CANADIAN VIEWS ON CHAVEZ AND THE SOCIAL CHARTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 002650 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2010 TAGS: BH GY MX XM KSUM SOCI SUBJECT: CANADIAN VIEWS ON CHAVEZ AND THE SOCIAL CHARTER REF: SECSTATE 154693 Classified By: ACTING POLCOUNS PATRICIA KIM-SCOTT, REASONS 1.4 (B) (D) ¶1. (C) DCM spoke with Jamal Khokhar, FAC Director General for Latin America and the Caribbean, to elicit Canada's views on Chavez and the Social Charter. Khokhar said that prior to the event, Venezuelan Ambassador Perez was called in for Canadian officials to deliver the message that the way Venezuela was pursuing the issue was simply unacceptable. Perez was told that the social charter of the OAS is not a national charter that has been internationalized but a document that has been jointly developed by the member states. ¶2. (C) Khokhar said that Canada agrees with the United States about the document and sent its Deputy OAS representative to the meeting to signal its displeasure. Canada is concerned that Brazil is engaged in a vote swap on the charter in exchange for help with the G-4 issue, and that some of the small Caribbean countries could sign on in exchange for oil. He said that Assistant Deputy Minister Peter Boehm will hold corridor discussions in Buenos Aires with some of those who have supported the document, arguing that it is a damaging precedent to have a parallel document that is not developed through conventional means. Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa WILKINS