PANAMA/OASGA: CODEL Meeks? Luncheon with OAS

UNCLAS PANAMA 000915

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
CODEL

E.O. 12958:N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF OAS PM
SUBJECT: PANAMA/OASGA: CODEL Meeks? Luncheon with OAS
Representatives


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SUMMARY
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1. CODEL Meeks briefly touched upon OAS member nations? priorities
while sharing the Congress members? desire to further invigorate U.S.
engagement in the region. Congressman Meeks focused on the need to
adequately support institutions like the OAS in furthering development
and strengthening democracy, while Congresswoman Jackson Lee addressed
the ongoing domestic immigration debate seeking input on its broader
impact in the hemisphere. OAS representatives honed in on the need
to engage Cuba within the framework of the OAS, address migration
issues, assist in the reincorporation of deportees, and
create jobs abroad to bring the benefits of democracy to the poorest
sectors of society. They also sought to institutionalize congressional
participation in future OAS General Assembly gatherings. End Summary.


2. Participants ? Congress Members: Gregory Meeks (D-NY),Mike
Honda (D- CA),Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX),Mike McNulty (D-NY),Jean Schmidt
(R-OH);OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza; First Vice President and
Foreign Minister of Panama Samuel Lewis; OAS member nation Ambassadors or
representatives.

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Support for the OAS
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3. In a luncheon co-hosted by OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel
Insulza and Panamanian First Vice President and Foreign Minister Samuel
Lewis, the CODEL shared their desire to engage foreign governments
in shaping the pending immigration bill currently debated in Congress.
Meeks began the session by stating, ?For far too long we have basically
ignored our neighbors to the south.?
He then committed to secure the necessary resources to support the
OAS?s work in strengthening democracy and advancing social development,
announcing that the Appropriations Committee would make sure the USG
did not flat-line our contribution to the OAS budget. (Note: The USG
currently contributes 59.47% of the general operating fund.)

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Cuba
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4. The Ambassador of Canada to the OAS pointedly inquired if the
CODEL supported SYG Insulza?s proposal to reintegrate Cuba in the OAS
fold. The delegation overwhelmingly confirmed their agreement with Insulza,
with only Schmidt sharing that her constituents were opposed to engaging
the Castro regime. USOAS Deputy PermRep Bob Manzanares, in his address,
shared the desire of the USG to include a free and democratic Cuba in
the OAS framework and pointed out that welcoming Cuba under the current
circumstances would be contrary to the Inter-American Democratic Charter
and principles of the OAS.

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Immigration/Deportation/Development
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5. Delegates shared their desire for assistance in reintegrating
deportees a constructive members of society. They also expressed
concern that healthcare workers and teachers, frequently trained at
government expense, regularly transferred to jobs in the U.S. upon
completing their training resulting in a scarcity of vital practitioners
and educators. Nearly all speakers focused on the need to further
economic and social development to extend the benefits of
democracy with all social classes. By addressing this crucial issue,
they stated, fewer individuals would seek to immigrate to the U.S.
A consistent theme among speakers was the need for Congress to look
at issues from a broader perspective. In order to completely address
immigration issues, a multifaceted approach was needed both domestically
and throughout the hemisphere. Several ambassadors expressed their
desire to integrate congressional participation as a recurring event
in future General Assembly gatherings.

EATON