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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 005243 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/27/2027 
TAGS: KCRM MX PGOV PREL SNAR
SUBJECT: MEXICAN SENATORS PLANNING U.S. VISIT TO DISCUSS 
COOPERATION 
 
 ¶1.  (C)  SUMMARY.  Senior-level Mexican Senators are 
considering traveling to Washington for the purpose of 
meeting with their counterparts from the U.S. Congress.  We 
understand President Calderon and PAN Party stalwarts in the 
Mexican Congress seek to use these trips to lay the 
groundwork for an eventual package of enhanced U.S./Mexican 
cooperation in the fight against organized crime. Post 
expects Mexico's Embassy will be in contact with the 
Department regarding the visits and relies on the 
Department's judgment regarding the best time for the visits 
and a good agenda of meetings.  END SUMMARY. 
 
Looking for Cooperation and More Respect 
 
¶2.  (C) Senator Ricardo Garcia Cervantes (PAN), President of 
the Senate's Foreign Relations Commission on North America, 
told visiting WHA/MEX Office Director Ian Brownlee and Acting 
PolCouns September 20 that he would like to visit Washington, 
preferably mid-October, primarily for the purpose of meeting 
with senior U.S. Congressional leaders to discuss building a 
stronger relationship between the U.S. and Mexico.  Mexico 
needs to promote greater prosperity to make it stronger and 
achieve in twemtu years what takes most nations fifty. 
Garcia remarked that Mexico was dedicating greater resources 
to combating organized crime and signaled openness to greater 
cooperation with the U.S.  However, violence was taking its 
toll on Mexico's political will.  He allowed that Mexico only 
had "two years" to prove that the increased funds and lives 
dedicated to this fight were producing progress.  Otherwise, 
the funding would dry up. Mexico was not looking for the U.S. 
to provide "assistance," particularly in the form of men on 
the ground, but rather "cooperation" in the form of 
intelligence and technology.  He noted the technology the 
U.S. brings to bear in inspecting goods entering the U.S.  He 
urged the U.S. to dedicate that same technology to inspect 
goods departing the U.S. as part of an effort to curb the 
flow of illegal arms into Mexico. 
 
¶3.  (C)  Garcia invited Senators Carlos Jimenez (PRI) and 
Tomas Torres (PRD) to participate in the meeting.  Garcia 
insisted Mexico considered its relationship with the U.S. its 
most important.  However, both he and Jimenez conveyed 
disappointment over the lack of attention  senior U.S. 
Congressional representatives had afforded Mexico in the past 
and stressed the need for more expansive, substance contact 
with their Congressional contacts.  All three Senators wanted 
to see more resources dedicated to the North American 
Development Bank.  They thought disproportionate resources 
were dedicated to security and wanted to see greater funds 
dedicated to development projects. 
 
Laying the Groundwork for Cooperation with the U.S. 
 
¶4.  (C)  On September 25, Garcia in his capacity as President 
of the Senate Foreign Relations Commission on North America 
presented a resolution to the Senate seeking agreement on his 
making his trip to the U.S., accompanied by other Senate 
leaders, for the purpose of initiating dialogue with U.S. 
Congressional counterparts about deepening cooperation with 
the U.S. in the fight against drug trafficking.  Garcia's 
senior advisor, Karla Mendoza, who probably drafted the 
resolution (sent by email 9/27 to WHA/MEX), conceded it took 
some jabs at the U.S., but insisted Garcia's overarching 
intent was to lay the groundwork and establish a constructive 
tone for enhanced U.S./Mexican cooperation.  Mendoza noted 
that Garcia had been in contact with President Calderon on 
this initiative but maintained the Presidency had not/not 
cleared off on Garcia's Senate resolution. Some of the 
resolution's more salient points include the following: 
 
-- Drug trafficking makes no distinction when it comes to 
nationalities or damage to society in general. 
 
-- President Calderon has assumed responsibility for 
recovering Mexican society with all of the State's forces. 
 
-- On a daily basis, dozens die, including civilians, police, 
and soldiers, all at the hands of the mafia. 
 
