US embassy cable - 05LIMA4596

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LIMA 004596 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PARM, KPAO, PE 
SUBJECT: PUBLIC DEBATE IN PERU OVER CONTRACTING OF SECURITY 
PERSONNEL TO WORK IN IRAQ 
 
REF: A. LIMA 4544 
     B. SANTIAGO 2170 
 
Sensitive But Unclassified, Please Handle Accordingly 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Peruvians going to Iraq to work as 
contract security specialists for a U.S. company have become 
the focus of wide-spread media and official interest. 
Several hundred Peruvians have signed contracts with Peruvian 
representatives of the U.S. firm Triple Canopy Inc.  The 
President of the Consumer Defense Commission of the Congress 
criticized the manner in which the Peruvians were hired, and 
said he would require three Ministers to testify on the 
matter.  Press reports questioned the propriety of the 
Peruvian Army's participation in training the security 
personnel; examination of this issue may be a source for 
further controversy.  Post expects that barring new 
revelations, interest in this story will fade, but will be 
revived if there are Peruvian casualties.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (U) The recent departure of Peruvians for Iraq to work as 
contract security specialists for U.S. companies has drawn 
extensive media and official interest.  Television crews 
staked out Lima's Jorge Chavez International Airport to 
report on the groups of several dozen Peruvians at a time 
embarking for Iraq.  Although exact numbers varied depending 
on the source, most reports agreed that several hundred 
Peruvians have signed contracts with Peruvian representatives 
of the U.S. firm Triple Canopy Inc. for positions as security 
agents.  Although many of those departing were reluctant to 
speak with the press, the ones who did said they were former 
military or police officials, and that they were traveling to 
Iraq willingly, because of the poor employment prospects they 
faced in Peru.  The contract employees were said to be 
receiving around $1,000 to $1,200 per month. 
 
3. (U) The President of the Consumer Defense Commission of 
the Congress, Yohny Lescano, on 10/19 criticized the manner 
in which the Peruvians were hired for service in Iraq, 
stating that the Peruvian Government needed to ensure that 
there were guarantees for the safety and human rights of 
these individuals.  Lescano said he planned to require 
testimony on this point from the Ministers of Foreign 
Relations, Labor and Justice.  Lescano also speculated that 
the presence of Peruvians in Iraq could bring about 
retaliatory attacks by Al Qaeda against Peru.  Lescano's 
attorney-advisor, Rosario Sacieta, alleged that the personal 
services contracts were illegal, since the Peruvian 
intermediary, Defiont SAC, was not properly registered with 
the Labor Ministry.  Subsequently, the Defense Commission of 
the Congress scheduled a 10/26 hearing with Defense Minister 
Marciano Rengifo. 
 
4. (U) Most major newspapers here (e.g., "Peru.21" and 
"Correo") have covered this story on both their news and 
editorial pages.  Leading Lima daily "La Republica" published 
several articles, mostly critical, on the hiring of Peruvians 
to work in Iraq.  On 10/21, the paper criticized the 
"privatization" of the war in Iraq via subcontracting as a 
means of getting around restrictions on the regular military. 
 A report on 10/22 questioned the propriety of the Peruvian 
Army's participation in the contract carried out by the local 
firm Gun Supply SAC for training 218 of the contractors 
destined for Iraq.  The article noted that through the 
quasi-official Army Munitions Factory, the Army contracted 
with Gun Supply to provide facilities and ammunition for 
training these individuals.  (NOTE:  A key issue that could 
prove damaging for the testimony of Minister Rengifo is 
whether the trainees were improperly given permission to use 
military equipment for their exercises.  END NOTE.)  A 
follow-up piece on 10/23 stressed the vulnerability of the 
Peruvian personnel, noting that the local hiring firm, 
Defiont, disclaimed any responsibility for their welfare -- 
Defiont said this was the obligation of Triple Canopy, the 
prime contractor in the U.S. 
 
5. (SBU) Peru's Foreign Ministry took a neutral stance, 
although as noted in Ref A, the situation has delayed the 
Ministry's issuance of a statement in support of the Iraq 
public referendum.  Foreign Minister Maurtua stated on 10/22 
that the GOP cannot prohibit its citizens from going to Iraq 
to carry out security functions, and that the Ministry's role 
was limited to alerting Peruvians to the risks they may face 
if they chose to do so. 
 
6. (U) There has been press play here on the investigative 
reports about the similar situation of Chileans being hired 
to work in Iraq (Ref B).  There is recognition, however, that 
the circumstances are different in Peru, both in terms of the 
legal situation of the companies doing the recruiting 
(apparently more tenuous in Chile), and the duties for which 
employees are being sought (less sophisticated work in the 
case of Peru). 
STRUBLE