VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #1069/01 2661953
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 231953Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4395
INFO RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 001069 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/11/2019 
TAGS: PREL PHUM PARM ECON AR
SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER TAIANA DECIPHERS ARGENTINA FOR 
NEW AMBASSADOR 
 
Classified By: Amb. Vilma Martinez for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: Ambassador Martinez presented copies of her 
credentials on September 18, the day of her arrival in 
country, to Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana.  A friendly and 
expansive Taiana emphasized the high priority the Government 
of Argentina (GOA) placed on securing a meeting for President 
Fernandez de Kirchner (CFK) with President Obama, saying that 
there would be a cost to the relationship if such a meeting 
were delayed much longer.  Ambassador Martinez encouraged the 
Foreign Minister to ensure that Argentina raised its voice in 
opposition to Iran's nuclear ambitions and asked him to 
consider more of a leadership role for Argentina in defending 
human rights and democratic values abroad, including in 
Bolivia, Venezuela, and Cuba.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Ambassador Martinez met one-on-one with Foreign 
Minister Jorge Taiana the afternoon of September 18 to 
present a copy of her letter of credentials.  The friendly 
meeting lasted for 75 minutes, more than twice as long as 
Taiana usually takes for such meetings.  The Foreign Ministry 
had previously requested that Ambassador Martinez move 
forward her arrival in country by one day to facilitate the 
meeting (prior to Taiana's travel to the UNGA), a request 
meant to signal the importance the Government of Argentina 
attaches to improved bilateral relations. 
 
¶3. (C) The Foreign Minister spent much of the meeting talking 
about Argentina's history and trying to introduce the 
Ambassador to peculiarities of the Argentine psyche.  He 
shared the oft-noted claim that Buenos Aires has more 
psycho-analysts per capita than any other city in the world. 
Apparently further suggesting collective neurosis, he also 
related that when in Washington he had always had to catch 
Woody Allen movies at small theaters, while in Buenos Aires 
Allen's movies were premiered in the best venues. 
 
¶4. (C) Turning serious, Taiana stressed that the time has 
come for Presidents Fernandez de Kirchner and Obama to meet. 
He told the Ambassador that ""if the United States doesn't 
cultivate her, others will.""  He said that the prolonged 
failure to arrange a meeting had been an embarrassment for 
CFK, with her opponents mocking her for her failure to secure 
a meeting.  This is a negative dynamic that does not redound 
to the bilateral relationship's benefit, Taiana said.  Taiana 
said that he had encouraged CFK to accept the President's 
invitation to next year's nuclear security summit. 
 
¶5. (C) Minister Taiana talked at length about the economic 
situation, describing the CFK government as ""populists with a 
fiscal surplus.""  The fundamentals, he argued, were good. 
 
¶6. (C) Ambassador Martinez voiced appreciation to Taiana for 
receiving her so quickly and shared her eagerness to present 
credentials to the President.  She described the Obama 
Administration's commitment to a good and constructive 
partnership with Argentina.  She encouraged the GOA to 
support Embassy efforts to promote greater person-to-person 
contacts between our two countries. 
 
¶7. (C) The Ambassador took the opportunity to encourage 
Argentina to raise its voice in international fora to insist 
that Iran engage in real dialogue with the P5 plus 1 and that 
it abide by its obligations to the IAEA and the Non 
Proliferation Treaty.  Minister Taiana acknowledged the 
utility of increasing independent voices on this topic and 
promised to consider what steps Argentina might take. 
 
¶8. (C) Ambassador asked Taiana to consider Argentina's 
leadership role in hemispheric and international issues of 
human rights and democracy, noting that the Minister had 
earlier pointed to these values as something held in common 
by both our countries.  She suggested to Taiana that he 
consider how Argentina could assume a leadership in promoting 
human rights and democracy agenda akin to its peacekeeping 
role in Haiti, an agenda that could usefully include 
Venezuela and Bolivia.  ""Don't forget to mention Cuba,"" 
Taiana interjected, anticipating the next point.  On this, 
Taiana was noncommittal, averring that ""Argentina and 
Venezuela have always been friends."" 
 
In Other News: The Tea that Wasn't 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (C) The Casa Rosada, through an intermediary, also asked 
the Ambassador at the last minute to include a New York City 
stop in her Los Angeles-to-Buenos Aires travel plans to ""have 
tea"" with CFK; the Ambassador declined, preferring to adhere 
to normal protocol and the previous, more straightforward 
travel plan.  This invitation was later leaked to leading 
paper Clarin, which tendentiously characterized the episode 
 
as another indication of the USG's disinclination to engage 
with CFK. 
 
Positive Press 
-------------- 
 
¶10. (U) All major dailies as well as most broadcast news 
carried positive and prominent stories on the Ambassador's 
arrival and presentation of credentials to Taiana.  Press 
carried our statement that Ambassador Martinez would 
represent the Obama Administration's interest in improving 
the existing good bilateral relationship between the United 
States and Argentina. 
MARTINEZ