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RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM 
DE RUEHME #1777/01 1621836 
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R 101836Z JUN 08 
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO 
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2187 
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE 
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC 
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC 
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC 
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MEXICO 001777 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV SNAR KCRM PHUM MASS MX
SUBJECT: INTER-PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE DIALOGUE TAMES 
RHETORIC OVER MERIDA "CONDITIONS" ... FOR NOW 
 
¶1. Summary. The Mexican press has been consumed over much 
of the last two weeks with criticism of potential 
"conditions" attached to legislation being considered by the 
U.S. Congress in the debate over the Merida Initiative. 
Senior Mexican government officials and Congressional leaders 
alike have categorically rejected any conditions on U.S. 
assistance to Mexico insisting on "coresponsibility." This 
theme was repeated in the course of the annual 
Interparliamentary Conference hosted this year in Monterrey 
June 6-8 with participation of senior Congressional leaders 
from Mexico and the U.S. The U.S. congressional delegation 
applauded Mexico for its efforts in the fight against 
organized crime, committed the U.S. to cooperating with 
Mexico in this struggle, and conveyed appreciation for 
Mexican sensitivities about conditions, pledging to produce a 
new version that both sides would find acceptable. End 
Summary. 
 
The Storm Before the Calm 
 
¶2. Mexican commentators and politcians have been practically 
unanimous in rejecting conditions on U.S. assistance to 
Mexico to fight organized crime. Many have likened the 
conditions to the drug "certification" process which Mexico 
found so disagreeable over the last decade. Mexico's Deputy 
Attorney General Vasconceles remarked that the U.S. should 
spend its money addressing problems on its side of the border 
if it was going to attach conditions to the Merida 
Initiative. Interior Secretary Juan Mourino similarly made 
it clear that Mexico would consider conditions placed on the 
initiative "inappropriate" and "unacceptable." The Director 
of Mexico's National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH) Jose 
Luis Soberanes Fernandez maintained that his organization 
would monitor the military's compliance with human rights 
norms and didn't need the U.S. Congress to do it for him. He 
objected to language in Congressional legislation that would 
call for Mexico to try cases against the Mexican military in 
civilian courts maintaining this would be unconstitutional. 
He also challenged a provision in U.S. draft legislation to 
give the UN's Human Rights Office in Mexico one million 
dollars to support its work. 
 
¶3. The Mexican Congress lined up behind the government 
similarly rejecting any U.S. conditions on assistance. 
Senator Rosario Green, the President of the Mexican Senate's 
Foreign Relations Commission, told PolOff that all of 
Mexico's parties had come together in agreement on this 
issue. She stressed Mexico was fighting a war with its 
police and military outgunned and that it was insulting for 
the U.S. to insist Mexico meet certain conditions before it 
receives assistance. She appreciated the need for 
cooperation with the U.S. but maintained it was "in the 
blood" of Mexicans to resist any appearance of infringement 
on Mexican sovereignty. She was resentful that Mexican NGOs 
had filed complaints with U.S. officials, asserting Mexico 
availed plenty of institutions for their complaints. She 
warned that some groups abused their access, suggesting that 
at least one group in the past had passed funds it had 
received from the German government to a Zapatista guerrilla 
group. 
 
¶4. Seeking to establish an oversight function on the Merida 
Initiative, the President of the Mexican Senate's North 
American Commission, Senator Ricardo Garcia Cervantes, 
sponsored a resolution May 23 to create an ad hoc committee 
to evaluate the Merida Initiative, track its "progress," and 
pursue coordination with U.S. congressional officials. When 
a group of some eight Mexican senators and eight deputies 
convened on June 4 they agreed on a resolution that asserted 
that Mexico's Permanent Commission 
 
-- endorsed the Government's rejection of any conditions 
placed on U.S. assistance; 
 
-- rejected any strategy that did not recognize both 
countries' responsibility in the fight against drug 
trafficking; 
 
-- and exhorted the Mexican delegation to the 
Interparliamentary Conference in Monterrey to seek a 
resolution of this matter with its U.S. counterparts in the 
framework of shared responsibility and respect for the 
sovereignty of both countries. 
 
