Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 6241 / 251,287

### Articles

Brazil Sri Lanka United Kingdom Sweden Editorial United States Latin America Egypt Yemen Jordan

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/10 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07 2011/02/08 2011/02/09 2011/02/10 2011/02/11 2011/02/12 2011/02/13 2011/02/14 2011/02/15 2011/02/16 2011/02/17 2011/02/18 2011/02/19 2011/02/20 2011/02/21 2011/02/22 2011/02/23 2011/02/24 2011/02/25 2011/02/26 2011/02/27 2011/02/28
2011/03/01 2011/03/02 2011/03/03 2011/03/04 2011/03/05 2011/03/06 2011/03/07 2011/03/08 2011/03/09 2011/03/10 2011/03/11 2011/03/13 2011/03/14 2011/03/15 2011/03/16 2011/03/17 2011/03/18 2011/03/19 2011/03/20 2011/03/21 2011/03/22

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 85 86 88 89 90 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1985/03
1986/05
1988/01
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08 1990/10
2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/07 2001/10 2001/11
2002/02 2002/03 2002/04 2002/07 2002/11 2002/12
2003/02 2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Amsterdam American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Ciudad Juarez Consulate Chennai Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Hermosillo Consulate Hamburg
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kathmandu Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Ljubljana Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy La Paz Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Mbabane Embassy Maputo Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Mumbai Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey Consulate Milan
Embassy New Delhi Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Naples
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Consulate Vladivostok
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
ASEC AF AMGT AORC AE AR ASIG ABLD AFFAIRS AG AEMR APER APECO AM AFIN AA AO AJ AL AS AU ACOA AX AMED AROC ATFN ASEAN AFGHANISTAN ADCO AFU AER ALOW AODE ABUD ATRN ASUP AID AC AVERY APCS ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG AGMT
BRUSSELS BR BA BEXP BIDEN BTIO BF BY BM BU BO BL BH BE BG BK BX BBSR BC BT BB BILAT BMGT BTIU
CU CVIS CMGT CS CBW CO CI CH COUNTERTERRORISM CA CASC CG CJAN CE COUNTER CY CD CV CDG CIA CACM CDB CAN CN COE CM COUNTRY CLEARANCE CPAS CACS CWC CF CONDOLEEZZA CT CARSON CL CR CIS CLINTON CODEL CTM CB COM CKGR CONS CJUS
DOD DR DJ DA DEAX DOE DISENGAGEMENT DEA DK DHS DTRA DS DOMESTIC
ECON EUN ETTC ENRG ETRD EFIN EG ELAB EINV EAIR EINVEFIN ES EU EAID EAGR ECUN EC EXTERNAL ECIN EMIN EPET EWWT ELTN ECPS ELECTIONS EIND ENVR ENNP EINT EZ ENVI EFINECONCS ER EN EUR ET ENIV EI EK ECINECONCS ECIP EINDETRD EUC EREL ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS EFIS ECA ENERG ENGY ETRO ELN EFTA ECONCS ECONOMICS ECONEFIN EINVETC EINN ENGR ESA ETC ETRDEINVTINTCS ESENV ETRDECONWTOCS EUNCH EINVECONSENVCSJA
FR FARC FMLN FREEDOM FBI FAO FTAA FI FJ FINR
GM GG GOI GV GZ GT GA GTMO GANGS GH GR GE GAZA GCC GOV GY GTIP
HO HURI HA HU HR HUMAN HILLARY HK HSTC HYMPSK
IN IR IC IZ IS IT INTERPOL IMO ISRAELI ICJ ITALY ITALIAN IRAQI IAEA IO ICRC IACI ITRA ID IV ICTY IQ ICAO IPR INRB ITPHUM IWC IIP IL IA INR ITPGOV IZPREL ILC IRC INRA INRO IRAJ IEFIN IF INTELSAT ILO IBRD IMF
JO JOSEPH JA JM JAMES JUS JP JOHNNIE
KSPR KSUM KCRM KTIA KJUS KTFN KNNP KWBG KDEM KZ KRFD KPAL KISL KPAO KGHG KSEP KCOR KIRF KIPR KVPR KU KWMN KV KE KR KAWK KSCA KPRP KPKO KBIO KTIP KICC KBCT KHLS KMDR KN KUNR KS KPWR KCIP KWAC KMIG KCRS KFRD KAWC KFLU KSTH KO KG KFLO KSAF KOMC KFSC KOLY KTDB KERG KGIC KNPP KNEI KWMM KX KCFE KSEC KIFR KDRG KDEMAF KFIN KGCC KPIN KHIV KPLS KIRC KMCA KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KACT KRAD KGIT KSTC KBTS KPRV KBTR KRVC KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KNSD KMPI KVIR KNUP KTER KDDG KHSA KMRS KHDP KTLA KPAK KNAR KREL KPAI KTEX KCOM KNNPMNUC KPOA KLIG KOCI KHUM KDEV KNUC KCFC KREC KOMS KWWMN KTBT KIDE KWMNCS
LE LY LG LH LAB LU LI LOG LO LT LTTE
MARR MCAP MOPS MASS MIL MX MNUC MV MTCRE MY MO MR MAR MD MRCRE MPOS ML MZ MEPP MA MOPPS MAPP MU MASC MP MT MERCOSUR MK MDC MI MAPS MCC MASSMNUC MQADHAFI MUCN MTCR MG MC MTRE MEPI
NO NATO NL NI NATIONAL NP NG NPT NU NA NGO NSF NIPP NS NSG NZ NRR NAR NE NASA NK NPG NT
OAS OTRA OVIP OPDC OPRC OSCI OEXC OPIC OREP ODIP OFDP OVP OTR OSAC OIIP OSCE OECD OPCW OIC OFFICIALS OIE
PREL PGOV PK PTER PINR PHUM PARM POL PINS PEPR PINT PBTS PHSA PSOE POLITICAL PARTIES PSI PALESTINIAN PREF PM PA PE PROP POLITICS PO PBIO PECON PL PU PAK PLN PRGOV POV PG POGOV PINL PKFK PMIL PY PFOR PHALANAGE PARTY PRAM PAO PMAR PGOVLO PUNE PORG PHUMPREL PF POLINT PHUS PGOC PNR PGGV PNAT PGOVE PRL PROV PTERE PGOF PHUMBA PARMS PINF PEL
QA
RS RW RU RO RIGHTS RF RICE ROBERT RFE REGION RP
SP SI SA SNAR SCUL SOCI SENV SY SU SW SMIG STEINBERG SN SO SR SYR SG SZ SF SL SIPRS SH SNARCS SOFA SANC SHUM SK ST SC SAN SEVN
TU TBIO TSPA TW TRGY TS TX TC TERRORISM TPHY TP TI TIP TZ TSPL TH TO TK TNGD TINT TRSY TR TFIN TD TT TURKEY
USEU UZ UNHRC UNGA UK UN UY UNESCO UP UG UNMIK US UNO UNSC UV USTR UNAUS UNEP UNDP UNCHS UNVIE UNCHC UE UNDESCO USAID UNHCR UNDC USUN UAE
VE VT VZ VTPREL VN VM
WTRO WI WHO WTO WTRQ WWARD WB WHA WBG WMO WEU WZ WA
XR XW XM XF XA XY XK XG XZ XL XS XT XH XE XD XC
YM YI YE YMCS
ZF ZU ZP ZR ZI ZB ZO ZANU ZA ZOELLICK ZK ZJ

