VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHQT #1009/01 3352243
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O R 012243Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY QUITO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0487
INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0128
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS
RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA
RUEHPO/AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 001009 
 
SIPDIS 
AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PASS TO AMCONSUL RECIFE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/12/01 
TAGS: PREL MARR AORC EC CO XM XR
SUBJECT: UNASUR Establishes Confidence Building Mechanism 
 
REF: QUITO 983; QUITO 97...


id: 237491
date: 12/1/2009 22:43
refid: 09QUITO1009
origin: Embassy Quito
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 09QUITO979|09QUITO983
header:
VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHQT #1009/01 3352243
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O R 012243Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY QUITO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0487
INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0128
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS
RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA
RUEHPO/AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA


----------------- header ends ----------------

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 001009 
 
SIPDIS 
AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PASS TO AMCONSUL RECIFE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/12/01 
TAGS: PREL MARR AORC EC CO XM XR
SUBJECT: UNASUR Establishes Confidence Building Mechanism 
 
REF: QUITO 983; QUITO 979 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Heather M. Hodges, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B), (D) 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY:  The November 27 UNASUR meeting of foreign and 
defense ministers managed to reach agreement on a resolution 
establishing a "confidence building mechanism," with provisions 
designed to improve transparency and information sharing, provide 
guarantees regarding the use and/or threat of force, and define 
South America as a region of peace.  UNASUR deferred discussion of 
the U.S.-Colombia Defense Cooperation Agreement until the next 
ministerial, and decided to invite the USG to discuss strategic 
issues and U.S. policy in the region with UNASUR.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The foreign and defense ministers of the Union of South 
American Nations (UNASUR), meeting on November 27 in Quito, 
approved a resolution creating a "Mechanism to Build Confidence and 
Security."  The agreement builds on the Bariloche Decision by 
UNASUR heads of state on August 28 to "strengthen South America as 
a zone of peace."  In a November 28 MFA press release, Foreign 
Minister Fander Falconi called the agreement a "transcendental 
milestone for UNASUR, that constitutes the basis of a new 
relationship in the field of security for the countries of the 
region." 
 
No Official Condemnation of the U.S-Colombia DCA 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶3.  (C) The meeting deferred a Venezuelan proposal to declare the 
South American region a zone free of foreign bases until the next 
ministerial, still to be scheduled.  The Ecuadorian press reported 
that the absence of Colombia's foreign and defense ministers at the 
November 27 also stymied the Venezuelan call for condemnation of 
the U.S.-Colombia Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA), also 
deferred until the next meeting.  The press referred to the lack of 
a condemnation in the agreement as a "win in this round by Colombia 
over Venezuela." 
 
¶4.  (C) Coordinating Security Minister Miguel Carvajal sought to 
put a positive spin on the outcome.  In a televised interview on 
November 30, Carvajal said that the U.S. and Colombian commitment 
to ensure that the interests of UNASUR members would not be 
affected by the presence of USG personnel on Colombian bases was 
affirmed by a document from Colombia, as well as a letter by 
Secretary Clinton.  Carvajal claimed that the United States 
"changed the text (of the DCA) in the last period" to provide such 
guarantees, and called this a "positive gesture." 
 
¶5.  (C) UNASUR has not given up on its goal to dialogue directly 
with the USG on the DCA.  The UNASUR resolution states that "UNASUR 
considers it important to invite the United States to a dialogue on 
strategic questions, of defense, peace, security and development, 
in a date to be coordinated by the (UNASUR) Presidency."  The 
Embassy has not received any communication from the MFA regarding 
such an invitation.  Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro and 
others reportedly suggested that UNASUR invite the Secretary. 
 
Confidence Building Mechanism 
----------------------------- 
¶6.  (SBU) At the conclusion of an 11 hour session, the UNASUR 
members approved a resolution establishing a five-section 
confidence building mechanism to improve transparency and 
information sharing, provide guarantees regarding the use and/or 
threat of force, and define South America as a region of peace. 
 
-- The first section, Exchange of Information and Transparency, 
creates a system for sharing information regarding defense 
policies, and requires member countries to share the text of all 
defense and/or security cooperation agreements as well as the 
defense budgets for the last five years. 
 
-- The second section, Intra- and Extra-Regional Military 
Activities, requires member countries to notify in advance all 
members of UNASUR of any defense maneuver along the border of 
another country, to include details of that activity. 
 
-- The third section, Security Measures, requires that member 
countries adopt needed measures to prevent and impede the presence 
or actions by illegal armed groups and to abstain from any type of 
assistance to these armed groups or its members. 
 
 
 
-- The fourth section, Guarantees, provides that the use or threat 
of force by any UNASUR member country against another will be 
prohibited, including any type of military aggression or threat to 
stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity. 
 
 
 
-- The fifth section, Completion and Verification, allows for 
visits and increased military cooperation in the region and for the 
verification of border situations of member states and to raise the 
resulting studies to UNASUR's Council of State Leaders. 
 
 
 
Other Regional Issues 
 
--------------------- 
 
 
 
¶7.  (C) Regarding the elections in Honduras, President Correa 
announced from Brussels on November 27 that "the decision is made: 
we will not recognize the elections under the de facto government 
of Roberto Micheletti."  He portrayed this as a UNASUR decision. 
Correa encouraged the European Union to follow UNASUR's lead, 
saying the elections "would be like a coup d'etat."  However, 
Peruvian Foreign Minister Jose Garcia Belaunde undercut Correa by 
announcing separately in Quito on November 27 that Peru would 
recognize the elections.  Ecuador's MFA issued a press bulletin on 
November 29 reiterating its position that the Honduran elections 
were "corrupt from the outset." (Ref A) 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Ecuador had suggested that the UNASUR meeting agenda 
include a discussion of the alleged spying by Chile against Peru. 
However, Chile succeeded in its request to have the issue removed 
from the agenda, according to press reports. 
 
Low Level Attendance 
-------------------- 
 
¶9.  (C) Few ministers were present at the November 27 meeting. 
Among 23 total participants, only two countries sent both their 
foreign and defense ministers, namely Ecuador and Brazil.  Peru and 
Venezuela sent their foreign ministers, while Paraguay and Suriname 
sent their defense ministers.  The remaining five UNASUR countries 
were represented by vice ministers or other officials. 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶10.  (C) This UNASUR meeting was a milestone in that its divided 
membership managed to reach consensus on a document spelling out 
confidence building measures.  The Secretary and Defense 
Secretary's letters clearly helped defuse criticism of the DCA. 
HODGES 

=======================CABLE ENDS============================