Cablegate: Sre Firm On Oas Declaration On U.S. Border Security

VZCZCXRO8341
RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHME #6043 2971244
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241244Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3842
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUEHGT/AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA 3494
RUEHMU/AMEMBASSY MANAGUA 0914
RUEHSJ/AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE 1546
RUEHSN/AMEMBASSY SAN SALVADOR 2360
RUEHTG/AMEMBASSY TEGUCIGALPA 1578

UNCLAS MEXICO 006043

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SECSTATE FOR USOAS, WHA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MX PHUM PREL PTER SMIG XM
SUBJECT: SRE FIRM ON OAS DECLARATION ON U.S. BORDER SECURITY

REF: SECSTATE 176810

1. Political counselor demarched SRE's Director General for
Regional Institutions Andrea Garcia Guerra and her deputy
Juan Sandoval the afternoon of October 23, arguing that the
Mexican initiative would be counter-productive at this
juncture in Washington and could have a negative impact on
the upcoming visit of president-elect Calderon. Garcia was
unimpressed with both arguments and made the following points:

--Mexican officials, from the current president to the
president-elect, have already expressed their concerns and
displeasure in various domestic and international fora, in
terms stronger than the draft Mexico has advanced at the OAS.
SRE sees no reason why Mexico should not register its
objections at the OAS, as is its right.

--The draft declaration has widespread support among Latin
American and Caribbean members, who believe they have
important equities at stake. The Central Americans had, in
fact, encouraged Mexico to propose a declaration.

--While the declaration is an initiative of Mexico's OAS
delegation, the language has been considered carefully in
Mexico City.

--SRE will consider the political argument that the timing,
in advance of the Calderon visit, is not good. However, at
first blush, Garcia and Sandoval (who served five years as a
member of Mexico's OAS delegation) did not believe the
declaration would undercut the president-elect.

Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity
GARZA

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