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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #1324/01 2671212
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231212Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2087
INFO RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON 0043
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 2129

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001324 
 
PASS NSC FOR MICHAEL SMART 
US SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PREL EINV ENRG EFIN EIND MARR MCAP SENV AR BR
SUBJECT: Argentina and Brazil Pledge Increased Cooperation 
 
Reftel:   (A) Buenos Aires 1279 
      (B) Buenos Aires 1277 
      (C) Buenos Aires 1116 
      (D) Buenos Aires 230 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (SBU) Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (CFK) 
and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva (Lula) pledged 
increased cooperation and agreed on a number of economic and 
infrastructure deals during a September 6-8 CFK state visit to 
Brazil.  The fact that the summit constituted CFK's first state 
visit of her presidency and was timed to coincide with Brazil's 
186th national day celebrations underscored the value that CFK 
places on Argentina's relationship with Brazil.  The most important 
agreements signed and issues covered included: plans to replace the 
U.S. dollar with local currencies in their bilateral trade; a pledge 
to work together on global trade talks; discussion of digital TV 
standards; further nuclear cooperation;  creation of a joint 
infrastructure investment fund by the nation's development banks; 
increased military cooperation; the consideration to locate a Brazil 
state-owned aircraft Embraer plant in Argentina, along with the 
possible purchase of Embraer planes by Aerolineas Argentinas; and 
increased electricity, gas, and rail interconnections.  CFK also 
inaugurated a wind energy production plant built by an Argentine 
multinational.  While most of these agreements are merely formal 
expressions of support for plans already in development, the summit 
underscored the close ties between these allies, Mercosur's two 
biggest members.  END SUMMARY. 
 
-------------------------- 
Broad areas of cooperation 
-------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (CFK) 
and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva (Lula) pledged 
increased bilateral cooperation and agreed on a number of economic 
and infrastructure deals during a September 6-8 CFK state visit to 
Brazil.  According to a joint press release, the "meetings also 
allowed the presidents to advance the Argentina-Brazil Integration 
and Coordination Mechanism (the first was held in Buenos Aires in 
February 2008 - ref D), and to review the broad spectrum of the 
bilateral relationship." 
 
¶3. (SBU) CFK was accompanied by senior GOA officials, including 
Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana, Defense Minster Nilda Garre, Economy 
Mininster Carlos Fernandez, Planning Minister Julio De Vido, and 
Buenos Aires Provincial Governor Daniel Scioli.  The GOB side was 
similarly represented. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The summit produced a 17-page "Joint Declaration" that 
lists areas of current and potential cooperation.  The Declaration 
established four subcommittees to further expand cooperation: 
macro-economic coordination and S&T; energy, transportation, and 
infrastructure; defense and security; and health, education, social 
development, culture, and movement of people.  Among the 
Declaration's highlights, the two sides reiterated their promise to 
deepen Mercosur, "the principal path for regional integration for 
both nations from the political, social and economic-commercial 
point of view," and highlighted the "fundamental" importance of 
addressing Mercosur member nations' imposition of secondary internal 
tariffs above and beyond the bloc's common external tariff.  The 
declaration hailed the full implementation of Mercosur's Structural 
Fund for Convergence (which compensates Uruguay and Paraguay for 
investments lost to predominant members Argentina and Brazil) for 
its "great importance in correcting asymmetries" between member 
states, and reiterated their promise to facilitate a system of 
financial guarantees as a first step towards the establishment of a 
Mercosur fund to assist small and medium-sized firms.  The 
Declaration "reiterated Argentina and Brazil's disposition "to 
continue extra-regional negotiations" and move forward on long 
stalled Mercosur-EU FTA talks, as well as to "deepen South-South 
trade negotiations."  Finally, the Declaration established the date 
of the Third Bilateral Integration and Coordination meeting for 
April 23, 2009, in Buenos Aires. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
First CFK state visit underscores strong GOA-GOB ties 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) This was CFK's first state visit of her presidency, and was 
timed to coincide with Brazil's 186th national day celebrations.  It 
also reciprocated a state visit by President Lula to Argentina 
earlier in the year (ref D).  Her visit included meetings with 
President Lula, congressional and Supreme Court representatives, and 
business leaders.  According to a GOB press announcement, CFK made a 
"state visit to Brazil to participate as the guest of honor of the 
National Day commemorations." 
 
