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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0152/01 0391752
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081752Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0212
INFO RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 1026
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 6698
RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 6802
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ FEB LIMA 2236
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000152 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KJUS SNAR PHUM ASEC KPAO MASS AR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: MENDOZA GOVERNOR SEEKS CLOSER U.S. TIES 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: Mendoza Governor Celso Jaque called on the 
Ambassador February 6, seeking increased contact and opportunities 
for cooperation with the Embassy and U.S. agencies on such issues as 
public security, counternarcotics, and public administration. 
Public security is a top concern for Mendocinos, and Jaque says he 
is committed to training and equipping provincial security agencies 
to meet the challenge.  Ambassador assured Jaque of the Embassy's 
interest in supporting Jaque's efforts where possible and suggested 
possible opportunities for law enforcement training through LegAtt, 
the RSO, and DEA.  Jaque said he wanted to improve public 
administration in Mendoza, establishing a new school of public 
administration, and has asked former Mendoza Governors to 
participate in the school and to form an Advisory Council on public 
policy.  Ambassador said the Embassy would be glad to work with the 
Governor and his staff to explore ways in which the Embassy can 
help.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Mendoza Governor Celso Jaque and his Security Minister Carlos 
Aguinaga called on Ambassador February 6, to discuss increasing 
contact and cooperation with the Embassy in a number of areas. 
Jaque, a Peronist (PJ) politician, was recently elected Governor 
(October 2007) with the Kirchners' political support.  Prior to 
that, he was a national Senator for Mendoza, elected in 2003. 
 
Public Security a Priority 
-------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Jaque stated that public security remains a serious concern 
in Mendoza.  He pointed to a combination of drug abuse, social 
exclusion (poverty), and availability of illegal arms as the primary 
cause.  He explained that he had created a new position, a 
Subsecretary for Security and appointed a retired provincial police 
chief, to be responsible for the daily administration of the 
provincial police.  Jaque explained that there had been too much 
"political" management of the police and not enough professional 
management.  He noted for instance that the provincial police's 
communication equipment was not compatible with that of federal law 
enforcement agencies.  A contract to implement a GPS program, 
designed to track and coordinate mobile unit activities, was a 
disaster. 
 
¶4. (U) Mendoza's vineyards and adventure tourism draw tourists from 
around the world, and Jaque said he wanted to make sure Mendoza 
remained a safe and attractive destination for this valuable trade, 
and that he was working with the major vineyards and local security 
forces on this issue. (Ambassador had pointed out a brazen robbery 
on a Mendoza winery hotel in which U.S. citizens were harmed.) 
 
Looking for Professional Training 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) The Governor explained that he would like to reform the 
training for provincial security forces.  New officers receive 
general training but no specialized training in investigative 
techniques and other specific areas.  LegAtt described a number of 
possible options for providing training to provincial police and 
prosecutors.  He explained that the FBI conducts regular management 
courses to which foreign law enforcement students are invited, and 
that his office had coordinated training for prosecutors and judges 
in other provinces.  Ambassador said that there were also training 
options available through Lima ILEA, and noted that the RSO was 
currently identifying Argentine law enforcement officials to 
participate in a one-week street security course in Peru. 
 
