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FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9203
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE

54103
2006-02-23 22:01:00
06MEXICO999
Embassy Mexico
CONFIDENTIAL
VZCZCXRO7076 RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM DE RUEHME #0999/01 0542201 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 232201Z FEB 06 FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9203 INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 000999 
SIPDIS 
SIPDIS 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR MX
Classified By: Political Counselor Leslie Bassett for Reasons 1.4 (b)(d ) 
¶1. (C) Summary: Since being named by Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) as his probable Foreign Minister, Jose Maria Perez Gay says he has been swamped with invitations and meeting requests. Operating out of his home when he's not on the campaign trail with AMLO, Perez Gay has made a particular effort to meet with U.S. academics and institutes, in part to rectify his self-described serious lack of knowledge about the bilateral relationship. Perez Gay told us he plans to create an Under Secretary for Migrants at the Foreign Ministry (SRE) as well as a separate office to handle the United States. Stately and courteous, Perez Gay epitomizes old-school Mexican diplomacy. If he ends up becoming Foreign Minister, he appears willing to learn -- but he will have a steep curve. End Summary. 
¶2. (C) On January 31 AMLO indicated that Jose Maria Perez Gay would be his choice for Secretary of Foreign Relations (SRE) should AMLO win July's presidential election. Perez Gay told us 2/21 that since that day he has been inundated with meting requests and invitations from all over the world. The ones he's accepting, he added, are from the U.S. Perez Gay was set to meet separately this week with representatives of the International Republican Institute, the U.S. Embassy and former Clinton officials. Perez Gay said he cancelled a planned February visit to New York, and was now looking notionally at a visit to Washington sometime in April. While he has been AMLO's closet foreign policy advisor for months, Perez Gay says he has no staff, and operates out of his house when he is not -- as frequently happens -- accompanying AMLO on the campaign trail. 
¶3. (C) Perez Gay told us he was making a special effort to engage with U.S. experts on the bilateral relationship because his own diplomatic and academic experience has focused almost entirely on Europe. He has made a few brief visits to the U.S., but understood a much more profound study of the bilateral agenda was required. He hoped to find time in the coming months to broaden his knowledge, and said that if AMLO wins in July the foreign affairs team will make the U.S. relationship a first priority. He is extremely interested in making a tour of the U.S. early on (if he becomes SRE) to get a better sense of the different regions and migrant communities. 
¶4. (C) Perez Gay was clearly familiar with the current SRE structure, and indicated changes he would like to make. Among them, creating a separate office for U.S. affairs, and reviewing the activities of the 45-plus Mexican consulates in the U.S. Perez Gay said he was not personally satisfied that all 45 consulates were providing the services claimed, and in fact SRE had denied him any detailed information on current operations in the U.S. His inclination was to review whether they were all really necessary. He also proposes to create an Under Secretary for Migrants to help monitor consulate performance. On migration generally, Perez Gay said he understood that a bilateral migration arrangement was not feasible, and looked forward to cooperating with the U.S. where progress was possible. He said the "whole enchilada" was a farce, but hoped that the temporary workers program might pass the U.S. congress in time for a new government to help facilitate its implementation. 
¶5. (C) On broader issues Perez Gay reiterated what AMLO has said publicly -- that Mexico does not need to look outside for problems to solve; it has plenty of internal ones. He politely discarded any ideas of Mexico participating in blocs of any kind with Venezuela and Bolivia. Perez Gay was keenly interested in Middle East developments, and Iran's nuclear capability. He was less interested in discussing peace keeping and regional affairs. 
¶6. (C) Comment: Charming and patrician, Perez Gay clearly reflects the more traditional non-interventionist school of Mexican diplomacy. He refrained from engaging on any controversial issues (such as the Sheraton-Cuba incident), and asked more questions than he directly answered. While his interest in expanding his knowledge of U.S.-Mexico relations appears extremely sincere, he admitted to misplacing materials we had previously provided (and will provide again). He mentioned Senator Raymundo Cardenas as someone he would look at for advice regarding the U.S. While Perez Gay said he hoped to visit Washington in April, our sense is that he will likely cancel again. Perez Gay consistently travels with the candidate, and the campaign is going to only get more intense in the coming months. 
MEXICO 00000999 002 OF 002 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity 
KELLY