¶6. (SBU) According to a high-level Argentine MFA official, the GOA 
was very pleased with the visit and, while acknowledging that most 
if not all of the agreements formalized initiatives already in 
various stages of development, the visit represented an important 
milestone and agenda-setter for CFK's presidency, strengthening what 
is for Argentina its most important bilateral relationship. 
According to an May 2008 State Department INR poll about which 
bilateral relationship is the most important to Argentines, Brazil 
was by far the number-one choice, at 58%, followed by Venezuela at 
27%, and the United States at 23%.  In a similar poll that gauged 
regional leaders' appeal, Lula had the highest positive approval 
ratings at 64%, followed by Bolivian President Morales at 50%, and 
Chile's Michelle Bachelet at 45% (POTUS was at 4%).  All new 
Argentine Foreign Service Officers are required to learn Portuguese, 
as well as English, and the Brazilian DCM told us recently that he 
conducts many of his meetings at the Foreign Ministry in Portuguese. 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Replacing trade in dollars for local currency 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Lula and CFK reiterated their support for an earlier 
announced plan to replace the U.S. dollar with local currencies 
(Argentine peso and Brazilian real) in settling their bilateral 
trade accounts (ref C).  The Declaration noted "satisfaction" with 
the recent agreement between the Argentine and Brazilian central 
banks to implement this system, and that it will come into force in 
"as short a time as possible."  GOA and GOB officials stated that 
the move could significantly reduce financial costs and red tape on 
bilateral trade, which will reach $30 billion in 2008 (with an 
estimated $5 billion Brazilian surplus).  It remains unclear when 
this plan will come into operation: the GOA and GOB central banks 
announced in June that they would implement this payment system in 
September 2008.  The plan calls for a unified "reference" exchange 
rate between the real and peso, as a way to "deepen regional 
integration and increase the exchange of goods."  In June 2008, 
Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega said it would reduce 
transaction costs and benefit small- and medium-size businesses, and 
that "in the long run it's a path to a common currency."  The first 
stage of the plan includes only Brazil and Argentina, but could be 
expanded to include Uruguay and Paraguay.  Venezuela has also 
expressed interest in this initiative. 
 
-------------------------- 
Coordinating WTO positions 
-------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) The declaration called for each country's international 
trade negotiating groups to "maintain permanent contacts and hold 
periodic meetings to consult and coordinate positions on the issues 
included in the WTO agenda and evaluation of international trade 
with the objective of a common position."  Local analysts believe 
that the collapse of the WTO Doha Development Round talks and 
end-game disagreements in Geneva between the GOA and GOB over 
appropriate industrial tariff cuts have prompted Mercosur to seek a 
common front as it pursues trade deals elsewhere, particularly with 
the European Union. (Mercosur-EU FTA talks had stalled during 
extended Doha round negotiations.)  "It is fundamental that Mercosur 
speak with a single voice in the world," President Lula said during 
a luncheon in honor of CFK. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Synchronizing digital TV standards 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) The declaration called for the GOA Ministry of Planning and 
GOB Ministry of Communications "to hold regular meetings with the 
objective of exchanging technical and institutional information and 
exploring the mutually advantageous opportunities of a partnership 
for both countries in the issues of investment, equipment 
production, strengthening of the production integration, 
technological development, promotion of research and cooperation in 
the field of developing software, among other possibilities 
associated with digital TV."  Although the local media has portrayed 
this chapter as a possible prelude to GOA formally accepting 
Brazil's modified  Japanese DTV standard, there have been no formal 
GoA declarations to this effect. (Ref C details recent developments 
in the competition between U.S.-, European- and Japanese-led groups 
to have Argentina adopt their DTV standard as well as Embassy 
advocacy efforts.) 
 
----------------------------- 
Expanding nuclear cooperation 
----------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) The two sides expressed their satisfaction with the 
GOA-GOB March 2008 bilateral Nuclear Energy Commission (COBEN), and 
for the May 2008 Binational Seminar on Nuclear Cooperation.  They 
expressed their intention to create a joint state company (EBEN) 
that will develop compact nuclear reactors and perform uranium 
enrichment.  They instructed each side's relevant authorities to 
identify possible areas of financing that will permit the quick 
implementation of specific joint projects, and set the next COBEN 
meeting for October 22 in Buenos Aires. 
 
---------------------------- 
Development bank cooperation 
---------------------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Both sides agreed to create an investment fund to finance 
joint infrastructure projects.  The two sides signed an agreement 
for Brazil's National Bank for Economic and Social Development 
(BNDES), Argentina's (state-owned) National Bank (Banco de la 
Nacion), and Argentina's state-owned mezzanine financing Bank of 
Investment and Foreign Trade (BICE) to create a fund to finance up 
to $30 billion in infrastructure projects and bilateral trade, and 
to "work on new viable economic projects of strategic interest of 
both governments." 
 
------------- 
Military ties 
------------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) In the area of "Defense and Security," the Declaration 
highlighted the "Joint Defense Working Group" that has identified 16 
projects related to Army, Navy and Air Force cooperation.  These 
include cooperation and information exchange on naval gas turbines 
motor overhaul, sonar repairs, terminal missile homing systems, 
diesel motor maintenance, submarine repair, the development of a 
multipurpose naval patrol vessel, amphibious vehicle modernization, 
and radar modernization.  The Declaration also noted their intention 
to continue joint development of a lightweight military vehicle 
("Gaucho") whose full production could begin next year. 
 