Letting Off Steam in Monterrey 
 
¶5. Mexico's delegation of some 10 Senators and 13 Deputies 
minced few words in conveying its objections to U.S. 
congressional conditions on the Merida Initiative at the 
Interparliamentary Conference in Monterrey June 6-8. 
Speaking on behalf of the group, Deputy Alejandro Chanona 
Burguete of the Convergence Party, inter alia 1) rejected any 
conditions on assistance, 2) called for cooperation in the 
fight against drug traffickers, and 3) recommended the 
creation of a binational committee to evaluate the strategy 
for combating organized crime. Congressional representatives 
from across Mexico's entire political spectrum repeatedly 
stressed their desire to cooperate with the U.S. but made it 
clear they found the subject of conditions "insulting." 
 
¶6. U.S. Senator Dodd had set the tone for dialogue over the 
weekend when in his opening remarks he recognized the Mexican 
government's sacrifices in the fight against organized crime, 
applauded its efforts, stressed the importance of cooperation 
between the U.S. and Mexico, and appealed for a "lowering of 
the temperature" on the debate in recognition of his 
confidence that the U.S. would come up with legislation that 
Mexico would find acceptable. He also circulated a letter 
from from Senator Leahy that pledged a commitment to 
cooperation with Mexico. Other members of the U.S. 
delegation, including Representative Pastor who gave a 
detailed description of the legislative process and 
Representative Brian Bilbray who promised to be Mexico's most 
passionate advocate on its security efforts reinforced the 
U.S. delegation's appreciation for Mexican sensitivity over 
conditionality. Dodd urged the Mexican Congress to hold its 
executive leaders accountable for their efforts including the 
Merida Initiative. 
 
¶7. Dodd used the press conference to send a positive message 
of unity on the Merida Initiative. Speaking directly to the 
Mexican drug cartels, he maintained the U.S. and Mexico may 
have their differences but that the U.S. stood with Mexico in 
its fight against organized crime and that the cartels would 
lose. Deputy Ruth Zavaleta, Mexico's delegation head, 
declined to comment directly on the controversy over the 
Merida Initiative. However, after repeated queries, Mexican 
Senator Green remarked that Senator Dodd had "promised" to 
address concerns on conditions. The Mexican delegation was 
predisposed to trust their U.S. counterparts but needed to 
wait and see what the final draft looked like. 
 
And the Rest of the Story in Monterrey 
 
¶8. In addition to its session on the Merida Initiative, the 
two delegations in Monterrey focused on migration and 
competitiveness. The Mexican representatives stressed 
concern about U.S. policy relating to deportations which they 
described as inhumane; they also complained that construction 
of a wall set the wrong tone for two neighboring countries 
seeking to deepen commercial ties and law enforcement 
cooperation. Zavaleta, the President of Mexico's Chamber of 
Deputies, gave an emotional speech about how her brother had 
crossed into and continued living in the U.S. illegally as an 
undocumented worker, injecting a human, personal element into 
the issue. 
 
¶9. The U.S. representatives presented a divided picture. 
Democrats spoke to their commitment to reform that would 
allow for millions of undocumented workers to gain -- over 
time -- legal status. They described both candidates for 
U.S. President as forward leaning on this issue but conceded 
neither candidate would likely move on immigration reform as 
a high priority in his first year. The Republican 
representatives spoke to the need for reform to allow more 
workers to come into the U.S. legally to take up employment 
in targeted areas but rejected the concept of "rewarding" 
those who had already entered and were living in the U.S. 
illegally. 
 
¶10. The merits and faults of NAFTA served the focused for 
much of the debate over competitiveness with Mexican leftists 
insisting it had proven counterproductive but with supporters 
arguing for greater integration of our economies. The U.S. 
representatives offered Ireland as a developmental model for 
Mexico urging more GOM attention to education. The Mexicans 
pointed out that Ireland had received much financial support 
as a member of the European Union, hinting the U.S. should 
consider providing Mexico with that kind of support. Both 
sides discussed the need to facilitate trade and commerce on 
the border. 
 
¶11. Comment. Most Mexicans regard cooperation with the U.S. 
as an essential component in the country's efforts to take on 
organized crime. However, in view of Mexico's history with 
the U.S. and the responsibility they believe the U.S. shares 
for the problems Mexico faces as a result of the drug trade, 
almost all Mexicans describe the concept of conditions on 
U.S. assistance to Mexico as unacceptable. The Mexican 
representatives signaled they were prepared to give their 
U.S. counterparts the benefit of the doubt on the question of 
recrafting the legislation on the Merida Initiative. They 
want to find terms that Mexican can live with. The challenge 
for the U.S. Congress will lie in producing language that 
meets the minimum U.S. requirements for exercising oversight 
and complying with U.S. law without overstepping Mexico's red 
lines when it comes to terms it consider tantamount to a 
certification process. 
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 / 
 
GARZA