AMBASSADOR SEEKS SALVADORAN SUPPORT FOR USG SUMMIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SAN SALVADOR 002913 SIPDIS BUENOS AIRES PASS TO U.S. SUMMIT IMPLEMENTATION REVIEW GROUP DELEGATION E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2015 TAGS: ECON PREL PGOV KSUM CU ES SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR SEEKS SALVADORAN SUPPORT FOR USG SUMMIT PRIORITIES REF: A. SECSTATE 195518 ¶B. SECSTATE 195226 ¶C. SAN SALVADOR 02853 Classified By: DCM Michael Butler for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Ambassador met with Foreign Minister Francisco Lainez on October 24 to enlist Salvadoran support for concluding an acceptable draft Declaration and Plan of Action for the Summit of the Americas. Ambassador also expressed disappointment over El Salvador's support for the Salamanca declaration denouncing the U.S. economic embargo of Cuba, as well as El Salvador's vote in favor of the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity. Ambassador sought Lainez' support for stand alone statements on the Doha Development Round, Democracies in Transition, and a Commerce - Labor Ministerial in 2006. Minister Lainez said he would support the Democracies in Transition and Commerce - Labor Ministerial initiatives but did not provide substantive feedback on other issues. Minister Lainez also said El Salvador would abstain on the upcoming UN vote on Cuba at the UNGA. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Ambassador met with Foreign Minister Francisco Lainez on October 24 to enlist Salvadoran support for concluding an acceptable draft Declaration and Plan of Action for the Summit of the Americas. Ambassador asked for Lainez' support for the stand alone statements on the Doha Development Round, Democracies in Transition, and the Labor Ministerial in 2006, and gave him copies of the proposed texts. (Note: Copies of the statement were also provided to working-level summit coordinator Felix Ulloa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. End Note.) Ambassador told Lainez that we are counting on Salvadoran support for U.S. initiatives at the Summit of the Americas and did not want to see a repeat of the Salamanca or UNESCO votes. Minister Lainez responded substantively only on the Commerce - Labor stand alone and the statement of democracies, offering support for both. ¶3. (C) Lainez raised the November 8 vote in the UN General Assembly on ending the US embargo against Cuba. Lainez said El Salvador would vote as it had for the past seven years, neither for nor against, but rather abstaining. He also asked the Embassy to provide information to the press, if asked, noting that El Salvador has abstained the past seven years and will continue to do so this year. He said the Salvadoran position is that the embargo is a bilateral issue. He cautioned that the press will attempt to portray an abstention as support for the Cuban regime. ¶4. (C) Ambassador Barclay took the opportunity to seek Lainez' feedback on the visit of Secretary of Commerce Gutierrez last week. Lainez reported that President Saca was pleased and that the other members of the interagency delegation sent a good signal to the Salvadoran business community of the wide range of opportunities and experience offered by the U.S. Government. ¶5. (C) Comment: The meeting was cordial and businesslike, and Minister Lainez did not react negatively to our raising of concerns with two recent votes against U.S. positions in international fora. He was noncommital regarding Salvadoran support for U.S. initiatives at the Summit of the Americas, but that may have been a reflection of lack of background on the issue, and we are hopeful he will take our points on board. End Comment. Barclay