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FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
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RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 1674

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BUENOS AIRES 001610 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA TOM SHANNON, JOHN MAISTO, AND CHARLES SHAPIRO 
NSC FOR DAN FISK 
TREASURY FOR DAS NANCY LEE 
USCINCSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/20/2016 

TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL AR

SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: KIRCHNER INSIDER ON GOA POLICY IN THE 

REGION 

 

REF: 05 BUENOS AIRES 00141 

 

Classified By: CDA, a.i., Hugo Llorens, Reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 

 

¶1.  (C) SUMMARY: On July 5, the DCM paid a farewell call on 

Secretary General of the Presidency (President Nestor 

 

SIPDIS 

Kirchner's chief of staff) Oscar Parrilli that included a 

frank discussion on GOA policy in the region.  Attempting to 

clarify Kirchner's recent comments about the U.S. in Madrid, 

Parrilli said that Argentina valued U.S. support during the 

crisis and that Kirchner wanted a ""mature"" relationship with 

the United States.  Parrilli's comments reflected the view 

that the GOA accepts the idea of the U.S. leadership in the 

region, as long as it also benefits Argentina.  The DCM 

raised the issue of Venezuela, stating that Kirchner's close 

relationship with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and 

Chavez's threats against democracy, as well as his penchant 

for slandering President Bush and the USG made it difficult 

for the Embassy to maintain constructive bilateral relations 

with the GOA.  Parrilli responded by saying the GOA's 

relationship with the GOV was based primarily on economics 

and Mercosur.  The DCM next turned the discussion to Bolivia, 

expressing the U.S. concern that Bolivian President Evo 

Morales needs to respect Bolivia's constitutional democracy 

and cooperate with the U.S. and regional neighbors to control 

narcotrafficking.  Parrilli said that the GOA shares the U.S. 

goal of ensuring President Evo Morales operates within a 

democratic framework and said that the two nations should be 

very clear with Morales on counternarcotics.  On the whole 

question of hemispheric free trade, the DCM noted the U.S. 

view that the Summit of the Americas was a success in the 

sense that a majority of the region -- 29 countries -- said 

that they wanted to continue discussions about creating an 

FTAA.  END SUMMARY. 

 

¶2.  (C) On July 5, the DCM paid a farewell call on Secretary 

General of the Presidency Oscar Parrilli that included a 

frank discussion on GOA policy in the region.  Oscar 

Parrilli, President Nestor Kirchner's chief of staff, is a 

key Kirchner insider (See Reftel).  Parrilli has been a good 

contact of the Embassy and is known for his calm disposition, 

although he clearly shares the world view of the rest of 

Kirchner's inner circle.  Parrilli began the discussion by 

remarking on the good personal relations the Casa Rosada has 

enjoyed over the past three years with the Ambassador and 

DCM.  The DCM highlighted the strong background of incoming 

Ambassador Wayne and corrected the misperception expressed by 

some members of the GOA that Ambassador Wayne had praised 

former President Carlos Menem during his recent confirmation 

hearings. 

 

¶3.  (C) Attempting to clarify Kirchner's recent comments 

about the U.S. in Madrid, Parrilli said that Argentina valued 

U.S. support during the crisis and that Kirchner wanted a 

""mature"" relationship with the United States.  ""President 

Kirchner has acknowledged this publicly in the past.  Despite 

our differences, the U.S. has come to Argentina's aid when 

Argentina really needed it.""  Parrilli said that Argentina, 

in turn, can help ensure ""tranquillity"" in the region.  He 

said that at times in the past, the U.S. has not played the 

leadership role necessary in the region.  Parrilli said that 

Kirchner was referring to this ""historic debt"" of the U.S. in 

the region, not necessarily about current U.S. policy.  ""What 

Kirchner wants is a 'mature' relationship with the U.S."" 

Parrilli further commented that ""what crashed in 2001 was not 

the de la Rua government, but an economic model.  The model 

of having your economy owned by foreign interests.  Countries 

need to be able to defend their rights, their economy."" 

(COMMENT: Parrilli's comments reflect the GOA view that they 

acknowledge and accept the idea of the U.S. as the natural 

leader of the region, but they want that leadership to act in 

Argentina's and the region's interests.  In particular, he 

mentioned that the GOA would like to see more U.S. economic 

assistance to the region.  END COMMENT.) 

