US embassy cable - 95BUENOSAIRES4491

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 004491 
 
 
E.O. 12356:  DECL:  7/25/05 
TAGS:  PREL, LY, AR 
SUBJECT: QADHAFI'S SON VISITS MENEM, TALKS SOCCER AND 
A LITTLE BUSINESS 
 
REF:  (A) BUENOS AIRES 289, (B) BUENOS AIRES 247 
 
1.  CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT. 
 
2.  SUMMARY: QADHAFI'S 25-YEAR OLD SON ALSADI AND AN 
ENTOURAGE OF FIVE OR SIX UNIDENTIFIED LIBYAN OFFICIALS 
ARRIVED IN ARGENTINA LATE LAST WEEK AND WAS RECEIVED 
BY PRESIDENT MENEM AT THE OLIVOS RESIDENCE ON JULY 
24.  GOA OFFICIALS STRESS THAT QADHAFI'S VISIT WAS 
COMPLETELY PRIVATE.  DESPITE SOME PRESS SPECULATION 
ABOUT A "THAWING" IN ARGENTINA'S RELATIONS WITH THE 
PARIAH STATE, QADHAFI THE YOUNGER REPORTEDLY TOUCHED 
ON LITTLE OR NO SUBSTANCE DURING THE TWENTY-FIVE 
MINUTES HE SPENT WITH ARGENTINA'S HEAD OF STATE;  MOST 
OF THEIR TIME TOGETHER REPORTEDLY WAS DEVOTED TO 
CHIT-CHAT ON DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SPORTS WORLD.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
3.  IN A MEETING LASTING LESS THAN HALF AN HOUR, 
PRESIDENT MENEM RECEIVED THE SON OF LIBYAN LEADER 
MUAMMAR AL-QADHAFI, ALSADI MUAMMAR AL-QADHAFI, AT HIS 
OFFICIAL RESIDENCE WHILE THE LATTER WAS ON A "PRIVATE 
VISIT" ARGENTINA.  OSTENSIBLY HERE TO DISCUSS 
BROADENING BILATERAL COMMERCE, QADHAFI'S SON FOLLOWED 
BY ABOUT SIX MONTHS AN UNSUCCESSFUL MISSION BY A 
QADHAFI ENVOY SEEKING ARGENTINE SUPPORT FOR EASING 
SANCTIONS ON LIBYA IMPOSED BY THE UNITED NATIONS 
(REPORTED REFTELS).  AS REPORTED IN LOCAL PRESS, 
HOWEVER, THE SHORT AUDIENCE WITH MENEM PRODUCED THE 
SAME FROSTY RESULTS AS THE JANUARY VISIT.  MENEM'S 
PENCHANT FOR SPORTS AND DISCUSSION OF INTERNATIONAL 
SOCCER COMPETITION -- AND PERHAPS A DESIRE TO AVOID 
TOO MUCH SUBSTANCE -- APPARENTLY CAPTURED THE BULK OF 
THE CONVERSATION.  DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER PETRELLA 
AND A LIBYAN "COMMERCIAL AFFAIRS OFFICER" ALSO 
ATTENDED THE MEETING. 
 
4.  POLOFF CALLED ON JOSE LUIS MIGNINI, SUBDIRECTOR 
FOR NORTH AFRICA AT THE FOREIGN MINISTRY, JULY 25 TO 
GET A READ OUT ON THE MEETING AND TO ENQUIRE ABOUT 
CURRENT RELATIONS BETWEEN ARGENTINA AND LIBYA. 
MIGNINI SAID HE HAD LITTLE LIGHT TO SHED ON THE 
MEETING AS PETRELLA'S OFFICE WAS NOT DIVULGING DETAILS 
OF THE DISCUSSION.  HE SPECULATED THAT PRESS REPORTS 
HAD CAPTURED THE ESSENCE OF THE CONVERSATION AS NO 
CHANGES IN ARGENTINA'S POSITION REGARDING LIBYA'S 
STATUS IN THE WORLD COMMUNITY WERE ANTICIPATED.  IN A 
SEPARATE CONVERSATION, PETRELLA'S CHIEF OF CABINET ANA 
MARIA RAMIREZ CONFIRMED THAT THE CONVERSATION DWELLED 
ON PROTOCOL.  THIS WAS THE YOUTHFUL QADHAFI'S FIRST 
VISIT TO LATIN AMERICA, ACCORDING TO RAMIREZ, AND HE 
BROUGHT NO MESSAGES FROM HIS GOVERNMENT.  SHE 
CONFIRMED THAT SPORTS DOMINATED THE DISCUSSION. 
 
5. COMMENT.  DESPITE THE HOOPLA IN THE PRESS -- ONE 
PAPER PAINTED THE MEETING AS A LOGICAL FOLLOW-ON TO 
MENEM'S VISIT TO SYRIA IN A COORDINATED EFFORT TO 
REESTABLISH WARMER TIES TO ARAB COUNTRIES AFTER 
ARGENTINE PARTICIPATION IN THE GULF WAR -- LITTLE 
APPEARS TO HAVE CHANGED AFTER QADHAFI'S VISIT. 
ARGENTINA'S COMMITMENT TO UN SANCTIONS AGAINST LIBYA 
APPEARS UNWAVERING EVEN IF PRESIDENT MENEM ALSO SEEMS 
UNABLE TO RESIST MEETING WITH "CELEBRITIES" RANGING 
FROM THE ROLLING STONES TO QADHAFI'S SON. 
 
GODARD