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 10BUENOSAIRES91, Argentina: Profiles of Key Anti-Kirchner Piqueteros REF: BUENOS AIRES 526; BUENOS AIRES 794; BUENOS AIRES 13 09 BUENOS AIRES 1084; 08 BUENOS AIRES 980 CLASSIFIED BY: VilmaSMartinez, Ambassador, DOS, Exec; REASON: 1.4(B), (D)

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #10BUENOSAIRES91.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
10BUENOSAIRES91 | 2010-02-12 21:09 | 2011-03-11 00:12 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Buenos Aires

`

    VZCZCXYZ0002
    RR RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHBU #0091/01 0432107
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    R 122107Z FEB 10
    FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0515
    INFO MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE
    RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
    RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC

` `

    10 BUENOSAIRES 91, "Embassy Buenos Airres    ,CONFIDENTIAL  , 08BUENOSAIRES980|09BUENOSAIRES1084|10BUENOSAIRES13|10BUENOSAIRES526|10BUENOSAIRES794,"VZCZCXYZ0002
    RR RUEHWE DE RUEHBU #0091/01 0432107ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    R 122107Z FEB 10FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRESTO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0515INFO MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE
    RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
    RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC"C O N F I D E N T I A L  BUENOS AIRES 000091 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2035/02/12
    TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON AR