-- Mexico has increased international cooperation with others 
that share our problems and their consequences; the Senate 
has ratified extradition treaties with the aim of not 
allowing criminals to escape justice. 
 
-- Mexico's money laundering legislation and Penal Code have 
been brought into accord with the regional framework. 
 
-- Drug trafficking has left its mark not only in the form of 
criminal networks and corruption but also rising levels of 
 
MEXICO 00005243  002 OF 002 
 
 
drug consumption by youth. 
 
-- Our neighbor the U.S. suffers the same problems. 
 
-- The U.S. must recognize its co-responsibility and 
obligation to do its part ) not with rhetoric ) but with 
common and concrete efforts. 
 
-- Mexico does not need men, nor talent, nor much less the 
operational presence of foreigners.  Rather, in this age of 
advanced technology, Mexico needs the U.S. to dedicate its 
own equipment and intelligence systems to the fight against 
crime ) here and in the U.S. 
 
-- The U.S. right to bear arms cannot be allowed to undermine 
the shared responsibility of the U.S. and Mexico to confront 
international arms trafficking. 
 
-- The U.S. uses high technology to detect everything that 
enters its country.  Why can't it use that technology to 
detect arms trafficked from the U.S. into Mexico? 
 
-- Both Mexico and the U.S. should be committed to 
cooperation given shared responsibility. 
 
-- Requests authorization from the Senate to take up 
pertinent discussions with U.S. Congressional counterparts to 
explore broader and more efficient cooperation in the fight 
against drug trafficking. 
 
-- It is not the time to build walls but rather construct 
alliances to combat the threat of drug trafficking and 
organized crime in our region. 
 
-- Cooperation is the ideal instrument to achieve this end. 
 
... And Another Senate Visit to the U.S. in the Works 
 
¶5.  (C)  Separately, Senator Adriana Gonzalez, Vice-President 
of the Senate's Foreign Relations Commission, told WHA/MEX 
deskoff Mary Stickles and Acting PolCouns September 26 that 
Senator Santiago Creel (PAN), the President of the Senate's 
Political Coordination Board, was looking at Garcia's trip as 
an advance for a separate Mexican Senate trip to the U.S. he 
would like to organize.  Gonzalez signaled Creel would like 
to travel to the U.S. in late October as the head of a 
delegation that would include fellow Coordination Board 
members and Senators Mario Fabio Beltrones (PRI) and Carlos 
Navarrete (PRD) amongst others.  Gonzalez remarked, only half 
jokingly, that in addition to meeting with Congressional 
leaders from both parties, she would welcome meetings with 
Presidential hopefuls Senators Clinton and Obama.  Gonzalez 
said that Creel was coordinating with Garcia on his visit to 
the U.S.  (NOTE: The Senate's Political Coordination Board 
represents the most powerful players in the Mexican Senate 
working behind the scenes over recent months to move key 
reform legislation ahead.  END NOTE.)  Gonzalez remarked that 
Creel maintains close contact with President Calderon 
regarding key priorities including building broader 
cooperation with the U.S. in combating drug trafficking. 
 
¶6.  (C)  COMMENT.  Post regards the Mexican Senate's desire 
to engage its U.S. counterparts as inevitable and probably 
unavoidable.  It will require care and close coordination 
with the GOM to keep their role constructive and focused 
mutual security issues and away from migration.  Mendoza, 
Senator Garcia's advisor, told Acting PolCons that Garcia's 
visit was to serve as an advance for Creel's follow-on, 
higher level visit.  However, she also said Garcia and Creel 
were looking to Washington for guidance about the best time 
to come.  Garcia was prepared to look at postponing his trip 
if that were our recommendation.   We understand these 
Senators are also working through Mexico's Embassy to pursue 
meetings with U.S. Congressional leaders, the State 
Department, and other offices.  We rely on the Department for 
guidance about the best time for visits to the U.S. and 
preparing a full schedule of meetings.  END COMMENT. 
 
 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity and the North American 
Partnership Blog at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / 
BASSETT