¶13. (SBU) Mil Group Comment: For the GOA Armed Forces and MOD, this 
agreement appears to advance their objectives of maintaining and 
modernizing their existing military systems and improving logistics 
efficiency.  The plan to cooperate on sonar operations speaks to the 
GOA Navy's relatively stronger technical and operational experience 
in  Argentina's shallower ports.  Overall, it appears  Argentina is 
offering its technical expertise in the hopes of gaining access to 
Brazil's financial resources to repair and update their current 
systems.  End MilGroup comment. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
Possible EMBRAER aircraft production and sales 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶14. (SBU) The declaration also noted the two sides' intention to 
discuss the possibility that Brazilian aircraft and components be 
produced in Argentina.  Although the declaration did not name 
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer by name, the agreement 
appeared to confirm earlier press reports that the GoA is interested 
in having Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer set up an assembly 
plant in Argentina.  According to these same press reports, recently 
renationalized flag carrier Aerolineas Argentinas (Ref B) could buy 
up to 26 Embraer-190 narrow-body, twin-engine, medium-range 
airliners. 
 
¶15. (SBU) Comment:  The possibility that Embraer could set up a 
production facility in Argentina is also consistent with Embassy 
Buenos Aires Milgroup's view that the GOA MOD would like to turn its 
current aircraft facilities in Cordoba, now managed by Lockheed 
Martin, into a regional center which would, among other things, 
build and maintain both military and civilian airframes (the latter 
for Aerolineas Argentinas).  For this to be possible, the GOA MOD 
knows that it needs an outside investor, with a business plan and 
regional market.  Embraer has long been the leading candidate, and 
Milgroup understands that the MOD has approached the Brazilian firm 
in the past about this prospect.  End comment. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Developing energy infrastructure projects 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶16. (SBU) The two sides pledged to work together on joint energy 
infrastructure projects, including accelerating development of the 
long planned binational hydro-electric project on the Uruguay River. 
 The accord stipulates that the two will hold a bidding process 
within 24 months for their first joint hydroelectric plant, to be 
located in the city of Garabi, along their shared border on the 
Uruguay River.  The $2 billion plant will have a two GW electricity 
generation capacity.  President Lula also invited Argentina to help 
build part of the infrastructure Brazil needs to develop massive 
offshore oil and gas discoveries it made last year. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Increased electricity, gas, and rail connections 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶17. (SBU) The GOA and GOB pledged to investigate the possibility of 
"increasing and expanding" their electricity and gas connections 
already in existence.  The Declaration called for continued 
discussions to develop a plan for a possible 
Brazil-Argentina-Paraguay-Chile transoceanic rail, to run from 
Paranagua, Brazil, to Antofagasta, Chile. (This proposed rail link 
has been raised in previous bilateral and regional discussions.)  It 
also called for greater rail links between the Argentina and Brazil. 
 
 
---------------------------------- 
Inauguration of wind energy plant 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶18. (SBU) In a separate trip to the northern Brazilian city of 
Recife, CFK inaugurated what was reported to be the first wind 
energy production plant in northeast Brazil, built by Argentina's 
Pescarmona Group, Impsa Wind.  The $79 million plant will assemble 
wind generators from components manufactured in Argentina for the 
Brazilian and regional markets.  The company will directly generate 
300 jobs in Brazil and is part of an announced four-year, $1.5 
billion regional investment project expected to create as many as 
24,000 direct and indirect jobs in Mercosur countries. 
 
-------------------------- 
Other areas of cooperation 
-------------------------- 
 
¶19. (SBU) The Declaration also called for future discussions related 
to: economic policy coordination, bilateral trade and integration, 
the development of an Argentine-Brazilian satellite for ocean 
observation, nanotechnology cooperation, renewable energy, new 
bridges on the Uruguay river, joint river boat production for use on 
the Parana River border, agreements on civil and political rights 
and harmonizing the laws of both countries to achieve this goal, 
free circulation of people, and closer cooperation and 
standardization in the areas of health care and medical standards. 
 
 
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Comment 
------- 
 
¶20. (SBU) Although these agreements - or announcements of ongoing 
and future cooperation - may appear at first glance to lack 
substance or hard commitments, their breadth and scope underline the 
very close relationship the two nations enjoy.  The agreements also 
allowed both governments to signal publicly their close relationship 
and close cooperation.  The GoA's message in the way it approached 
this visit was clear: Brazil represents Argentina's most important, 
strategic ally in all its foreign policy priority areas -- trade, 
investment, energy, scientific and military cooperation. 
 
KELLY