VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0973/01 1982306
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 162306Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1537
INFO RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000973 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV EAGR ECON EINV ELAB PHUM AR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: FARMERS AND GOA LAUNCH MASSIVE RALLIES 
TO INFLUENCE SENATE VOTE 
 
REF: BUENOS AIRES 0963 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Argentine farmers and pro-government 
forces staged massive rallies in Buenos Aires on July 15 
seeking to influence the Senate vote on the controversial 
export tax regime (reftel) scheduled for the following day, 
July 16.  The farmers' protest drew a crowd of 225,000 to 
250,000 near the Embassy, and the pro-government rally drew 
85,000 to 95,000 to the plaza in front of the Congress. 
Former President Nestor Kirchner (NK) was the key-note 
speaker at the pro-government rally, spending the first half 
of his speech reviewing his administration's accomplishments 
and the second half attacking the leaders of agricultural 
organizations.  Entre Rios Governor Sergio Urribarri and 
Buenos Aires Governor Daniel Scioli also spoke, focusing on 
the need to support President Cristina Fernandez de 
Kirchner's (CFK) drive to improve income distribution and 
social justice.  At the farm rally, leaders from the four 
major agricultural organizations addressed the crowd, but 
their headline speaker was well-known protest leader Alfredo 
De Angeli of the Argentine Agrarian Federation (FAA) in Entre 
Rios province.  Both rallies were peaceful.  Although the 
turnout for the pro-farmer rally was more than twice as large 
as the government-staged rally, the show of public support 
for the "countryside" is unlikely to alter the outcome of the 
Senate vote, which is still expected to approve the 
government's proposal without modification.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The concurrent farm protest and pro-government 
rallies gathered large crowds on July 15, the day before the 
Senate was scheduled to vote on the controversial export tax 
regime.  Argentine press is attributing to "unofficial state 
sources" estimates that the farm protest near the Embassy 
drew 225,000 to 250,000 attendees while 85,000 to 95,000 
people attended the pro-government rally in front of the 
Congress.  The unusually mild weather contributed to the 
massive turnout for both rallies, which snarled traffic for 
hours in Buenos Aires. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
Nestor's Plea: Help Cristina Transform the Country 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Standing on a podium emblazoned with the banner, 
"Defending the Argentine Dinner Table," former President 
Nestor Kirchner (NK) delivered the pro-government rally's 
keynote address.  He began his 25-minute speech by 
contrasting the widespread despair when he took office in May 
2003 with today's recovery.  He touted his administration's 
claimed accomplishments, such as reducing poverty from 60 to 
20 percent, generating 4 million jobs, and ending 30 years of 
impunity for human rights abuses during 
the 1976-1983 military dictatorship.  During the second half 
of his speech, NK focused on the agricultural export levies 
and the need to redistribute wealth and income.  He claimed 
solidarity with agricultural producers while attacking the 
leaders of agricultural organizations, accusing them once 
again of sponsoring the 1976-83 dictatorship and conspiring 
against President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (CFK).  He 
also took aim at speculators and investment pools and 
asserted that the 
middle class would never find solidarity with the oligarchy. 
NK concluded with an appeal for everyone to respect and honor 
whatever Congress decides on the export tax. 
 
¶4. (SBU) NK was preceded by Entre Rios Governor Sergio 
Urribarri and Buenos Aires governor Daniel Scioli, each of 
whom dwelled on the need to support CFK's drive to improve 
income distribution and social justice.  According to the 
press, NK ordered Scioli and Urribarri at virtually the last 
minute to speak to the crowd.  In his remarks, Scioli noted 
that as a former vice president he was well-acquainted with 
the responsibilities of that position, interpreted as a 
warning to Vice President Julio Cobos to vote for the 
Executive bill if the Senate should reach a tie.  Cobos was 
noticeably absent at the pro-government rally. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
Farmers' Plea:  Argentina Needs to Support its Farmers 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶5. (SBU)  At the farmers' rally, leaders from the four major 
agricultural organizations spoke, but their headline speaker 
was the ubiquitous and highly-recognizable Alfredo De Angeli 
of the Argentine Agrarian Federation (FAA) in Entre Rios 
province.  Standing on a podium with the banner "For a 
 
Country that Brings Federal Democracy and Dignity for All", 
De Angeli claimed the rally was a turning point in Argentine 
participatory democracy and he exhorted Argentines, 
particularly youth, to continue participating to strengthen 
Argentina's democracy.  He reminded senators they would have 
to answer to their constituents on how they voted.  He added 
that "people came today not because of agricultural export 
levies but to see the country united."  He called on the GOA 
to develop a sensible agricultural policy in consultation 
with governors, mayors, legislators, farmers and all people. 
 
¶6. (SBU)  The farm protests' other speakers included Luciano 
Miguens of the Argentine Rural Society (SRA), Coninagro 
President Fernando Gioino, Argentine Rural Confederation 
(CRA) leader Mario Llambias, and Eduardo Buzzi of the FAA. 
Miguens noted the GOA's justifications for the tax increase 
had shifted several times, and suggested the incoherence of 
the GOA's argument was suspicious.  Another SRA leader told 
television reporters that, even if the Senate approves the 
bill, there are still serious constitutional problems with 
the bill, indicating the farmers will take their dispute to 
court.  CRA Leader Mario Llambias brought the rally to a 
close by thanking those who attended for "betting on the 
countryside" and said that "all the provinces were present." 
 
¶7. (SBU) In addition to farmers and producers from rural 
areas, the farm rally drew large numbers of urban supporters 
as well as left-leaning protest groups never previously 
identified with the farmers.  Some familiar faces among the 
crowd included the runner-up in the 2007 presidential race, 
Elisa Carrio of the Civic Coalition (CC), and conservative 
Ricardo Lopez Murphy, who won only 1% of the vote in the 2007 
presidential election but remains a standard bearer for the 
center-right, and television reporters mobbed Jose Manuel de 
la Sota, the former governor of Cordoba and prominent 
dissident Peronist leader who emphatically called on the 
Kirchners to change their tack.  Also, in attendance were 
members of the newly-formed dissident faction of the General 
Workers Confederation (CGT) and several left-wing picket 
movements. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Wanting to get the upper hand, NK scheduled the 
pro-government rally to run simultaneously with the farmers' 
protest.  Nonetheless, the government ended up losing the 
public relations battle as the farm protest's greater 
attendance -- more than twice that of the government's rally 
-- demonstrates.  Not only did more people attend the farm 
protest, but those attendees largely made it there on their 
own, as opposed to the government crowd, which by its banners 
and organizations was clearly mobilized by labor unions and 
Kirchner-allied mayors at GOA expense.  It is fairly 
well-documented that Kirchner rally organizers provide free 
transportation, food and cash to convince people to attend. 
The show of public support for the "countryside" is 
nonetheless unlikely to alter the outcome of the Senate vote, 
which is still expected to approve the government's proposal 
without modification.  Although congressional approval will 
add some legitimacy to the government's tax increase, it does 
little to mollify farmers or address their concerns with the 
exorbitant export duty rates.  The agricultural sector and 
the political opposition have made clear that they will take 
their objections to court, the next battleground.  End 
Comment. 
KELLY