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FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8274
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNNAR/VIENNA NARCOTICS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 001028 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2018 
TAGS: PREL XL XM CA
SUBJECT: EXCHANGING VIEWS ON THE OAS AND THE SUMMIT OF THE 
AMERICAS WITH CANADA 
 
REF: OTTAWA 976 
 
Classified By: PolMinCouns Scott Bellard, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary.  In meetings at the Department of Foreign 
Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) on July 18, U.S. 
Permanent Representative to the Organization of American 
States Hector E. Morales, Jr. emphasized his hopes of 
maintaining strong coordination and collaboration with Canada 
on hemispheric issues and expressed his appreciation for 
ongoing Canadian cooperation bilaterally and multilaterally. 
He called for improving the OAS' efficiency and pruning its 
various mandates as members consider the budget.  He 
exchanged views on some of the logistical and substantive 
challenges facing the April 2009 Summit of the Americas in 
Port of Spain, and agreed on the importance of working 
together to help Trinidad and Tobago organize a successful 
Summit.    End Summary. 
 
Latin American Bureau 
--------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C)  Ambassador Morales met on July 18 with DFAIT's 
Director General for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs 
James Lambert, joined by Acting Director of the 
Inter-American Affairs Division Leonard Beaulne, Coordinator 
of the Summit of the Americas Paul Williams, OAS Coordinator 
Mandy Sheldrake, and PolMinCouns.  Ambassador Morales 
highlighted the importance the U.S. placed on improving the 
OAS' efficiency and effectiveness, citing the need to 
prioritize its work and to review its more than 800 mandates, 
with a medium-to-long term view of pruning some of them.   He 
underscored that the U.S. and Canada together paid much more 
than half of the budget, unlike the Inter-American 
Development Bank, for which the borrowers contributed the 
majority share.  He described this situation as "not in the 
long-term organizational interests" of the OAS.  He called 
for more efficiency and accountability by the OAS.  DG 
Lambert expressed full agreement, while underscoring the 
continued importance of the OAS, notably its regional offices 
and its electoral mandates.  He nonetheless admitted the OAS' 
"mandate creep,"  but could offer no formula on how to shape 
an effective response.  On the OAS budget, Ambassador Morales 
called for a possible rethink of who is paying how much, 
underscoring that the numerous observers did not contribute 
to the regular budget, yet were present at all council and 
committee meetings.  He stated that ongoing budget 
discussions needed to include a review of efficiency and 
quota issues. 
 
¶3.  (C)  DG Lambert lamented that members of the OAS often 
"tiptoed" around key issues -- such as democracy in Venezuela 
-- and insisted that Canada had joined the OAS in the 1990s 
to help bring "multilateral professionalism" to the OAS, not 
to "Latin Americanize Canada."  He said that the Conservative 
government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper was especially 
interested in improving the OAS' administrative efficiency 
and in promoting democracy throughout the hemisphere. 
Ambassador Morales also voiced concern about "unbalance" in 
the OAS, citing the U.S. need to add a footnote about the 
right of self defense in the OAS resolution about Colombia's 
March 1 raid against a FARC camp in Ecuador.  He insisted 
that it remained important for the OAS to speak out about 
terrorism, human rights, and democracy.  Both DG Lambert and 
Ambassador Morales expressed some concerns about a sometime 
lack of balance also by the OAS Secretary General, and agreed 
that the OAS must fairly represent all constituencies, not 
just Latin American ones.  Ambassador Morales noted that 
Qjust Latin American ones.  Ambassador Morales noted that 
sub-regional organizations could play helpful roles, but only 
if they complement what the OAS and IDB are doing, not 
compete with them. 
 
¶4.  (C)  Ambassador Morales condemned the FARC as a genuine 
terrorist organization that posed a real threat to the 
region.  He explained that Colombia will soon publicly call 
for the world also to condemn it (as the U.S. has done 
privately -- reftel), and called for pro-active support for 
the Colombian President.  He cited OAS as well as UN 
obligations for members to take action, especially in not 
providing safe haven for the FARC.  DG Lambert voiced general 
agreement. 
 
