VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #2123/01 2991909
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 261909Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 9581

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 002123 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWMN PHUM PREL KCRM SNAR SMIG KFRD ASEC ELAB
PGOV, KPAO, SOCI, ECON, AR 
 
SUBJECT:  ARGENTINA: AMBASSADOR FOCUSES ON SOCIAL ISSUES IN TUCUMAN 
PROVINCE 
 
REF: BUENOS AIRES 2095 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (U) In an October 19 visit to Argentina's northwestern province 
of Tucuman, the Ambassador met with local members of the media. He 
toured an American-owned citrus company that has a progressive 
Corporate Social Responsibility project to educate off-season 
workers. The Ambassador was also a keynote speaker in the 
inauguration of an anti-trafficking in persons (TIP) foundation 
(reftel BA 2095).  The Maria De Los Angeles Foundation was founded 
by anti - TIP crusader Susana Trimarco. The Ambassador discussed a 
variety of social programs addressing education and child mortality 
rates with Tucuman provincial governor, Governor Alperovich.  At the 
local bi-national center, the Ambassador donated Digital Video 
Conference (DVC) equipment and hosted an energetic round-table 
discussion with local youth leaders.  End Summary. 
 
Meeting with Journalists 
------- 
 
¶2. (U) The Ambassador invited three leading representatives of the 
local media for an off-the-record session: Carlos Abrehu and 
Federico Menamen, chief editors of the largest and most influential 
newspaper in the province, La Gaceta; and German Valdez, a 
radio/television host and former Embassy IV. The journalists 
welcomed the frank conversation, explaining it is not common for 
them to find important public figures willing to listen to them. The 
Ambassador told them meeting journalists is one of the activities he 
most enjoys while traveling in Argentina, as they are among the 
best-informed actors in society. La Gaceta is nearing its 100th 
anniversary and is one of few family-owned newspapers left in 
Argentina. It has a reputation of objectivity and high professional 
standards. It sells some 50,000 newspapers every day and over 65,000 
over the weekend. 
 
3.(U) The journalists outlined the main hurdles facing democratic 
institutions in the province, pointing mainly at the consequences of 
a steady process of social deterioration, which results in 
increasing crime and drug addiction among young people. Mr. Menamen 
recalled that when he would cover stories in low-income 
neighborhoods 20 years ago he could mingle with the local residents 
and even sip mate with them, while these days his reporters tell him 
they are scared to set foot there. 
 
4.(U) The journalists, echoing their counterparts in every province 
the Ambassador has visited, mentioned the lack of a strong 
opposition both at the provincial and national level, as one of the 
main institutional weaknesses in Argentina. They also queried the 
Ambassador on the state of bilateral relations and the upcoming 
elections in the United States, saying they will be very interested 
in following the upcoming elections in the United States. 
 
Citromax Lemons 
--------------- 
 
¶5. (U) Citromax General Manager Lucas Fornaciari and his Assistant 
General Manager Fernando Carrera gave the Ambassador a tour of part 
of their production and processing facilities, including a lemon 
nursery and a lemon grove, and explained the achievements of 
Citromax's Corporate Social Responsibility Program. Citromax is an 
American company that has been based in Tucuman for 30 years. 
Argentina is the largest exporter of lemons in the world and 
Citromax is the third largest lemon farm in Argentina.  It is also 
one of the region's leading employers.  Citromax has an impressive 
corporate social program in which employees are able to receive 
medical care and occupational training during the off season.  This 
plan was implemented with the cooperation of the provincial 
government and has been adopted by the National Labor Ministry as a 
pilot for a broader program.  They also provice scholarships to keep 
children of employees in secondary school and have started a 
community scholarship program for employee dependents. 
 
