LACKLUSTER XVI IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT IN MONTEVIDEO

UNCLAS MONTEVIDEO 001068 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/BSC NSC FOR JCARDENAS SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL AORC SOCI XM SP PO UY SUBJECT: LACKLUSTER XVI IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT IN MONTEVIDEO ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The XVI Ibero-American Summit took place in Montevideo on 3-5 November without major logistical or security incidents. Leaders from 22 Latin American and European countries focused on "Migration and Development," though we detected few concrete accomplishments in these areas. There was some U.S. bashing against its plans to build a fence along its border with Mexico and against the Cuban embargo. The biggest story was the no-show of important attendees, including the Presidents of Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba and Peru, a particular disappointment to the Uruguayan hosts who had invested great effort into the biggest event here in many years. Lack of meaningful participation by Mercosur Presidents underscored ongoing problems within the trading bloc. Nevertheless, there were some interesting outcomes: Spain's King Juan Carlos offered to help with the long-running dispute between Uruguay and Argentina over pulp mills, Chile's President Michelle Bachelet had positive things to say about its FTA with the U.S. and the Summit produced a detailed report on migration from Latin American countries. The communique against terrorism appears useful and the separate summit by entrepreneurs in Punta del Este raised important questions about investment climate. An Argentine-sponsored declaration on the Falklands Islands called for quick resumption of negotiations. End Summary. ¶2. (U) The XVI Ibero-American Summit officially opened at a ceremony on the evening of November 3. Throughout the Summit, a portion of the city of Montevideo was cordoned off and most principals were lodged at a single hotel (the Raddisson). Montevideo's international airport was temporarily closed on the afternoon of November 2 due to a bomb threat. The Uruguayan armed forces augmented police security with rarely seen combat aircraft and ships. There were no major security incidents, except for small protests by anti-Summit, anti-globalization fringe groups. The closing press conference was held at noon on November 5. It was hosted by President Vazquez and included the King of Spain, Michelle Bachelet, UNSYG Kofi Annan and the forum's first Secretary-General Enrique Iglesias. SIPDIS ¶3. (U) Perhaps the biggest story was the non-participation by important personalities; a record seven heads of State did not attend. Brazil's President Lula da Silva explained that he could not attend because of exhaustion after his election campaigning. Later, he was filmed strolling on a Brazilian beach in an unflattering Speedo, and pictures of Lula's vacation adorned the pages of Uruguayan dailies along with coverage of the summit he had shunned. Presidents from Cuba, Peru, Panama, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua did not attend for various reasons. Queen Sofia of Spain also canceled because of the flu. Cuba was represented by Vice-President Lage. President Kirchner of Argentina arrived late, missed the opening ceremony and departed Saturday afternoon without meeting with President Vazquez. President Vazquez responded to criticism about the absences by saying, "All Latin American countries were present, 16 were represented by their presidents, five by their vice-presidents and three by their ministers of foreign affairs." ¶4. (SBU) Perhaps most galling to the GOU (in particular to the left-wing of the Frente Amplio) was the last minute no-show of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who stayed home ostensibly to participate in campaigning. In a rush to please Chavez, the Frente-dominated Chamber of Deputies had approved Venezuela's entry into Mercosur through a special session that began in the wee hours of November 2. (The Senate had approved it earlier in the week.) After Chavez' no-show at the Summit, the conservative daily "El Pais" called the fast-tracking of Venezuelan membership into Mercosur a "servile act." (Note: A news article in the daily "Ultimas Noticias" implied that to make up for his absence, Chavez was sending $20 million to upgrade a public hospital. End Note.) Press Reactions -------------- ¶5. (U) While Montevideo's inhabitants complained about disruption to the downtown area, other editorials lamented the low level of participation, and questioned Spain's leadership of the Summit process and Vazquez' inability to get his Mercosur partners to attend. On November 3, an editorial in the conservative daily "El Pais" asked "what will become of Latin American solidarity when we don't have President Bush to criticize?" The paper also carried a full-page paid ad signed by former presidents Patricio Aylwin (Chile),Armando Calderon (El Salvador),Luis Alberto Monge (Costa Rica),and Luis Alberto Lacalle (Uruguay) in the form of an open letter. The letter called on Summit participants to enforce the 1996 Summit's declaration on human rights, noting that Cuba had not complied with the declaration's human right requirements. Pulp Mill Dispute -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Throughout the Summit, Argentine protesters blocked two of the three international bridges linking Argentina and Uruguay to protest construction of pulp mills on a shared river. They also constructed a low cinder block wall on one of the bridges. Presidents Kirchner and Vazquez did not meet during the course of Kirchner's brief visit, partly because Vazquez said that talks could not take place while the bridges were blocked. In a surprise development at the Summit, the Spaniards offered King Juan Carlos de Borbon to "mediate" the paper mill controversy. Both sides' initial reactions were positive, though it is unclear what the offer truly entails. Business Summit -------------- ¶7. (U) Parallel to the Ibero-American Summit, some of the region's most prominent entrepreneurs gathered at the second "Ibero-American Impresario Encounter" at a posh hotel in the seaside resort of Punta del Este. The entrepreneurs sought among other things "clear rules of the game (for investors), respect for the rule of law and for private property, and democratic values". They also called on Summit leaders to fight corruption, respect contracts and engage in social dialogue. These efforts, they said, are aimed at capturing and preserving the "economic bonanza" currently being experienced in Latin America. Ibero-American Secretary-General Enrique Iglesias and Uruguayan Economy and SIPDIS Finance Minister Danilo Astori also attended the conference. Astori said that "a permanent increase in productive investment has to be the cornerstone" of maintaining the economic bonanza. Speeches and Documents -------------- ¶8. (U) Full texts of the final documents can be found on a handy web site at www.xvicumbre.org.uy. Included are: The Final Resolution of Montevideo on Migration and Development by Heads of State and Government of the Ibero-American Community, The Declaration of Montevideo, The Ibero-American Cultural Letter, and "special communiques" on Colombia, the Cuban Blockade and Helms-Burton, Energy and Sustainable Development, the Panama Canal, Gender, the Falklands Islands, the Fence on the U.S.-Mexican Border, and Terrorism. The final documents include criticism of the U.S. for its "blockade" of Cuba and for the "wall" to be built along the U.S.-Mexican border. Presidents Fox, Morales, Bachelet and the Venezuelan delegation sharply criticized the wall in their public statements. Lage is quoted as saying that "Emigration is a right that must be respected." Spain and Mexico were at odds over the inclusion of "human rights for migrants." Bolivia's Evo Morales made some attendees uncomfortable when he said, "When immigration came from north to south, there were no walls or deportations, but that is what we face now." Morales also told his own story of when he was a union activist arriving in Madrid and was asked to pay $500 to enter the country. Comment: -------------- ¶9. (SBU) While we are still sifting through the speeches and documents and consulting with our contacts who attended, our impression is that the XVI Ibero-American Summit was long on style and quite short on substance. We could detect no major advances in the stated themes, though the "Commitment on Immigration and Development" document is aimed at promoting the defense of immigrant's rights and economic development to stem emigration. The real story was the no-shows and minimal participation by important leaders, a significant letdown that speaks volumes to the cohesion of a group of countries sharing much in terms of history, culture and language. We understand that cohesion is to be a major theme at next year's Ibero-American Summit in Chile. Internally, Chavez's no-show ridiculed the radical wing of the Frente, which had gone out of its way to ram congressional approval of Venezuela's entry into Mercosur. As for Mercosur, its lack of cohesion was evidenced by the no-show of two of its leaders and the fly-by appearance of a third. End Comment. Nealon