STAFFDEL QUILTER: OPTIMISTIC, BUT ASSERTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MEXICO 006024

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SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/MEX, INR, INL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON MX
SUBJECT: STAFFDEL QUILTER: OPTIMISTIC, BUT ASSERTIVE
ASSESSMENT OF MERIDA INITIATIVE,S CHANCES IN CONGRESS


Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Charles V.Barclay.
Reason: 1.4 (b),(d).


1. (SBU) Summary: A delegation from the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, headed by Professional Staff Member Peter
Quilter spent two days in Mexico City (November 26-28)
meeting with GOM representatives, legislators, NGO
representatives and Embassy officials to discuss the recently
proposed Merida Initiative. The delegation stressed that,
while consensus exists within the USG on the need and urgency
of expanding law enforcement cooperation with Mexico,
congressional deliberations in coming months might not
necessarily result in the exact mix of resources that has
been requested by the USG for the GOM. With non-official
contacts, they reviewed the political landscape here,
discussed human rights concerns and assessed the strengths
and weaknesses of Mexican law enforcement and security
elements. End Summary.


2. (SBU) In Mexico City, the staff delegation met with the
Ambassador and country team, the GOM Merida Initiative
inter-agency team headed by Mexico,s Foreign Relations
Secretariat,s Undersecretary for North AMERICA Affairs

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Carlos Rico and attended a working lunch hosted by Attorney
General Medina Mora. The following day the delegation
received a briefing at the Secretariat for Public Security
and met with Sigrid Arzt, Technical Secretary for Mexico,s
National Security Council. Two members of the delegation
(Republican staff member John Mackey and Democratic staff
member Melissa Silverman) traveled to the Mexican Air Force
base at Santa Lucia for a briefing on the use of four Bell
412 helicopters in counter-drug operations (the Merida
Initiative request seeks eight additional Bell 412s for
SEDENA). In addition, members met with independent security
analysts, representatives from Human Rights NGOs and six
members of the Senate North AMERICA Affairs Commission.
(Septel will discuss the group,s visit to the state of
Michoacan.)

Delegation Looking for a More Complete Picture


3. (SBU) Members of the delegation told GOM interlocutors
they were in Mexico to develop a more comprehensive picture
of the administration,s request than had been offered so far
by their own government. Delegation head Peter Quilter
expressed frustration that congress had been presented a
description of only the first $500 million of what he said
was a $1.4 billion package. During the meeting hosted by the
Foreign Relations Secretariat (SRE),he asked Carlos Rico for
a complete list of what the GOM had requested from the U.S.
Rico took the request on board without committing himself;
Quilter promised to follow up with the Mexican Embassy once
back in Washington.

But Generally Supportive


4. (SBU) That said, delegation members said most in the U.S.
congress agree that both an urgent need and opportunity exist
to move the law enforcement relationship forward. Dealing
with the administration,s request may be a messy, and at
times, unflattering (to Mexico) process, but staff members
indicated that if congress finishes deliberations by late
winter, it would likely be able to respond positively to the
GOM request. They cautioned, however, that congress will
look carefully at the mix of monies requested by the
administration and make changes it deems appropriate.

Recurring Themes:


A. (C) Military As Leading Edge -- While they recognized the
Mexican Military,s institutional strengths, delegation
members noted to many interlocutors that the assistance
package seemed weighted heavily toward hardware for Mexico,s
Defense Secretariat (SEDENA),and signaled their desire to
see civilian law enforcement elements assume the leading role
as soon as possible. They asked for an assessment of the
impact counter narcotics operations was having on the
institution. Civil Society contacts and independent analysts
tended to emphasize institutional weaknesses in all security
and law enforcement elements, including the military. At
SRE, SEDENA and Mexico,s Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR)
representatives said their services are handling expanded law
enforcement responsibilities well. Carlos Rico pointed out

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that law enforcement operations were no novelty for the
Mexican Navy, which was more akin to the U.S. Coast Guard
than the U.S.,s "blue water" Navy. National Security
Technical Secretary Arzt challenged the assertion that the
military was leading the GOM,s counter narcotics strategy.
That role belongs to SSP, she said. Arzt also highlighted
the GOM,s push to modernize and reorganize federal policing
here within both SSP and the Attorney General,s office.


B. (C) Sharing Air Assets -- Although favorably impressed by
his visit to the Santa Lucia air base and SEDENA,s use and
upkeep its existing fleet of Bell 412s, Republican staff
member, John Mackey asked SEDENA,s representative at the SRE
meeting whether the military planned to make expanded
helicopter assets available to lift SSP elements during that
agency's operations (and received an affirmative response).
Mackey returned to the issue with SSP,s Sub-Secretary
Niembro and Sigrid Arzt the following day, asking both if the
U.S. congress should mandate that at least 20% of airtime be
reserved for supporting SSP operations. Both declined to
respond.


C. (SBU) Program Management -- The delegation sought
assurances that both USG and GOM would be able to support
significantly expanded assistance programs. With the
Ambassador, they said that concerns over the lack of candor
in Washington's explanation of how it would administer such
an expanded package result in calls for the creation of an
inter-agency "Czar" to manage the program on the USG side;
being frank early in the approval process could avoid such an
exaggerated measure. The Ambassador, and most GOM
interlocutors, responded by underscoring existing US-GOM
agency-to-agency ties, and by citing the sizable number of
personnel already working bilaterally on law enforcement
programs. GOM contacts, such as Oscar Rocha from the Attorney
General,s office and National Security Technical Secretary
Arzt, discussed the legal reforms and administrative fixes
being undertaken to strengthen GOM inter-agency coordination
in law enforcement and security (notably police
reorganization and justice reform). Carlos Rico suggested
that the U.S. and Mexico might consider establishing a
mechanism similar to the High Level Contact Group, the
1990,s era annual forum to foster law enforcement
coordination between the USG and GOM.


D. (SBU) Human Rights/Rule of Law -- Civil society contacts
briefed the delegation on what they perceive as the major
weaknesses of security and law enforcement elements here.
Human rights representatives cited the list of abuses
allegedly committed by security forces (both federal and
local) in recent years, criticized the lack of transparency
and accountability within these elements (including the armed
forces) when complaints of rights abuses and criminal
activity are lodged. Security analysts focused their
attention on transparency issues, corruption and other
institutional weaknesses which they believe compromise law
enforcement in Mexico. The analysts highlighted the intense
inter-service/agency competition among security institutions
which they say has undermined effectiveness and must be
addressed.


5. (SBU) Comment: The delegation was generally upbeat
about the Merida Initiative,s prospects ) although members
noted that congress stood a better chance of approving funds
if it could finish its deliberations before the U.S.
presidential campaign picks up steam next spring. Besides
noting some concerns with the sizable percentage of
assistance going to the military, members of the delegation
signaled no significant concerns with other elements within
the package they have seen so far. They repeatedly said that
they need to know more about the $1.4 billion package as a
whole and how both sides would administer the steep increase
in resources. Their Mexican interlocutors, both official and
private, were happy to fill in details on Mexico,s security
landscape and specific assistance requests, and came away
from their meetings with a more realistic understanding of
the U.S. deliberative process through which the Merida
Initiative will develop. End Comment.






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