Meeting/Lunch with Governor Alperovich 
------------- 
 
¶6. (U) The Ambassador attended a lunch with Governor Alperovich, his 
wife (National Deputy Beatriz Rojkes de Alperovich), and members of 
his Cabinet.  The Ambassador congratulated Governor Alperovich on 
his recent reelection, noting that the Governor had won with 78 
percent of the vote.  Alperovich suggested that his political 
success is due to the fact that he is a businessman, not a 
politician.  He explained that his administration has worked to 
address security, education, and public health issues.  He noted 
that his administration purged the provincial police force of 1,000 
corrupt officials, and is increasing training in order to 
professionalize the force.  For example, the province has recently 
established a special investigation unit for homicide and complex 
crime.  Earlier in the year, the province created a special unit for 
the investigation of sex crimes and human trafficking, he added.  He 
noted the problem of increased drug flow through Argentina, and 
expressed interest in working with the USG Northern Border Task 
Force aimed at enhancing U.S.-Argentine counter narcotics 
cooperation. 
 
7.(U) Turning to education issues, Alperovich told the Ambassador 
that his administration has focused on increasing secondary school 
attendance, and that his second term will concentrate on improving 
the quality of education.  In the first four years of his 
administration, over 1,500 new classrooms have been built and 
secondary school attendance rates increased 50-60 percent.  In an 
effort to prevent truancy and delinquency, the Ministry of Education 
has also developed extra-curricular sports programs targeted at 
children from low-income households.  The day before the 
Ambassador's visit, the provincial Ministry of Education signed an 
agreement with Intel to jointly train provincial teachers in how 
best to use Information and Communication Technologies to enhance 
classroom activity. 
 
¶8. (U) National Deputy Rojkes de Alperovich, the wife of the 
governor, noted provincial successes on public health issues.  At 
the height of Argentina's economic crisis in 2001, Tucuman had one 
of the highest infant mortality rates in Argentina, with 26 out of 
1000 infants dying mostly from malnutrition.  Tucuman's Ministry of 
Health developed a program to ensure that all women receive prenatal 
care from the moment they discover that they are pregnant.  In 
addition, the province began an immunization program to inoculate 
all children under the age of five from a variety of diseases.  As a 
result of the program, Tucuman now has one of the lowest infant 
mortality rates in Argentina, with 11 deaths per 1000.  Once the 
children turn five, they enter the public school system, where they 
continue to get health and education benefits. 
 
9.(U) Turning to the provincial economy, Governor Alperovich noted 
that the Inter-American Development Bank has allocated USD 5 million 
to build irrigation infrastructure in Tucuman.  He explained that 
the province has 600,000 hectares of arable land, but that only 
100,000 hectares have access to a reliable irrigation system.  He 
indicated that the IDB project would increase the amount of land 
available for cultivation by 50 percent.  Agriculture accounts for 
75 percent of jobs in Tucuman's rural areas and the project will 
spur rural employment, he said. 
 
Ambassador and Tucuman Youth Discuss Leadership 
---------- 
¶10. (U) ATICANA, one of the largest (1100 students) and oldest 
(established 1955) bi-national centers in Argentina, was the setting 
for an engaging session on leadership principles between the 
Ambassador and young leaders in Tucuman.  The secondary and 
university-level group was composed of the winners of a national 
"Journalist for a Day" contest, participants of ATICANA's Youth 
"Transformational Leadership" program and English students.  Former 
IV Ana Maria Ferullo opened with a briefing on the principles of the 
Transformational Leadership curriculum.  The Ambassador and students 
then exchanged views on the distinction between authority and 
leadership and that both were needed to lead effectively.  The young 
participants also expressed an interest in scholarships to study in 
the United States.  During this session, the Ambassador also donated 
a digital video conference system to ATICANA.   The event was well 
attended by local media and received a separate, favorable write-up 
in Tucuman's main paper, La Gaceta, the following morning, alongside 
coverage of the Ambassador's other activities.  Separately, in a 
private meeting with the ATICANA Board, the Ambassador was briefed 
on the English teaching program, run by a staff of 30 people, and 
ATICANA's special visa support program. 
 
WAYNE