia sponsored by 
INL, by name, as a skills multiplier which they would like to 
make available to more of their officers.  Tibiletti 
concluded the discussion with a request for a planning 
meeting in advance of the next semiannual bilateral meeting 
to establish a concrete agenda.  He indicated he would like 
to see the planning meeting focus on identifying training, 
exchanges, technology, and resources that could be used to 
advance common security goals.  The next semiannual bilateral 
meeting would then develop plans to make the programs 
operational. 
 
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Comment 
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¶5.  The success of this bilateral multi-agency meeting was 
not limited to the mere fact of the meeting.  Post received 
confirmation that U.S. training and exchanges were not only 
seen as beneficial but have had a positive impact on the 
GoA's security forces.  The meeting also brought to light 
differences of opinion among the GoA participants which may 
generate further discussion to the benefit of U.S. interests. 
 For instance, the DEA briefing emphasized that bilateral 
cooperation on counter-narcotics was excellent and might be 
even better if leads from informants were admissible. 
Valleca, Schenone, and Fernandez discussed the issue among 
themselves at length, and each offered an alternative 
explanation on the cause of the prohibition affecting 
informants.  It was apparent from this exchange of views that 
the meeting served to facilitate communication within the GoA 
as much as between the GoA and post.  Post looks forward to 
coordinating opportunities to enhance security cooperation 
with Tibiletti's office during the next six months.  End 
Comment. 
 
¶6.  To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified 
website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires.< /a> 
GUTIERREZ