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