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DE RUEHBU #0172/01 0441817
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FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0239
INFO RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHLP/DEA LA PAZ FEB PRIORITY
RHMFISS/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000172 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2018 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KJUS KWNM SNAR AR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: PUTTING SECURITY COOPERATION BACK ON 
TRACK 
 
REF: BUENOS AIRES 124 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne for reasons 
1.4(b)and(d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  Ambassador met February 12 with Minister of 
Justice and Security Anibal Fernandez for the first time 
since Miami court proceedings relating to the Antonini Wilson 
suitcase scandal put a chill on relations in mid-December. 
Ambassador reiterated that the focus of the case is on 
violations of U.S. laws and unlawful activities in the United 
States.  Fernandez said he understood and that the issue is 
behind us.  Fernandez also assured the Ambassador that any 
vestiges of the bilateral crisis would not affect close 
USG-GOA cooperation on security issues.  Ambassador stressed 
his hope that the Argentine legislature would pass pending 
anti-trafficking in persons legislation, if possible with 
amendments addressing concerns about consent by adults. 
Fernandez stated there was a good chance the legislation 
would pass in the February special session of Congress, and 
that he had already instructed his federal law enforcement 
agencies to prepare for the new law.  But the version to be 
passed will be the version passed by the Senate (which says 
consent is irrelevant only for minors).  The Ambassador then 
urged that Fernandez and the government make clear that they 
will implement the law vigorously for adult and minor 
victims.  (Later the same day, Cabinet Chief Minister Alberto 
Fernandez confirmed that the President had approved quickly 
passing the Senate version of the law in order to rapidly get 
a federal law in place.)  Ambassador noted the planned visits 
in the next few weeks and months of several senior FBI and 
other U.S. officials and representatives, and reviewed 
training and cooperation plans of Embassy agencies with 
Argentine law enforcement agencies.  End Summary. 
 
BILATERAL RELATIONS BACK TO NORMAL 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) On February 12, Ambassador, A/LegAtt and PolOff met 
with Anibal Fernandez for the first time in his new Cabinet 
position as Minister of Justice, Security and Human Rights. 
Fernandez was the Minister of Interior under President Nestor 
Kirchner, with oversight of Argentina's law enforcement 
agencies (LEA).  He maintained that portfolio when he moved 
to Justice.  Fernandez (no relation to President Cristina 
Fernandez de Kirchner) was one of the Embassy's key 
interlocutors in the previous administration.  He is also a 
loyal foot-soldier of the First Couple, and helped to lead 
the GOA's verbal assault against the USG in the immediate 
aftermath of the suitcase scandal, even though he told at 
least one Embassy contact that he did not agree with that 
approach. 
 
¶3.  (C)  Fernandez explained to the Ambassador that much of 
the criticism was political, i.e., aimed at the domestic 
audience.  He said he understood the  Ambassador's 
explanation that the focus of the criminal case in Miami was 
on unlawful activities by actors in the United States, agreed 
that the manner in which the case broke was unfortunate, but 
said there is no use "crying over spilt milk" and that the 
issue was behind us.  Ambassador noted that, while the 
Embassy's operational cooperation with Argentine LEAs had 
continued over the past two months, some Argentine LEA 
counterparts were hesitant to fully engage with us as they 
had before, apparently because they are unsure that they have 
top-level clearance to do so. Fernandez assured the 
Ambassador that everything was normal and that he would make 
sure his LEAs clearly understood the message that cooperation 
with the USG should continue. 
 
¶4. (U) Ambassador briefly reviewed with Fernandez proposed 
training and equipment donations for Argentine LEAs, 
including: INL-funded computers and vehicles for the Northern 
Border and Eastern Border anti-narcotics Task Forces, 
ICE-donated computers for the Federal Police's cybercrime 
unit (with a focus on going after internet child 
pornography), proposed training courses for the Gendarmeria 
(Border Patrol) and Prefectura Naval (Coastguard) provided 
through the MilGp, as well as upcoming ATA assistance. 
A/LegAtt noted that the FBI was still interested in sending a 
Gendarmeria officer to its National Academy.  A candidate had 
been selected to begin the course in December 2007, but was 
pulled out by the Minister in the wake of the arrests in 
Miami of the undeclared Venezuelan agents.  Fernandez said he 
was very appreciative of and greatly valued the cooperation 
and assistance from the USG.  He said he would move 
immediately to nominate the Gendarmeria officer to attend the 
FBI training as soon as the Embassy informed him of the 
dates.  Fernandez said he was also looking forward to meeting 
with a number of senior FBI officials planning trips to 
Buenos Aires in March and May, as briefed by the Ambassador. 
 
