AMBASSADOR'S PRIVATE DINNER WITH PRESIDENT-ELECT

80245 2006-09-29 22:03:00 06MEXICO5607 Embassy Mexico CONFIDENTIAL R 292203Z SEP 06 FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO TO SECSTATE WASHDC 3489 INFO ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE AMEMBASSY CARACAS NSC WASHDC C O N F I D E N T I A L MEXICO 005607 STATE FOR A/S SHANNON; NSC FOR FISK E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/27/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL MX SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S PRIVATE DINNER WITH PRESIDENT-ELECT CALDERON Classified By: AMBASSADOR ANTONIO O. GARZA JR FOR REASONS 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (C) During a private dinner with Ambassador and Mrs. Garza, President-elect Felipe Calderon expressed his grave concern over the security situation in Mexico. It was heartrending to see Mexico living through such times, he told the Ambassador, and improving security would be a key pillar of his administration. The Ambassador agreed, noting that Calderon did not want his to be the "narco-sexenio." Gains on competitiveness, education and employment could be quickly overshadowed by narcotics-related organized crime. To draw the investment and energy needed to jump-start Mexico's economy, foreigners and Mexicans alike had to be reassured that the rule of law would prevail. The Ambassador impressed upon the President-elect the need to have a strong security team in place early. Calderon agreed completely and stressed his strong desire to continue and improve cooperation with the U.S. on security matters. ¶2. (C) Calderon confided that he was disappointed with U.S. border security measures but would adhere to his commitment not to make these the central issues of the bilateral relationship. His administration would continue to offer support to migrants in the U.S., but would not make U.S. migration reform its defining element. Calderon reiterated his strong desire to work with the U.S., but also signaled a desire to re-establish better relations with Latin America. To that end, he would travel the first week of October to Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile and Brazil. He pressed again for a meeting with President Bush prior to his December 1 inauguration, and after U.S. elections. ¶3. (C) Calderon volunteered his grave concern over Venezuela President Chavez' antics and activities generally. He segued into worrying about the growing Iran-Venezuela nexus, offering that these ties could reverberate negatively throughout the region and beyond. Neither leader could be trusted, and their capacity for trouble was almost limitless. ¶4. (C) Comment: Calderon hosted the Ambassador in his private residence, a fairly modest household in a compound of other privately-owned homes that did not seem to offer presidential-level security or privacy. Neither was it staked out by the media, which covers his transition offices fairly aggressively. His wife, Margarita Zavala, was also present during the dinner and discussed her role, looking to distance herself from the model set by Marta Sahagun. The Ambassador was struck by Calderon's confidence, willingness to dig right into substance, and readiness to speak frankly about a range of challenges. Calderon confessed he was unfamiliar with some key power centers, including business leaders, something he will work to remedy. But he clearly has a strategy in this transition period of airing issues, defining near-term legislative and executive objectives, and reaching out beyond his core support group to bring others on board. Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity GARZA