Counternarcotics Cooperation 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) In response to a question, Jaque stated that cocaine and 
marijuana use was not a major problem in Mendoza, nor did they see 
evidence of major trafficking rings, but that he was concerned about 
juvenile abuse of inhalants.  Nevertheless, he said that he was 
concerned about the province's inability to monitor/inspect the 
significant semi-trailer traffic transiting the province to and from 
its international border crossings with Chile.  He noted previous 
cooperation with the Embassy's DEA Country Office and said he would 
like to strengthen that cooperation. Jaque said he would welcome 
DEA's presence in Mendoza. 
Ambassador noted that the Embassy's DEA Country Office had had a 
staffing gap for some time but was expecting the imminent arrival of 
a new Special Agent, who would have specific responsibility for 
Mendoza.  Ambassador said that he would ask DEA to make sure the new 
Agent established communications with Mendoza authorities as soon as 
possible. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Note: The new Governor minimized drug trafficking activity 
in Mendoza, perhaps out of ignorance.  Historically (dating back to 
at least CY-2000), in joint investigations with DEA Buenos Aires 
Country Office, the Mendoza Provincial police have regularly 
arrested significant Colombian and Argentine traffickers residing in 
that area.  Those organizations dealt with both multi-kilogram 
quantities of cocaine as well as heroin, sending their narcotics to 
Europe and/or the U.S.  With the arrival of another DEA Special 
Agent next week, we can re-engage with provincial authorities and 
take the Governor up on his offer of increased cooperation on the 
counternarcotics front.  End Note. 
 
Demand Reduction, Treatment, and Detention Facilities 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶8. (U) Jaque explained that Mendoza's demand reduction 
programs/efforts had been under-funded and under-emphasized, 
something he hoped to reverse.  He noted that there were no 
provincial drug treatment centers, only a couple of federally-run 
facilities that he described as "collapsed."  The Governor said he 
wanted to open four provincial drug and alcohol rehabilitation 
facilities. 
 
¶9. (U) In 2006 and February 2007, the Argentine Supreme Court 
instructed the national and Mendoza provincial governments to report 
concrete measures taken to improve prison conditions that would 
address several rulings by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights 
on the issue.  Jaque said that one of the provincial prisons is 
temporarily under management by federal authorities.  Jaque related 
that he had just met with the federal Minister of Justice and 
Security Anibal Fernandez and had requested that Fernandez continue 
the federal intervention for an additional eight months, to which he 
said Fernandez agreed.  Jaque explained that the extension was 
required to ensure that reforms called for by the Supreme Court are 
implemented.  He also said that the federal government was also 
going to build two new federal detention centers in Mendoza, but 
that the province would manage them.  He said it was also a priority 
of his to build four new provincial jails - designed for a maximum 
of 50 detainees - with the focus being on social reinsertion, i.e., 
providing young detainees, in particular, with necessary job and 
life skills. 
 
Civil Defense Needs 
------------------- 
 
¶10. (U) The Governor explained that Mendoza has passed a public 
security emergency law that allows the Governor to reallocate budget 
funds for expenditures related to public security, cutting some of 
the bureaucratic hurdles (but not decreasing transparency, he 
stressed).  The "emergency" declaration is for one year.  Governor 
Jaque explained that he would like to purchase -- or obtain gratis 
-- used civil defense items such as fire trucks and helicopters for 
the provincial security and civil defense forces.  Ambassador said 
the Embassy would be glad to look into possible avenues that Mendoza 
could pursue.  He also noted that contacts through sister city 
arrangements or through such organizations as the Rotary Club often 
can identify such used and excess equipment.  (Note:  Embassy's 
Military Group is investigating the possibility of obtaining 
equipment under the Humanitarian Assistance Program.  End Note.) 
 
Focus on Public Administration 
------------------------------ 
 
¶11. (U) Finally, Jaque stressed the need for, and his focus on, 
improved public administration.  He has asked former Mendoza 
governors -- Rodolfo Gabrielli, Arturo Lafalla, Argentine former 
Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Octavio Bordon, Roberto Iglesias, and 
Vice President of Argentina Julio Cobos -- to participate in an 
Advisory Council that will advise the Governor on strategic 
provincial issues and public policies.  He has also created a School 
of Public Administration and has asked the former Governors to 
participate in this endeavor.  Jaque said they would like to bring 
experts from the United States to give lectures and would like to 
promote visits and interchanges.  Ambassador replied that the 
Embassy was very interested in this type of cooperation and outreach 
and would work with the Governor's office to explore ways in which 
to support his efforts. 
WAYNE