 

¶4.  (C) The DCM raised the issue of Venezuela, stating that 

Kirchner's close relationship with Venezuelan President Hugo 

 

BUENOS AIR 00001610  002 OF 003 

 

 

Chavez and Chavez's threats against democracy, as well as his 

penchant for slandering President Bush and the USG made it 

difficult for the Embassy to maintain constructive bilateral 

relations with the GOA.  The DCM said, ""One day Kirchner is 

meeting with Chavez, and Chavez may be on good behavior 

because Kirchner has asked Chavez to avoid incidents, but the 

next day Chavez is calling President Bush a drunkard, a 

genocidal maniac and worse than Hitler.""  The DCM said that 

by so closely associating himself with a leader like Chavez, 

Kirchner risks being viewed by Washington as sharing Chavez's 

views. 

 

¶5.  (C) Parrilli responded by saying that the GOA's 

relationship with the GOV was based primarily on economics 

and Mercosur.  Parrilli also said that the GOA does not agree 

""with the message or the style of Chavez's attacks on 

President Bush or the U.S.""  Parrilli added, ""Our 

relationship with Venezuela is not an axis.  Argentina and 

Brazil are the two main drivers of regional integration in 

South America.  We need to include the other big countries in 

the region -- Venezuela, Colombia, and Chile -- in this 

process."" 

 

¶6.  (C) The DCM next turned the discussion to Bolivia, 

expressing the U.S. concern that Bolivian President Evo 

Morales needs to respect Bolivia's constitutional democracy 

and cooperate with the U.S. and regional neighbors to control 

narcotrafficking.  Parrilli said that the GOA shares the U.S. 

goal of ensuring President Evo Morales operates within a 

democratic framework.  Parrilli said that Morales is 

defending and respecting the rights of the mainly indigenous 

voters that elected him, who have been excluded from the 

Bolivian political system until now.  Parrilli added that ""we 

have to hope that Morales is successful.""  The DCM noted the 

concern that the recent increase in Bolivian coca production 

will lead to an increase in cocaine trafficking.  Parrilli 

agreed that the two nations should be very clear with Morales 

on counternarcotics. 

 

¶7.  (C) On the whole question of hemispheric free trade, the 

DCM noted the U.S. view that the Summit of the Americas was a 

success in the sense that a majority of the region -- 29 

countries -- said that they wanted to continue discussions 

about creating an FTAA.  The DCM said that the Mercosur 

objections to the FTAA over agricultural issues at least 

leaves room for discussion, while Venezuela was the only 

country in the region to object to the FTAA on ideological 

grounds.  Parrilli responded by saying, ""In the past what you 

were offering us in terms of free trade deals was not what 

Argentina needed.""  The DCM pointed to the benefits of free 

trade and noted that NAFTA is no longer an issue for the left 

or the right in both Canada and Mexico.  ""NAFTA has been a 

win-win for all countries involved."" 

 

------- 

COMMENT 

------- 

 

¶8.  (C) Oscar Parrilli shares the leftist world view of most 

of Kirchner's inner circle, but like other Casa Rosada 

insiders, always appears friendly and cooperative in private 

to Embassy officials.  Parrilli clearly received the official 

talking points on how to respond to questions about 

Kirchner's recent statements on the U.S. in Madrid and on GOA 

relations with Venezuela, as we have heard Parrilli's 

comments on these two issues repeated on several recent 

occasions by high-level GOA officials.  This continues a long 

pattern in the Kirchner administration where GOA officials 

tell us what they think we want to hear in private, while 

Kirchner's actions and public statements project a different 

image to the rest of the world. 

 

¶9.  (C) Although Kirchner's inner circle may not diverge fromthe official line, engaging them is beneficial.  Messages 

given to them are immediately conveyed to President Kirchner, 

and Kirchner uses them to deliver his message to the USG. 

With President Kirchner often inaccessible and relying on an 

 

BUENOS AIR 00001610  003 OF 003 

 

 

ever-shrinking group of close advisors, engaging Kirchner's 

inner circle is often the best way to maintain a dialogue 

with the GOA.  We believe it would be far worse for U.S. 

interests to discontinue dialogue with some of the only 

people that can still influence Kirchner.  END COMMENT. 

 

 

LLORENS 


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

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