207. Telegram From the Embassy in Peru to the Department of State1
4512. Subj: Peruvian Initiative: Belaunde Speaks With Costa Mendez. Refs: Lima 4513.2
1. (S–Entire text).
2. Upon conclusion of conversation with the Secretary afternoon May 2,3 President Belaunde called Argentine Foreign Minister Costa Mendez in Buenos Aires. The Argentine was finally reached while on his way to a meeting with President Galtieri and the Junta at 1730 EDT.
3. While Prime Minister Ulloa listened on an extension, Belaunde told Costa Mendez that the Secretary informed him that Foreign Secretary Pym appears prepared to accept the structure of the proposed agreement.4 Belaunde read for Costa Mendez the slight modifications the US side proposed: a) In paragraph three, inserting “dos” between “las partes involucrados”—a style change—; and, b) replacing the word “gobernar” (govern) with a “administrar” (administer) in the last part of paragraph three.
4. Turning to the troublesome “wishes” vs “point of view” disagreement in paragraph five, Belaunde conveyed the language agreed upon [Page 445] in his talk with the Secretary: replace “deseos” (desires/wishes) with “aspiraciones” (aspirations).
5. Belaunde then discussed various modifications in paragraph six to meet Argentine concerns about nations participating in the contact group. There was no final agreement on wording. Belaunde eventually suggested that if the Argentines could not accept the current wording, the best solution might be to leave the matter with an undertaking to reach subsequent agreement on membership. In Spanish the text would read
Begin text: El grupo de contacto que intervendria de inmediato en las negociaciones para implementar este convenio estaria computo por varios paises a designarse de comun acuerdo. End text. An unofficial English translation would be: Begin text: The contact group which would immediately begin negotiations to implement this agreement would be composed of several countries designated by common consent. End text.
6. Belaunde told Costa Mendez that while he understood President Galtieri had to listen to various views from the Junta, nonetheless, time was running out quickly. The goal was to complete some sort of an agreement today. The Peruvian President stressed that the absence of armed conflict today was a direct result of the progress being made on these negotiations. Renewed conflict would surely follow if no solution found.
7. In urging Costa Mendez to get Junta approval for the proposed agreement, Belaunde described it as an “Argentine triumph although not a UK capitulation”, “a dignified and timely” peace. Belaunde suggested that in order to get something signed today, the GOA might like to consider the possibility of instructing its Ambassador at Lima (and the UK, its Ambassador) to sign the document here.
8. Comment: In subsequent conversation with Ulloa, the Prime Minister said that Costa Mendez “was noncommittal,” he had “taken careful note of the revised proposal” but that “final decisions” were “in the other hands”.
9. Reftel transmits current Spanish text.
- Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Cable File, Falkland File 05/02/1982. Secret; Sensitive; Flash; Nodis. Printed from a copy that was received in the White House Situation Room.↩
- Telegram 4513 from Lima, May 2, transmitted the revised Spanish text of the Peruvian proposal. (Ibid.)↩
- No other record of this conversation has been found. See footnote 3, Document 202.↩
- For Haig’s May 2 meeting with Pym, see Document 205.↩