DEMARCHE REQUEST: SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS

UNCLAS LIMA 004267 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KSUM ECON PGOV PE SUBJECT: DEMARCHE REQUEST: SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS DECLARATION (PERU) REF: A. STATE 178321 ¶B. STATE 175049 ¶C. LIMA 3824 ¶1. (U) With Foreign Minister Oscar Maurtua unavailable (he attended a decentralized Cabinet meeting in Tacna on 9/27 and was departing with President Toledo for the South American Community of Nations Summit in BRASILIA on 9/29),the Ambassador raised the USG's concerns over the Summit of the Americas Declaration (Ref A) at a 9/28 lunch with the Foreign Ministry's Vice Minister of Foreign Relations Javier Gonzales Terrones, Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Eduardo Chavarri, and Director of North American Affairs Nestor Popolizio. ¶2. (U) VM Gonzales, who gave no indication that he was aware of the substantive issues involved, expressed optimism that a Summit Declaration would eventually be agreed to, commenting that Latin Americans tend to improvise a solution at the last minute while Americans approach these matters in a more organized manner. Popolizio, who participated in SOA negotiations in his prior assignment as DCM at Peru's Embassy in Washington, fixed on the Ambassador's observation that the Argentines had insisted on chairing all working groups at the last SIRG (Ref B),noted that chairmanship of working groups had been shared between participating delegations during other Summit discussions, and said that he would discuss Peru's involvement in the upcoming SIRG in Washington with the Ministry's Multilateral Affairs bureau. ¶3. (SBU) Polcouns presented the demarche on the Summit of the Americas Declaration (Ref A) to Julio Garro, the Foreign Ministry's Director of Multilateral Affairs on 9/27. Garro was sympathetic to our concerns over the Summit Declaration, said that Peru agreed with the need to come to closure at the Washington SIRG, and added that Under Secretary for Political Affairs Fernando Rojas would head Peru's delegation to that meeting. ¶4. (SBU) COMMENT: The Summit of the Americas has not/not been a priority issue for the Foreign Ministry's Bureau of Multilateral Affairs, which has been concentrating its limited resources on the UN General Assembly and the South American Community of Nations (where President Toledo will be handing over the Presidency to his Brazilian counterpart Lula). The decision to send U/S for Political Affairs Rojas (number three at the Ministry) to head Peru's delegation, however, provides an indication that Peru is taking a more serious look at the SOA process. USOAS may wish to follow-up on our lobbying in Lima for a more forceful and positive Peruvian role at the Washington negotiations by making a similar push with Peru's OAS delegation. END COMMENT. STRUBLE