VZCZCXRO1763
PP RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHME #3090/01 3002212
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 272212Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8774
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0001
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 003090 
 
SENSITIVE, SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/MEX(POYNTER), WHA/EPSC (COLON) 
STATE FOR OES/EGC(NELSON) 
NSC FOR RACHEL WALSH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON ENRG KGHG SENV MX
SUBJECT: MEXICAN VIEWS ON CLIMATE CHANGE NEGOTIATIONS 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  In an October 21 tour d'horizon of the 
climate change negotiations from the Mexican perspective, 
Mexican Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba, Special Negotiator 
for Climate Change at the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE) 
called the US-Mexico climate change relationship 'frank, 
candid, and close' but expressed some frustration with the 
latest U.S. funding proposal and urged a specific funding 
commitment from the United States in order to move the process 
forward.  Alfonso de Alba characterized the European proposal 
in Bangkok for a unified Kyoto-like document to be signed by 
all parties as a "big mistake," and noted that Mexico's 
proposal for a video conference of heads of state/government 
foresaw a need to settle some issues, post-Barcelona, at the 
highest level.  Alfonso de Alba also discussed Mexico's 
hosting of the 2010 COP-16 and the country's resource 
constraints.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Econoffs called on Mexican Ambassador Luis Alfonso 
de Alba, Mexican special negotiator for climate change at the 
Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE), on October 21.  Also 
present in the meeting was Socorro Flores Liera, Director 
General of the Mexican Office of Global Issues in SRE. 
Ambassador Alba characterized the US-Mexico climate change 
relationship as "frank, candid, and close in substantive 
terms."   He noted, however, that the proposal presented by 
the United States in Bangkok, with obligatory greenhouse gas 
(GHG) reductions for both developed and developing countries, 
would undermine Mexico's Green Fund proposal and also make it 
difficult to get developing countries on board without a 
financing package.  The public perception now is that "you're 
pressuring the developing countries rather than working on a 
package of developed country commitments that will move the 
process ahead."  He said that he personally feels that the 
developing countries should have greenhouse gas emissions 
reduction targets as well, but that the current lack of 
funding on the table has made things contentious. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Alfonso de Alba noted that he saw the financing issue 
as breaking out into three specific areas:  what a country 
will do on its own; what can be achieved through market 
mechanisms, irrespective of who is financing it; and the 
international funding, which should be for both adaptation and 
mitigation, and of which the Mexican Green Fund proposal is an 
example.  He said that the Mexican official from the Mexican 
National Institute of Ecology had gone too far during the 
London MEF meeting October 18-19 in proposing that developing 
countries should have GHG reduction commitment plans -- this 
had disappointed Brazil, India and South Africa.  Similarly, 
he noted that language and word choice had also inadvertently 
functioned as a bar for some countries, which see imposition 
of low-carbon growth as threatening, but which might respond 
differently to another term of art.  Alfonso de Alba stressed 
that the United States has to make decisions and accept a 
commitment within the international package of assistance for 
the developing countries.  China needs to make a bigger effort 
as well, but has already moved considerably. 
 
European Proposal a "Big Mistake" 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Alfonso de Alba noted that a particularly difficult 
sticking point with the United States involves how to deal 
with Kyoto - do we have Kyoto and something else that involves 
the United States and the developing countries?  Or, as the 
Europeans asked for in Bangkok, a single Kyoto-like document 
that all countries would ratify?  Alfonso de Alba 
characterized the latter as a "big mistake" on the part of the 
Europeans, as it is much too late in the game for a completely 
new concept and the proposal had the effect of throwing the 
process off track and the potential to make some countries shy 
away from any proposal at all.  Instead, Alfonso de Alba said 
that he favored getting the substance right first and then 
going for format -- an instrument that can convey the already- 
agreed substance appropriately. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Alfonso de Alba was careful to note that Mexican 
climate change negotiator from the environment ministry 
(SEMARNAT) Fernando Tudela had been misquoted last weekend at 
the MEF meeting in London, and that only this misquote (and 
not more positive statements) had reached U.S. newspapers. 
(Note:  Tudela was quoted as calling the United States a 
"stumbling block" in the negotiations because it was not able 
to put any figures on the table until it had Congressional 
approval.  Alfonso de Alba was firm in saying that this was an 
inaccurate rendition of Tudela's statement.)  He said that it 
is "important to us to play a bridge role," where we can 
'place pressure on the developing countries' to do their share 
 
MEXICO 00003090  002 OF 002 
 
 
to combat climate change.   He also said that Mexico wants to 
develop a stronger bilateral relationship with the United 
States on climate change, as well as strengthen trilateral 
cooperation, as the Leaders declared in Guadalajara.  (Note: 
Econoff heard the same plea on the bilateral relationship from 
Tudela a few weeks ago.) 
 
¶6.  (SBU) On the subject of the Mexican request for a Heads of 
State/Heads of Government videoconference, Alfonso de Alba 
noted that at the last minute some decisions can only be made 
at that level.  He said that Mexico had in mind for the 
videoconference a small group of ten or so heads of 
state/government, and not before mid-November, after 
Barcelona, when they would know where the UN process stands. 
He said that President Calderon would want to talk primarily 
about the financing piece of the puzzle, but that there are 2- 
3 other key climate change issues that might be appropriate 
for this venue. 
 
COP-16 Planning 
--------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) When asked about Mexico's plans to host COP-16, 
Alfonso de Alba said that Mexico will work with its available 
resources to host the meeting, but that the economic crisis 
has impacted the Mexican budget and he has to improvise with 
already available personnel and resources.  While SRE will 
take the lead on the meeting, the environmental ministry 
(SEMARNAT) will also contribute personnel and resources. 
Further, Mexico will want to consult about timing, as Mexico?s 
bicentennial of independence (September 15) and centennial of 
its Revolution (November 20) will occur during the timeframe 
set aside for COP-16 (early November).  Mexico will ask to 
delay the COP until after November 20.  He would welcome 
discussions in Barcelona about logistics and preparations, and 
would also request support from the U.S. (not clear what type) 
for COP-16. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) In closing, Alfonso de Alba said that he did not 
really expect a single and comprehensive document from 
Copenhagen.  Rather he hoped for a political commitment that 
would engender positive momentum and which could serve as a 
basis for further refinement as countries were able to commit 
more definitively. 
 
 
FEELEY