    SUBJECT: Argentina: Profiles of Key Anti-Kirchner Piqueteros  REF: BUENOS AIRES 526; BUENOS AIRES 794; BUENOS AIRES 13 09 BUENOS AIRES 1084; 08 BUENOS AIRES 980  CLASSIFIED BY: VilmaSMartinez, Ambassador, DOS, Exec; REASON: 1.4(B), (D)

    ¶1.  (SBU)  Summary:  In recent months, Argentina's social activist movements, known as piqueteros, have captured the media spotlight through frequent protests.  While former President Nestor Kirchner's efforts to co-opt the movement have divided it, the hotly contested title for noisiest piqueteros goes (at least recently) to groups that oppose the Kirchners.  Nicknamed by the press ""anti-K"" piqueteros, these activists have pushed the
    government for greater inclusion in President Cristina Fernandez de
    Kirchner's (CFK) new jobs program. This cable examines key anti-K
    piquetero leaders, including: Raul Castells from the Movement of
    Retired and Unemployed Workers (MIJD); Toty Flores from the
    Movement of Unemployed Workers of La Matanza (MTD-La Matanza); Juan Carlos Alderete from the Classic and Combative Current (CCC); and Jorge Ceballos and Roberto Baigorria from the Foot Neighborhoods (Barrios de Pie).