TIP LEGISLATION ON THE HORIZON 
------------------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) Fernandez said he thought there was a good chance 
that long-pending anti-TIP legislation will be passed during 
the legislature's extraordinary session in February. (The new 
legislature does not begin regular sessions until March).  He 
noted, however, that it would most likely pass with the issue 
of consent being irrelevant only for minors, a restriction 
the Embassy and anti-TIP activists and several legislators 
have worked hard to overcome.  He explained that commercial 
sex workers unions and other powerful interests strongly 
opposed legislation that made consent irrelevant for adult 
trafficking victims.  As a result, the only way to get the 
legislation passed is to make consent irrelevant only for 
minors.  He said President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner had 
approved the approach in order to get a federal law in place 
rapidly, and to get anti-TIP action underway.  (Ambassador 
raised TIP with the President on January 31.) (Note: The bill 
passed by the Senate in December 2006 makes consent 
irrelevant for those under 18.  While the promotion, 
facilitation, or exploitation of people into prostitution is 
illegal in Argentina, the individual act of prostitution is 
legal. End Note.) 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Fernandez clearly recognized this shortcoming of 
the anticipated legislation, but stressed that trying to 
establish the "perfect" law had delayed the "possible" law 
for over a year-and-a-half.  In the meantime, he said, LEAs 
and prosecutors did not have the tools to go after 
traffickers.  The GOA had established a national anti-TIP 
action plan, but could not implement it without the 
legislation.  A key part of that plan is providing refuge, 
treatment, and other assistance to TIP victims.  (Later the 
same day, Chief of Cabinet Minister Alberto Fernandez told 
the Ambassador that President Fernandez de Kirchner had 
approved moving with the Senate bill in order to get federal 
anti-TIP legislation in place rapidly and federal action 
underway.) 
 
¶7. (SBU) Ambassador noted that it might be possible to 
address some of the new law's shortfalls through the 
implementing regulations, once it comes to that stage, and 
urged the Minister to make this clear as the law is passed 
and implemented.  Fernandez agreed that this was a 
possibility, and also did not discard the possibility of 
eventually amending the expected legislation to bring it more 
into line with international standards. 
 
COMMENT: GO-TO GUY AND HATCHET MAN 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (C) Fernandez was very upbeat, positive, and candid in the 
meeting (as he generally is in private), and seemed to 
genuinely want to put the Miami case behind us.  Perhaps 
because he is such a central interlocutor for the Embassy on 
law enforcement matters, Fernandez was one of the means by 
which the GOA blasted the USG over the Miami case.  Fernandez 
seems to accept this role, which he plays on many domestic 
political matters, without internalizing it.  His 
micromanagement of his large portfolio often makes his desk a 
bottleneck, with resulting delays for training and other 
issues.  But when we can get his attention, he is almost 
always responsive and accommodating. 
 
¶9. (C) Comment Continued: On anti-TIP legislation, it seems 
that the Senate anti-trafficking bill is the version that 
will pass, given Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's comfortable 
majorities in both chambers in the Congress.  While this 
falls short of Argentina's Palermo Protocol obligations, it 
does represent a positive step forward in the GOA's efforts 
to combat human trafficking.  Anti-TIP activist Susana de 
Trimarco told Ambassador separately that Fernandez had 
assured her he will see that the TIP legislation is 
vigorously implemented, noting that her daughter was over 21 
when taken.  She said he also told her he would consider 
 
subsequent legislation to amend the law.  Fernandez told the 
Ambassador that he saw Trimarco as a valuable partner for the 
Federal Police and Gendarmeria in cracking down on 
trafficking rings.  Post will continue to work with the GOA, 
provincial governments, and civil society to educate them on 
victim's consent in hopes that the issue can be addressed 
either in the implementation phase or if a future opportunity 
to amend the law presents itself. 
 
WAYNE