VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #1282 2591332
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 151332Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2026

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 001282 
 
SIPDIS 
 
ISN FOR D. MAHLEY AND P. DURHAM 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/15/2018 
TAGS: KSCA PARM PREL ETTC AR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA'S RESPONSE TO REQUESTS FOR BRIEFINGS ON 
 SPACE LAUNCH VEHICLE (SLV) PROGRAM 
  
 REF: SECSTATE 94059 
  
 Classified By: Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne, for reasons 
  1.4 (b) and (d). 
  
 ¶1. (C) Pursuant to reftel, ESTCouns and ESTOff met with 
 Executive Director of the Argentine National Commission on 
 Aerospace Activities (CONAE) Dr. Conrado Varotto and CONAE 
 Secretary General Felix Menicocci on 10 September 2008, to 
 firm up plans for bilateral discussions on the status of the 
 Argentine space launch vehicle (SLV) program.  The meeting 
 took place in Varotto's Buenos Aires offices and resulted in 
 full agreement by both parties to move forward with all U.S. 
 requests. 
  
 ¶2. (C)  ESTCouns suggested that the first event, a one-time 
 ""state of play"" briefing by Government of Argentina (GOA) 
 officials to U.S. entities, occur in the January-February 
 2009 time frame.  The first briefing would be followed by an 
 expert level meeting in Buenos Aires in the May-July 2009 
 timeframe, with subsequent expert-level meetings occurring 
 approximately every six months alternately in Washington D.C. 
 and Buenos Aires.  Varotto agreed to the suggested dates and 
 schedule of meetings.  ESTCouns emphasized that the bilateral 
 meetings would be in addition to the GOA informing their 
 Hague Code of Conduct (HCOC) partner countries of the status 
 of their SLV program.  Varotto acknowledged that the 
 bilateral meetings would supplement the GOA's regular 
 presentations to HCOC or Missile Technology Control Regime 
 (MTCR) countries. 
  
 ¶3.  (C)  The meeting concluded with statements of a shared 
 commitment to full cooperation and transparency.  Varotto 
 stressed the close working relationship between CONAE and the 
 Embassy, and restated his request that the USG consider CONAE 
 as the lead GOA agency for all matters related to the SLV 
 program.  He reiterated that CONAE's leadership acts with the 
 MFA's authority at the highest level.  ESTCouns acknowledged 
 that this is what he had been told by the MFA's Directorate 
 for International Security and Nuclear Affairs (DIGAN) but 
 noted that he would continue to keep DIGAN apraised of 
 developments as a courtesy. 
 WAYNE