    ¶2.  (SBU)  As part of the Embassy's ongoing efforts to reach out to a broad spectrum of Argentine society, Emboffs held a series of meetings with key piquetero leaders and an academic piquetero expert.  This cable is the third in a series on this social movement.  The first cable analyzed the history of the piqueteros (ref A), while the second assessment profiled the Kirchners' key piquetero allies (ref B).  End Summary. Who are the Piqueteros? ------------------------------ 3.  (SBU)  Argentina has, for more than a decade, experienced organized protests and activism by social movements known as ""piqueteros,"" which literally means ""picketers.""  These groups, representing the claims of unemployed citizens, distribute benefits from the national government (150-200 pesos a month) to their members, who in exchange must work 20 to 40 hours a week in workfare programs.  According to 2007 national government statistics, the family aid plan reached 504,784 families, which includes 1,766,744 children.  Local piquetero leaders believe the actual number of recipients dropped as Argentina's economy began to recuperate from its 2001 economic crisis.  They estimate that only 800,000 Argentines are currently benefiting from these programs, while there are no government statistics on recipients after 2007.  4. (SBU)  While most piquetero leaders initially distrusted former President Nestor Kirchner (NK) when he came to power in 2003, because they believed he would continue what they considered to be the market-oriented (""neo-liberal,"" in the local jargon) policies
    of his predecessors, over fifty ended up joining his government and
    his allies at the local and national levels.  They aligned their groups with NK because he ordered government security forces to refrain from suppressing piquetero marches, and agreed to include
    them in his government and to address their concerns.  Several key
    piquetero groups, however, never allied with the administrations of
    NK and his wife/successor, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (CFK),
    and instead opposed NK's congressional slate in the June 2009
    mid-term elections.  They also sided with farm leaders during the
    government's extended conflict with the sector in 2008. 5.  (SBU)  In late 2009, ""anti-K"" piqueteros became particularly vociferous about CFK's new job creation plan ""Argentina Works."" They staged overnight protests outside the nation's Social Development Ministry calling for more jobs and direct participation in distributing the plan's jobs.  (Under the new plan, jobs will be distributed via some Kirchner-allied mayors and neighborhood cooperatives, a plan that even ""pro-K"" piqueteros -- who wish to distribute the largesse themselves -- have begun to question.)  In late January 2010, ""anti-K"" piqueteros held marches regarding this ame issue in at least 13 provinces, including in key cities in Buenos Aires province, and in Buenos Aires City.  6.  (SBU)  Piquetero protests are a frequent occurrence in Buenos Aires City, and some reports indicate they increased in 2009.
    According to the think-tank ""New Majority,"" in September 2009 there
    were over 102 blockades in Argentina, more than in any month since
    the piquetero movement began in 1997.  Paper-of-record ""La Nacion"" reported that there were 440 arrests for street blockades in Buenos Aires City from January to September 2009, compared to 265 in 2008. (Given the government largely assumes a hands-off approach with protests, these arrest figures do not paint an accurate picture of the number of protests.)  A sociologist and piquetero expert
    disagrees, saying he does not see Argentina as having experienced a ""peak of conflict"" in 2009. Moreover, he doubts the methodology
    behind these statistics, which he believes is based on selective
    press reports of protests. Raul Castells - Movement of Retired and Unemployed Workers  --------------------------------------------- -----------------
     ¶7.  (SBU)  One of the most well-known piquetero leaders and a vocal
    opponent of the Kirchners, Raul Castells founded the Movement of
    Retired and Unemployed Workers (MIJD) in 1999.  An active piquetero
    leader for decades, Castells ran in the 2007 presidential race against CFK.  He came in twelfth place, winning less than 50,000 votes (about one-quarter of one percent of all votes cast).  Over the years, Castells has been jailed for his protests and conducted hunger strikes.  In mid-January, he and his wife and fellow piquetero, Nina Pelozo, were detained (and released several hours later) for trying to storm the Central Bank in protest of CFK's presidential decree calling for Bank President Martin Redrado's resignation (ref C). 8.   (C)   Virulently anti-American, Castells began an April 2009 meeting with Emboffs by noting his incredulity at their interest in meeting him, describing himself as the ""Embassy's enemy.""  He added that his past interactions with the Embassy had been outside protesting against what he described as the ""unsympathetic treatment"" by U.S. companies, such as McDonalds and Walmart, of him and his demands.  Referencing an older Gallup poll, which he claimed indicated that 93% of Argentines are anti-American, Castells attributed Argentines' anti-Americanism to USG policies and the actions of large U.S. companies.  (Over the past two years, and especially since President Obama took office, anti-Americanism
    has decreased significantly in Argentina.)  Castells blames NK and
    the USG for his arrest in 2004, after the MIJD occupied nine McDonalds' branches and demanded 10,000 books and 20,000 boxes of milk powder from McDonalds.  He also blames the USG for his poor health after he conducted a hunger strike while in jail for
    occupying a casino in northern Argentina.  Prior to concluding the
    meeting with Emboffs, Castells insisted that he read officers a
    petition of complaints against the USG. 9.  (C)  Castells espouses no clear ideology, but has flirted with both Maoism and Trotskyism.  In 2004, then Minister of Interior Anibal Fernandez called him a ""Maoist-Trotskyite idiot,"" who ""sought conflict for conflict's sake.""  A supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Bolivian President Evo Morales, Castells advocates nationalizing gas, petroleum and mining industries, reclaiming lands held by foreigners, and stopping IMF debt payments. 10.  (SBU)  Under former President Eduardo Duhalde (2002-2003), the MIJD managed 20,000 benefit plans.  (We do not have current statistics for benefit plans under the Kirchners.) Castells claimed to Emboffs that the MIJD assists 8% of Argentina's poor through its soup kitchens, which feed 40,000 people.  Disputing the national statistical agency's (INDEC) poverty statistics, Castells asserted that poverty has increased in Argentina over the last ten years, and that current subsidies do not meet the poor's needs.  He also expressed concern about the rising use of paco (cocaine residue) among Argentina's youth.  He added that in a roundtable he held with youths, eight out of ten reported using paco with four out of ten stealing to obtain funds to buy it.
