COSTA RICA TO BE SUPPORTIVE AT SUMMIT OF THE

UNCLAS SAN JOSE 002497 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN JASON MACK, BUENOS AIRES FOR AMBASSADOR MAISTO AND USDEL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KSUM ECON ELAB CS SUBJECT: COSTA RICA TO BE SUPPORTIVE AT SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS REF: A. SECSTATE 195518 ¶B. SECSTATE 195226 ¶1. (SBU) On October 26, Charge and PolOff followed up on an October 20 demarche by paying a call on Foreign Minister Tovar. In an improvement on the MFA's original response (see below),Tovar emphatically agreed with all our proposed changes to the draft declaration. In particular, Tovar highlighted paragraphs 15, 26, and 31, noting the logic behind our concerns and giving full agreement to our proposed changes. Also at this meeting were Ambassador Sancho and Vice Minister Vargas, who will both be attending the SIRG sessions later this week. As an aside at the conclusion of our meeting, Sancho (who made numerous referrences to the Summit session convened by USOAS Ambassador and WHA/DAS Fisk the previous week)indicated that he had marching orders to support our mutual positions during the planning sessions. ¶2. (U) The Costa Rican Summit delegation will include the President and First Lady, Protocol Chief Marta Nunez, Labor Minister Fernando Trejos, MFA Vice Minister Marco Vinicio Vargas, National Apprenticeship Institute head Roger Carvajal, and Costa Rican Ambassador to the OAS Javier Sancho. ¶3. (U) Charge and PolOff had on October 20 delivered ref B points and the revised proposal for a joint commercial/labor ministerial to the MFA's Director General for Foreign Policy and Summit Coordinator Ambassador Jose Joaquin Chaverri. Chaverri was accompanied by Carlos Cordero, Director for Multilateral Policy. ¶4. (SBU) Chaverri declined to comment on many of our points, but indicated that Costa Rica has a proposal of its own regarding immigrant rights. Chaverri said Costa Rica shares some of our concerns in this area due to illegal migration from neighboring Nicaragua. He carefully noted our request to set a date at the Summit for restarting FTAA talks, but made no commitments. Chaverri nodded at Charge's point that the Presidents should not be asked to endorse a Social Charter that has not been agreed upon. In response to our point that paragraph 26 had become an unwieldy catch-all that should be dumped, Chaverri observed somewhat cryptically that ILO-related issues were at the core of the problem. Chaverri's tone implied that he considers this problem to be mostly ours. Chaverri was most responsive to our proposal for the joint commerce/labor ministerial, asking several questions and suggesting that the Costa Rican Ministry of Economy and Industry participate. ¶5. (SBU) Comment: Tovar was far more supportive of the U.S. position than was Chaverri, and thankfully it is Tovar who calls the shots. We were fortunate that both Vargas and Sancho also received our demarche since they will actually be at the Summit. Sancho's interpretation of the Minister's explicit agreement with our points as constituting his marching orders is very encouraging. FRISBIE