i Ul l SS HtU -· • • e ' ' Department of State TELEGRAM - •1- o AN 0760235-0051 PAGE 01 BUENOS 03985 170438Z ARA-10 CTION INFO OCT-01 DODE-·oo PM 04 ' I0-13 H-02 I Q-00 INR-07 SCCT-01 L-03 ORM-02 NSAE-00 PRS-01 SP-02 SS-15 USIA-06 JUSE-00 --------------------001353 R 161540Z JUN 76 DHA-02 NSC-05 TRSE-00 Flf AlfEifBASSY BUENOS AIRES CIAE-00 PA O 1 075 W ARGilNTINA PROjECf S2 J 4 U S DEPT OF STATE AIRPSIIPS P Grafeld Director ease Excise Deny e TO SECSTATE WASHOC 6036 INFO AlfEHBASSY SANTIAGO AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO USMI SION GENEVA on s ' BUENOS AIRES 985 J · Declassify In Part In Full Oassify as _ as_ Downgrade 10 _ Date Declassify On Reason_ E O 11652 GDS TAGS PFOR SH UH SREF AR SUBJECT ABDUCTION OF REFUGEES IN ARGENTINA REF A STATE 143914 B BUENOS AIRES 3960 C BUENOS AIRES 3918 1 PER REF A CHARGE OBTAINED APPOINTMENT WITH DIRECTOR GENERAL OF INTERNATIONAL POLICY PEREYRA SENIOR FONOFF CIVILIAN EVENING JUNE 14 2 CHARGE EXPRESSED USG CONCERH OVER REFUGEE ABDUCUON AND RAISED BROADER ISSUE OF HUMAN RIGHTS TO ILLUSTRATE FOR HII'I HOW FOREIGN PRESS COVERED SUCH HA-TTERS AND HOW CONGRESSIONAL CRITICS DEALT IIITH THEM HE WAS ALSO PROVIDED WITH COPIES OF WASHINGTON POST STORY ON ABDUCTION AND REMARKS OF CONGRESSMAN KOCH AT CIAR ON JUNE 7 CHARGE ALSO TOLD HIH HE HAD RAISED HATTER IIITH AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE TO US ARNALDO MUSICH MUSICH IIHO IS ACCOMPANYING HINECON MARTINEZ DE HOZ ON US VISIT WAS ADVISED THAT HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE WOULD PROBABLY PLAY A ROLE IH CONVERSATIONS DURING VISIT 3 PEREYRA'S RESPONSE WAS AN IMPASSIONED ALMOST FANATIC DEFENSE OF GOA WITH REGARD TO SUBSTANCE OF THE ISSUE PEREYA CONTENDED THAT GoA WAS DOING BEST IT COULD IN AN ALL-OUT WAR WITH ' PAGE 02 BUENOS 03985 170438Z NClASSifiED UMClASSlHEO EXTREMISTS THAT IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO PREVENT OCCASIONAL EXCESSES SY EMBATTLED SECURITY FORCES WHO SHED THEIR BLOOD DAILY AND THAT HE AND PRESIDENT VIDELA WERE AS DEEPLY AND GENUINELY CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROBLEMS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AS ANY FOREIGN OBSERVER HE DID NOT COMMENT DIRECTLY ON THE TRUTH OR FALSEHOOD OF THE ABDUCTION REPORTS 4 WHEN HE REACHED THE TOPIC OF THE UNHCR PEREYRA'S INDIGNATION BARELY CONTROLLED HE SAID THAT ARGENTINA HAC PROVIOEO A REFUGE FOR OVER 500 000 ALIEANS SINCE 1973 HOST OF THEM CHILEANS THE COUNTRY HAD HADE AN ENORMOUS EFFORT TO DEAL WITH THIS PROBLEM AND THE EFFORT WAS TOTALLY UNRECOGNIZED HE SAID THAT THE UNHCR HA0 0 ON ITS OWN CHOSEN SOME OF THESE ILLEGAL ALIENS TO BE SUPPORTED IN THE STATUS OF REFUGEES AND CLAIMED THE RIGHT TO REPRESENT THEM BEFORE THE GOA HE NOTED THAT ARGENTINA DID NOT RECOGNIZE ANY STANDING OF THE UNHCR ON BEHALF OF LATIN AMERICANS SINCE ARGENTINA HAD APPROVED IT'S ACTIVITIES· WITH A HEMISPHERIC RESERVATION HE SAID THAT THE UNHCR CLAIMED STATUS MERELY ON THE BASIS OF A UN RESOLUTION AND ASKED IF THE US WAS PREPARED TO ABIDE BY EVERY RESOLUTION PASSED BY THE UN HE HADE THE ANALOGY OF THE UNHCR ATTHEPTING TO REPRESENT ALL THE ILLEGAL MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS IN THE US AS FOR HIS OWN CONCERN FOR THE ABDUCTED CHILEANS PEREYRA STRESSED THAT HE HIMSELF HAD TURNED OUT IH THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT ON FIRST HEARING OF THE INCIDENT AND HAD PERSONALLY ARRANGED FOR STATIONING POLICE AT 25 LODGING PLACES HOUSING CHILEAN REFUGEES AS 5 IN A REV I Ell OF EVENTS AT THE OASGA PEREYRA EXPRESSED SATISFACTION OVER HIS CONCLUSION THAT SECRETARY KISSINGER WAS REALISTIC AND UNDERSTOOD THE GOA PROBLEMS ON HUMAN RIGHTS HE STATED THAT THE SECRETARY HAD QUOTED FROM HERODOTUS A REFERENCE TO REFUGEES TAKING OVER THE CITY THAT GAVE THEM REFUGE AND THIS INDI£ATED HIS IMPLICIT AGREEMENT WITH THE GOA'S POSITION 6 COMMENT PEREYRA WAS NOT DISPOSED TO GIVE ONE INCH ON THE ISSUE ·OF HUMAn RIGHTS WHILE HE DISPLAYS ALMOST ALL ASPECTS OF THE SEIGE MENTALITY CHARGE CREDITS HIM WITH SINCERITY IN HIS EXPRESSION OF CONCERN OVER HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IF GOA IS IN FACT UNABLE TO CONTROL SECURITY FORCES HE HAS GREAT JUSTIFICA ION FOR CONCER PAGE 03 BUENOS 03985 170438Z _ UNClASSifiED uracussmm