     ""Toty"" Flores--Movement of Unemployed Workers of La Matanza
     --------------------------------------------- ---------------------- -----------------
     ¶11.  (SBU)  National Deputy for Buenos Aires province Hector ""Toty""
    Flores founded the Movement of Unemployed Workers of La Matanza
    (MTD-La Matanza) in 1996.   (La Matanza, with a population of 1.3
    million in the 2001 census, is one of Buenos Aires province's
    largest and poorest municipalities, and a longtime Peronist
    stronghold.)  Unlike many piquetero groups, MTD-La Matanza rejects
    government subsidies.  Instead, the group actively campaigns for
    jobs as a means to better integrate their members into Argentine
    society.  In 2001, Flores opened a community center in La Matanza,
    which provides work opportunities to locals through a number of
    small enterprises, including a bakery and a printing press.  Flores
    said he entered politics as an ally of Elisa Carrio's Civic Coalition because he hoped to expand his La Matanza model to other parts of the country.  Juan Carlos Alderete - Classic and Combative Current
     --------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 12.  (SBU)  The Classic and Combative Current (CCC) formed in 1994, and while originally part of the Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist and Maoist ideology), is now a diverse front which includes Communists, Socialists, Peronists, Civic Radical party members, evangelicals, and members of the nation's second largest (but not officially recognized) trade federation - the Central of Argentine Workers (CTA).  The CCC is divided into three groups representing workers, unemployed workers, and retired workers.  Alderete is the national coordinator for unemployed workers.  Located primarily in Argentina's northern provinces and in La Matanza in Buenos Aires province, the CCC has built over 4,000 lower-income housing units and constructed a water treatment facility which provides potable water to 500,000 La Matanza residents.  The personable Alderete has addressed conferences in Mexico, South Africa, and a UN conference on world poverty in Nairobi, Kenya.  13.  (SBU)  The CCC participated in one pro-Kirchner rally, but
    quickly distanced itself, refusing to join NK's government because
    it doubted Kirchner would integrate its principles into government
    policies.  The CCC has since further distanced itself from the
    Kirchner Administration citing governmental corruption.  At the end
    of December 2009, the CCC, accompanied by Barrios de Pie and Polo Obrero, threatened to ""create a major mess in the entire country on January 15"" if the government did not respond favorably to their
    demands for greater participation in CFK's Argentina Works program.
    (The CCC, Barrios de Pie, and Polo Obrero participated in the
    previously mentioned national protests in late January.)   Alderete
    openly supports the smaller farmers of the agriculture sector against the GOA and appeared at several rallies during the government's conflict with the sector in 2008.  The CCC has also participated in violent September 2009 marches directed against the U.S. firm Kraft Foods (ref D).  While Alderete toyed with allying with the Civic Coalition in the June 2009 midterm elections, he withdrew his name from the candidate lists and instead mobilized volunteers to monitor the elections for fraud.  Jorge Ceballos and Roberto Baigorria, Barrios de Pie  --------------------------------------------- -------------------
    ¶14.  (SBU)  Jorge Ceballos and Roberto Baigorria direct Barrios de
    Pie, a grassroots neighborhood movement of the larger, umbrella
    political party, Libres del Sur.  Libres del Sur, which is comprised of Peronists, non-Peronists and local groups against big business, has two national deputies (Victoria Donda Perez from Buenos Aires province and Paula Cecilia Merchan from Cordoba). Barrios de Pie was formed in 2001 in Buenos Aires and is now active in 16 provinces and in the city of Buenos Aires.  15.  (C)  Barrios leaders worked in both Kirchner governments until December 2008, when they left, claiming that CFK had distanced herself from the people.  Both Ceballos and Baigorria worked for the national Social Development Ministry in the Office of Organization and Capacity Building, where Ceballos was subsecretary.  Ceballos said he had planned to leave the government when NK ""sold out"" and assumed the presidency of the Peronist Party in 2007, but stayed longer because he supported the GOA during its}2008 conflict with the farm sector (ref E).  In 2009, Ceballos decided to run in the June midterm elections, but lost his bid. Nonetheless, during the election, by campaigning alongside Martin Sabatella, a popular mayor in a poor town in the Buenos Aires suburbs, Ceballos gained greater name recognition.  The previously mentioned sociologist and piquetero expert believes that during the election campaign Barrios de Pie sought to soften its media image o broaden its electoral appeal.
     ¶16.  (C)  While Ceballos accepts the government's claim that
    conditions for the poor have improved since 2003, he believes that
    NK seeks to limit the political involvement of social organizations.  Baigorria told Emboffs that NK initially included lower income and unemployed Argentines in political debate and rovided them with adequate retirement pensions.  For Baigorria, the Kirchners lost Barrios' support because they stopped listening to other viewpoints, overestimated their power, and underestimated their enemies.  He also feels that they ceased to integrate piquetero goals in the GOA.
     ¶17.  (C)  Comment:  The government's relations with social activist
    movements will continue to be a delicate balancing act with
    important implications for its political prospects.  With the GoA
    budget under pressure and with authority over the public works
    program being redirected from piquetero groups to provincial
    mayors, the ""anti-K"" piqueteros are not likely to change their
    stance.  While most pro-Kirchner piqueteros are likely to stay
    affiliated with the government, their enthusiasm could diminish,
    depending on the Kirchners' political fortunes and whether benefits
    decline as a result of budgetary pressures and accelerating
    inflation.  Finding financing for the jobs program will therefore
    remain a central component of the Kirchner government's strategy
    for the 2011 presidential election. MARTINEZ

`