UNCLASSIFIED SECRET E3 RELEASED IN FULL STATE PAGE 01 ORIGIN NODS-00 INFO OCT-01 IS0-00 226556 001 R DRAFTED BY ARA ECA CWRUSER DEH APPROVED BY P DDNEWSOM S S-0 - TGMARTIN ARA - AMB VAKY ------------------001250 Z O 071455Z SEP 78 ZFF6 FM SECSTATE WASHDC TO Al ' EMBASSY BUENOS AIRES FLASH INFO WHITE HOUSE IMMEDIATE 0621 071503Z 44 SECRET STATE 226556 NODIS DECAPTIONED EYE ONLY FOR AMBASSADOR CASTRO E O 11652 GDS TAGS OVIP PGOV PDIP AR SUBJECT MEETING BETWEEN THE VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENT VIDELA 1 SUMMARY FOLLOWING IS A SUMM'AR Y OF THE VICE PRESIDENT'S MEETING WITH PRESIDENT VIDELA SEPTEMBER 5 AT THE RESIDENCE OF THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR IN ROME YOU ARE REQUESTED TO MAKE A FOLLOW-UP INQUIRY TO PRESIDENT VIDELA OR DR YOFRE IN ACCORDANCE WITH PARAGRAPH 7 BELOW END SUMMARY 2 IN THE COURSE OF THE MEETING THE VICE PRESIDENT STRESSED-THAT WE WANT GOOD RELATIONS BUT THAT HUMAN RIGHTS ARE A CENTRAL CONCERN WE WISHED TO WORK WITH ARGENTINA IN HAVING GOOD RELATIONS IT WAS IMPORTANT SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 STATE 226556 THAT VIDELA RECEIVE THE INTER-AMERICAN HUMAN RIGHTS CO tvMISSION IAHRC ON TERMS ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMf 1 ISSION WE WOULD NOT LINK ARGENTINE ACTIONS WITH OUR OWN PROGRESS ON CASES SUCH AS JACOBO TIMERMAN WOULD ALSO BE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW AUTHORITY NORMAN M BOUTON DATE CASE ID 06 OCT 2006 200600987 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED HELPFUL 3 PRESIDENT VIDELA STATED THAT HE FULLY CONCURS IN PRESIDENT CARTER'S POSITION ON HUMAN RIGHTS THE WESTERN WORLD MUST BE UNITED AND THE UNITED STATES MUST LEAD THE WESTERN WORLD ARGENTINA WAS WITH THE UNITED STATES AND NOT TROUBLED BY OBJECTIVE CRITICISM HE WAS CONCERN ED HOWEVER BY CRITICISM WHICH HAD THE APPEARANCE OF INTERVENTION IN ARGENTINE DOMEST IC AFFAIRS SUCH CRITICISM HAD COMPELLED HIM TO POSTPONE AN INVITATION TO 'THE INTER-AMERICAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION HIS CONCERN WAS THAT PROBLEMS IN THE RELATIONSHIP AT THE GOVERNMENT PLANE HAD BEEN RAISED TO THE LEVEL OF PUBLIC OR POPULAR ISSUES 4 THE VICE PRESIDENT SUGGESTED THAT TO PUT RELATIONS ON A MORE POSITIVE COURSE ASSISTANT SECRETARY VA KY COME TO ARGENTINA TO MEET WITH VIDELA OR A PERSON OF HIS CHOICE FOR A REVIEW OF OUR RELATIONS VIDELA ASKED WHETHER THE VA KY VISIT WOULD BE AFTER THE IAHRC OR BEFORE THE VICE PRESIDENT SUGGESTED THAT IT BE SCHEDULED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE 5 PRESIDENT VIDELA REVIEWED STEPS TAKEN BY THE ARGENTINE GOVERNMENT SINCE HIS LAST MEETING WITH PRESIDENT CARTER DURING THE PANAMA CANAL SIGNING WHICH HE SAID SHOWED THAT THERE HAD BEEN EFFORTS BY HIS GOVERNMENT IN THE HUMAN RIGHTS AREA VIDELA CONFIRMED THAT HE WOULD SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 STATE 226556 RECEIVE THE COMMISSION HE SAID IT WAS HIS INTENTION TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE OCTOBER 1 THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE HUMPHREY-KENNEDY AMENDMENT BUT DID NOT THIN IT COULD BE DONE BEFORE SEPTEMBER 15 AT AN EARLIER POINT HE SAID THAT HE COULD PERHAPS ARRANGE A VISIT OF THE COMMISSION BY MID-OCTOBER ASSISTANT SECRETARY VA KY COULD VISIT AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT VIDELA SAID HE PREFERRED THAT VA KY VISIT ARGENTINA ONLY AND REQUESTED THAT THE USG LET HIM KNOW AHEAD OF TIME THE OBJECTIVES OF THE VA KY MISSION THE VICE PRESIDENT SAID WE WOULD COMMUNICATE THESE 6 IN THE COURSE OF THE DISCUSSION THE VICE PRESIDENT NOTED THE IMPORTANCE THAT THE EX-IM BANK REACH A DECISION ON ALLIS-CHALMERS BY SEPTEMBER 15 THE DATE OF THE BIDS UNCLASSIFIED 1 UNCLASSIFIED FOR THE YACYRETA POWER PROJECT AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE COMMISSION'S VISIT BEFORE OCTOBER 1 MIGHT ENABLE US TO ACT ON A LETTER BY EX-IM IN SUPPORT OF THE ALLISCHALMERS BID BEFORE SEPTEMBER 15 7 ACTION REQUESTED VIDELA REITERATED SEVERAL TIMES THAT HE INTENDS TO RECEIVE THE COMMISSION YOU ARE REQUESTED TO FOLLOW UP IN LOW KEY FASHION WITH PRESIDENT VIDELA HIMSELF IF PO SIBLE OR WITH YOFRE WHO WAS PRESENT AT THE MEETING MAKING THE FOLLOWING POINTS 1 WE ARE DELIGHTED THAT THE MEETING WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT TOOK PLACE 2 WE WANT TO REITERATE THE U S DESIRE TO BRING U S -ARGENTINE RELATIONS BACK TO THE STATE WHICH SHOULD EXIST BETWEEN TWO FRIENDLY NATIONS 3 YOU HAVE BEEN ASKED TO BE IN TOUCH IN ORDER TO FOLLOW UP ON THE MONDALE-VIDELA CONVERSATIONS 4 WE ARE NOW TAKING A LOOK AT WHERE WE STAND AS A PRELUDE TO THE TRIP TO ARGENTINA BY ASSISTANT SECRETARY VAKY WHICH WAS DISCUSSED IN ROME AND 5 NOW THAT VIDELA IS BACK DOES HE HAVE A CLEAR VIEW OF THE TIMETABLE WHICH MIGHT BE LIKELY FOR BOTH THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE INTER-AMERICAN H RIGHTS COMM ISSION VISIT AND SECRET SECRET PAGE 04 STATE 226556 THE VAKY TRIP CHRISTOPHER SECRET NNN UNCLASSIFIED