VZCZCXRO3409
RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHME #1609/01 0862142
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 272142Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9827

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 001609 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EB/IFD/OIA, WHA/EPSC AND WHA/MEX 
COMMERCE FOR ITA/MAC/NAFTA ANDREW RUDMAN 
STATE PASS USAID FOR ROBERT KAHN 
TREASURY FOR IA MEXICO DESK - JASPER HOEK 
USDOC FOR 3134/USFCS/OIO/RD/WH/MKESHISHIAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECIN ECON EIND EINV ENRG MX
SUBJECT: FORGING OPPORTUNITIES WITH CARLOS SLIM'S GRUPO 
CARSO 
 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY.  The Ambassador hosted a breakfast March 16 with 
CEOs from various divisions of Mexican mogul Carlos Slim's 
Grupo Carso to discuss how the U.S. Mission in Mexico can 
assist U.S. companies (particularly small- and medium-sized 
companies) in entering the Mexican market, and form alliances 
with Grupo Carso companies in particular.  Many Grupo Carso 
companies do business throughout Latin America and could 
provide a jumping off point for U.S. companies into the 
region.  The CEOs expressed a strong willingness to work with 
U.S. companies and provided an array of suggestions of how to 
create these relationships instead of using the traditional 
trade show format.  The group provided a unique look into the 
breadth of projects that Grupo Carso is involved in, 
demonstrating the scope of potential opportunities for U.S. 
businesses.  END SUMMARY. 
 
THE PLAYERS 
----------- 
 
¶2.  Ambassador Garza hosted a breakfast March 16 for Daniel 
Hajj, CEO of Telcel and America Movil; Jose Foncerrada, 
Director General of Grupo Financiero Inbursa; Armando 
Rimoldi, Director General of Swecomex; and Alfonso Salem, 
Director General of IDEAL.  The Ambassador began the 
discussions by stating that competitiveness will continue to 
be an issue in Mexico regardless of who wins the upcoming 
presidential elections, and U.S. companies, including many 
small- and medium-size companies, could bring innovative 
technologies and products that could help members of Grupo 
Carso become more competitive and help U.S. companies enter 
the Mexican and Latin markets.  FCS highlighted a recent 
event it organized for PEMEX officials visiting the U.S. as a 
possible model for cooperation with Grupo Carso executives. 
FCS Mexico and the U.S. Export Assistance Center in Houston 
presented a conference on PEMEX's development and procurement 
plans to over 100 U.S. suppliers of innovative technologies 
in the energy sector.  FCS also put forward executive 
roundtables it has developed in conjunction with the Business 
Council for International Understanding (BCIU) as a vehicle 
for U.S. companies to better understand how to work with the 
various entities that comprise the group. 
 
GRUPO CARSO 
----------- 
 
¶3.  Grupo Carso is one of the largest conglomerates in Latin 
America.  It controls and operates a diversified group of 
companies involved in retail, industrial and consumer goods. 
The group integrates companies like CONDUMEX, a global 
manufacturer of products for the telecommunication, 
construction, energy and automotive industries; NACOBRE which 
produces copper, aluminum and PVC products; and Frisco which 
itself comprises a railroad, chemical and mining division. 
Other companies include Telmex, Telcel, America Movil 
(cellular and regular telephone lines, distribution and 
operation of Mexico's largest telephone company); Grupo 
Financiero Inbursa (Financial Group); Swecomex (oil and gas 
industry), IDEAL (engineering, architecture and construction 
company for hospitals, schools, shopping centers, roads, 
ports, airports etc.) and CILSA (potable and wastewater 
treatment plants). 
 
DABBLING IN VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  Collectively, the members of Grupo Carso are involved in 
virtually every aspect of infrastructure development. Salem 
mentioned that IDEAL has begun bidding on and receiving 
contracts for schools, hospitals, and jails, particularly in 
the border region, and would like to become involved in 
tourism development in the booming Puerto Penasco area of 
Sonora.  Several of the attendees spoke of using a new 
program in Mexico where the government leases an 
infrastructure project for a set time period.  The leasee 
agrees to construct the infrastructure and maintain it for a 
certain number of years before it is returned to the 
government.  The government completes periodic audits to 
determine if the lease shall continue or if the lease should 
be terminated. 
 
NEW FORMS OF CONTACT 
-------------------- 
 
¶5.  Hajj explained that trade shows are not the best 
 
MEXICO 00001609  002 OF 002 
 
 
mechanism for U.S and Mexican companies to discuss 
opportunities for partnerships due to the size of the shows 
and diversity of participants.  He offered to set up meetings 
in Mexico for any U.S. company that wanted to discuss forming 
a relationship with the America Movil.  FCS asked, given each 
company's breadth of operations, that they identify sectors 
or areas where they believe that U.S. companies had the best 
opportunity to form agreements with them and that FCS would 
work to set up meetings with companies in these sectors. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶6. All of the Grupo Carso companies were quite willing to 
explore how they can forge relationships with U.S. 
corporations. One company had employees traveling to New York 
the next week and began making calls while leaving the 
breakfast in order to arrange meetings for their employees 
with FCS contacts while in the U.S. The breadth of projects 
undertaken by Grupo Carso offers a myriad of opportunities 
for U.S. companies of all sizes.  FCS has already initiated 
follow up activities with Grupo Carso including:  soliciting 
a formal invitation from BCIU to America Movil CEO Daniel 
Hajj to participate in a CEO roundtable event; promoting U.S. 
based Engineering Oil and Gas Exploration companies as 
strategic partners with SWECOMEX and a scheduled meeting with 
executives from IDEAL to discuss FCS support for an upcoming 
visit to New York to meet with finance organizations. 
 
 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity 
 
GARZA