VZCZCXYZ0016
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #2231/01 3231101
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 191101Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9729
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 6694
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1594
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 6903
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 0912
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 6580
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ 5008

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 002231 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL GTIP SNAR TSPL SOCI ECON ENRG AR
 
SUBJECT: Argentina: Mendoza Governor-elect and Ambassador discuss 
crime, education and other priorities 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (SBU) Mendoza Province Governor-elect Celso Jaque said his main 
challenge as governor will be to improve provincial security and to 
upgrade education infrastructure and standards.  In a cordial 
November 8 meeting with Ambassador, Jaque also acknowledged poor 
prison conditions in his province, which he pledged to address. 
Jaque said that he wants to better exploit Mendoza's promising 
energy and mining sectors.  Ambassador and Jaque also discussed the 
relatively high rate of child labor and school dropout rates in 
Mendoza, and trafficking in persons.  End summary. 
 
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Big electoral victory 
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¶2. (SBU) A current federal senator, Jaque expressed satisfaction 
with the provincial and national October 25 election wins by both 
the Victory Front and Peronist Party.  Although historically a 
Peronist, Jaque did not run under the Victory Front or Peronist 
Party ballot for this election, but under a different coalition 
embracing a number of local parties and alliances, but allied to 
these two groups.  He will replace Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's 
new vice President Julio Cobos.  Jaque, however, defeated the 
candidate supported by his predecessor and new Argentine Vice 
President Cobos.  Jaque won 38% of the provincial vote, far enough 
ahead of his main rivals to avoid a runoff, and assumes office 
December 9, a day prior to the presidential inauguration of 
president-elect Cristina Kirchner Cobos, the latter who ran under 
the Radical faction aligned with the Victory Front.  Cristina 
Kirchner won just over 60% of the provincial vote.  The Victory 
Front slate also won three of Mendoza's five seats in the national 
lower house. 
 
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But challenges ahead: security and crime, education, information 
technology, healthcare, drugs, prison conditions, TIP and the 
economy 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Jaque was realistic about the challenges he faces to reform 
Mendoza's security, education, healthcare, drugs, and prison 
structures and to strengthen the provincial economy.  He 
acknowledged he will need to work hard to achieve broad consensus to 
advance his reform platform, given that the opposition (Radicals and 
other parties) controls both houses of the provincial Congress. 
 
¶4. (U) Jaque identified growing crime as his top priority.  During 
his campaign, he promised a decrease in crime.  He expressed 
admiration to the Ambassador for former New York Mayor Rudolph 
Giuliani and his crime-fighting policies, which he said emphasized 
social inclusion and not merely a "zero tolerance" approach. 
 
¶5. (U) Jaque lamented the "terrible" physical state of most 
provincial schools, as well as low overall educational standards in 
his province.  Jaque said that he plans to add information 
technology to the school curriculum, and increase the number of days 
children must be in school.  He also said that the province is in 
urgent need of better and more housing.  Ambassador encouraged Jaque 
to consult with the Inter-American Development Bank for possible 
technical assistance and project support in these areas. 
 
¶6. (U) Jaque said that he would step up efforts to fight what he 
said was an increase in provincial drug use and narcotics 
trafficking.  He said that he plans to launch prevention campaigns 
and build rehabilitation centers, for which he would welcome any 
Embassy assistance. 
 
¶7. (U) Jaque also acknowledged the problem of provincial prison 
overcrowding and brutality.  Recently, the Argentine Supreme Court 
has twice instructed the national and Mendoza governments to report 
concrete measures taken to improve prison conditions to address 
several rulings by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on this 
issue.  Jaque said that he has plans to build four new prisons 
during his term. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Jaque acknowledged the problems of child labor and 
trafficking in persons in his province.  The Ambassador said that we 
 
would be willing to work with Jaque to fight human trafficking. 
According to official GOA figures, Mendoza suffers from relatively 
high rates of child labor and school attrition.  Although there are 
no official statistics related to labor or sexual exploitation, 
given the tourism boom and the acknowledged problem with 
prostitution in many of Mendoza's urban centers, TIP is a possible 
concern. 
 
¶9. (SBU) On the economic front, Jaque said he wants to better 
exploit the promising energy and mining sectors in the province. 
(On the campaign trail, Jaque had proposed the creation of a 
provincial energy company to explore and exploit new hydrocarbon 
areas in conjunction with private companies.)  Ambassador and Jaque 
discussed the highly publicized controversy of Mendoza reporting 
inflation figures much higher than the national average, and 
allegations of subsequent GOA manipulation of these provincial 
figures.  Jaque said that, aside from dealing with this problem of 
"methodology," the GOA needs to also deal with the root cause of 
inflation. 
 
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Jaque biography 
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¶10. (U) Governor-elect Celso Jaque was born and raised in Mendoza 
province.  He was previously both a national senator and congressman 
from Mendoza Province, as well as mayor of his hometown of Malargue. 
 He is also a former vice president of the Mendoza Peronist Party. 
Jaque has also been a teacher and economics researcher.  He received 
an accounting degree from the University of Cuyo.  Jaque was born on 
September 24, 1960, is married and has two daughters. 
 
WAYNE