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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0374/01 0582110
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 272110Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7385
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA IMMEDIATE 5818
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS IMMEDIATE 1092
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO IMMEDIATE 6208
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHMFIUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000374 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
P FOR HEIDE BRONKE 
WHA FOR TOM SHANNON, PATRICK DUDDY AND DEBORAH MACCARTHY 
WHA/BSC FOR DOUG BARNES, BRUCE FRIEDMAN AND DREW BLAKENEY 
NSC FOR DAN FISK, JUAN ZARATE AND JOSE CARDENAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV AR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: "WE ARE NOT ORGANIZING AN ANTI U.S. 
RALLY!" 
 
REF: A. BUENOS AIRES 360 
 
     ¶B. BUENOS AIRES 311 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Summary:  Ambassador spoke February 27 with Acting 
Foreign Minister Roberto Garcia Moritan and DCM spoke with 
Secretary General of the Presidency Oscar Parilli to express 
 
SIPDIS 
our concerns regarding local press reports that the GoA was 
facilitating the organization of an anti-U.S. rally for 
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during Chavez' scheduled 
visit to Buenos Aires next week, to coincide with President 
Bush's visit to Uruguay.  Both assured us that the GoA was 
"absolutely not" involved in organizing any such rallies or 
demonstrations.  Parilli called the press reports "a shame" 
and both noted that the visit was still not confirmed. 
However, Parilli did say that it would be difficult for the 
GoA to stop Chavez from doing his own public events that 
often turn "anti-yanqui," as he has been known to do on past 
visits.  Ambassador and DCM made the point that any public 
anti-U.S. event in Buenos Aires organized by or for Chavez 
would reflect badly on the GoA even if the GoA is not 
involved in its organization, and could seriously undermine 
our mutual efforts to improve relations. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) An article in the daily of record, La Nacion, on 
February 24 reported that the GoA was working with a number 
of piquetero groups to organize an anti-U.S. rally March 9 
for visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, to coincide 
with President Bush's visit to Uruguay.   Ambassador spoke 
February 27 with Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Garcia 
Moritan, who is acting Foreign Minister this week while 
Minister Taiana is in  South Africa, and DCM spoke with 
Secretary General of the Presidency Oscar Parilli, cited in 
 
SIPDIS 
the newspaper article as the Casa Rosada official involved in 
planning the supposed event. 
 
¶3. (SBU) With Garcia Moritan, the Ambassador noted our work 
to build a mature and positive relationship and stressed his 
serious concerns at reading the press reports about the GoA 
helping to organize anti-US demonstrations during Chavez' 
visit.  If true, the Ambassador stressed, such actions would 
seriously undermine our work to improve relations.  The 
acting Foreign Minister told Ambassador that the government 
would "absolutely not" be involved in organizing any rallies 
or demonstrations during the possible upcoming visit of 
President Chavez.  He said that Chavez might come to Buenos 
Aires to finalize the deal to fund the Sancor dairy company 
(reftels) and to sign some other agriculture-related 
agreements, but the visit specifics are not yet set.  The 
government, he said, will not organize or help organize any 
rallies, if Chavez does come.  He also stated that when 
Chavez came to Cordoba, Argentina in November 2006 for a 
Mercosur summit, he did attend a rally organized by groups 
sympathetic to him, but the government did not attend and 
advised him to be respectful of other countries with whom 
Argentina has friendly relations while on Argentine soil. 
"And Argentina considers the United States to be a friend," 
Garcia Moritan said, and that "we will follow the same 
approach if Chavez visits" in March. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Garcia Moritan said that the MFA had also been 
surprised by the February 24 articlele in La Nacion reporting 
this information.  He said that on learning of U.S. concern, 
he had earlier that day called Foreign Minister Taiana in 
South Africa.  Taiana made several calls, he said, and then 
let Garcia Moritan know that the government would "absolutely 
not" be involved in organizing any anti-U.S. rallies, and 
that they have no information about such rallies being 
planned.  He said the Ministry would share any related 
information if it received it and invited us to call 
immediately if the Embassy received such information.  "If we 
have any guests, we will expect them to treat our friends 
with respect," said Garcia Moritan.  In response to my 
repeated stress on U.S. efforts to build a positive and 
mature relationship, Garcia Moritan said, "Our intention is 
to work hard for a positive relationship with the United 
States."  Ambassador thanked him for his message. 
 
¶5. (SBU)  DCM spoke February 27 with Oscar Parilli, the 
Secretary General of the Presidency, and one of the persons 
 
SIPDIS 
 
cited in Saturday,s La Nacion newspaper article as being 
involved in planning with Chavez the March 9 anti-U.S. rally 
in Buenos Aires.  Parilli denied in the strongest terms that 
the GoA was doing anything in promoting a public, anti-U.S. 
event in Buenos Aires during a possible Chavez visit in early 
March.   He called the story "una verguenza" (a shame). 
First he said that the Chavez visit to Argentina is not 
confirmed and that nothing has been done in terms of planning 
any official Kirchner/Chavez meetings.  He did say, however, 
that there was a possibility that Chavez would be visisting 
to follow-up the Kirchner visit to Venezuela last week (ref. 
A).  He assured that the GoA would certainly have nothing to 
do with any public act of the sort described in the La Nacion 
article, and he blamed unfriendly journalists who look for 
nothing but bad news to report.  However, he did say that the 
GoA would not be able to stop Chavez from doing his own 
public events that often turn "anti-yanqui," as he has been 
known to do on past visits. 
 
¶6. (SBU) DCM expressed relief that the basic facts of the La 
Nacion article were apparently untrue.  He noted that the 
U.S. and Argentina had made great progress in overcoming some 
of the bad "bilateral" consequences that developed following 
the November 2005 Summit of the Americas and Chavez, 
"anti-summit" in Mar del Plata.  In this particular case, the 
anti-summit was organized with some degree of GoA support and 
participation.  DCM said that any public anti-U.S. event in 
Buenos Aires organized by or for Chavez would reflect badly 
on the GoA, even if the GoA is not involved in its 
organization.  Parilli repeated that it would be difficult 
for the GoA to stand in the way of a Chavez gathering with 
his supporters, including a number of pro-GoA piquetero 
groups (with whom Parilli admitted having some direct contact 
as part of his job at the Casa Rosada).  DCM asked Parilli to 
do whatever he could to prevent any perception that Kirchner 
and Chavez were coordinating anti-U.S. activity during 
President Bush,s upcoming visit to the region.  Parilli 
agreed to remain in contact with the Embassy in the coming 
days and expressed the hope that the positive bilateral 
momentum in recent months would be maintained.  DCM suggested 
that a GoA denial of the La Nacion report would go a long way 
in putting this story to bed.  Parilli suggested that this 
would not be possible. 
 
¶7. The Ambassador has requested to talk to Chief of Cabinet 
Minister Alberto Fernandez and Planning Minister De Vido 
about the same issue. 
WAYNE