¶5.  (C) DG Lambert praised Ambassador Morales' thoughtful 
letter to Trinidad's National Coordinator and Special Envoy 
to the Americas and the Commonwealth Luis Alberto Rodriguez 
on its draft declaration for the Fifth Summit of the 
Americas," and said that Canada was also working with him on 
this, but called it a "monster declaration" with "unrealistic 
goals," especially on energy and climate change.  He added 
that PM Harper had promised PM Manning of Canada's 
willingness to "backstop."  He stressed the importance of 
 
OTTAWA 00001028  002 OF 002 
 
 
ensuring a successful Summit in 2009 or else there might 
never be another one.  Ambassador Morales explained that he 
had briefed both U.S. Presidential campaigns on the 2009 
Summit, and advisors in both camps said they would need a 
"compelled case" to attend in order to avoid possible 
embarrassment, while agreeing that a successful summit would 
be an excellent opportunity to lay out the new 
Administration's vision for the region.  DG Lambert added 
that Canada would support making the Summits more regular, 
probably every two years.  Ambassador Morales warned that any 
effort by Trinidad and/or Venezuela to include Cuba in the 
2009 Summit would make it a "non-starter" for any U.S. 
President. 
 
¶6. (C)  Ambassador Morales expressed high appreciation for 
Canada's important role in the region, especially Haiti, on 
its own as well as working with the U.S. and also through the 
OAS. 
 
North America Bureau 
-------------------- 
 
¶7.  (C)  In a separate meeting with Assistant Deputy Foreign 
Minister for North America and Summit of the Americas sherpa 
Peter Boehm and Assistant Deputy Foreign Minister for the 
Americas Strategy Alexandra Bugailiskis (whom Boehm indicated 
would likely inherit his Summit portfolio once he departs for 
his new assignment as Ambassador to Germany in August), 
Ambassador Morales underscored that there could not be a 
repeat of unsuccessful previous Summit in Argentina but that 
Trinidad was well aware of the need to "reinvigorate" the 
Summits.  He expressed optimism but asked for continued 
Canadian assistance to make the 2009 Summit successful.  He 
also thanked Canada for its excellent cooperation not only on 
the Summit but also more generally within the OAS.  ADM Boehm 
described the importance of multilateral cooperation for 
Canada, in part as a counterweight to its close relationship 
with the U.S.  He agreed that Trinidad needed to reach out 
for more input, but said that a "Friends of the Chair" 
mechanism might quickly become unwieldy.  He shared a draft 
of his short reply to National Coordinator Rodriguez on the 
draft declaration, and affirmed that Canadian views largely 
coincided with those of the U.S.  He said that he fully 
agreed that members must convince PM Manning not to try to 
include Cuba in the 2009 Summit.  Ambassador Morales pointed 
out that 34 democracies had agreed at the 2001 Quebec Summit 
on the summit process and how to add new participants, and 
now was not the time to contemplate circumventing these 
procedures to include Cuba.   ADM Boehm agreed that there was 
"nothing to gain" from Cuba's participation. 
 
¶8.  (C)  ADM Boehm said that Trinidad had originally tried to 
"outsource" logistics for the Summit to Canada, but the 
government demurred, offering instead in-kind assistance and 
advice, including a recent visit that came up with several 
pages of recommendations, which he shared with Ambassador 
Morales.  He noted especially that National Coordinator 
Rodriguez needed to work more closely with Trinidad's 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs on protocol.  He added that 
Trinidad would definitely also need help on security issues. 
Ambassador Morales described some assistance the USG was also 
providing Trinidad.  ADM Boehm confirmed that it was in our 
"collective interest" to see the 2009 Summit succeed. 
 
¶9.  (C)  ADM Boehm and ADM Bugailiskis both agreed on the 
utility of a strategic review of the OAS' budget and 
mandates. 
 
¶10.  (U)  Ambassador Morales has cleared this message. 
 
Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at 
QVisit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at 
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada 
 
WILKINS