Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08HAVANA358
2008-05-02 21:11:00
CONFIDENTIAL
US Interests Section Havana
Cable title:  

MEXICAN AMBASSADOR DISCUSSESS RELATIONS WITH CUBA

Tags:  PREL PGOV CU ME 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUB #0358 1232111
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 022111Z MAY 08
FM USINT HAVANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3196
INFO RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO IMMEDIATE 0533
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L HAVANA 000358 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA, WHA/CCA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/2/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV CU ME
SUBJECT: MEXICAN AMBASSADOR DISCUSSESS RELATIONS WITH CUBA

Classified By: COM MICHAEL E. PARMLY FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND D

C O N F I D E N T I A L HAVANA 000358

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA, WHA/CCA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/2/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV CU ME
SUBJECT: MEXICAN AMBASSADOR DISCUSSESS RELATIONS WITH CUBA

Classified By: COM MICHAEL E. PARMLY FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND D


1. (U) Mexican Ambassador Enrique Gabriel Jimenez Remus
gave COM a rundown on the status of bilateral topics over
dinner on April 30.


2. (C) High Level Visits: A Calderon visit cannot be set
until Cuban FM Felipe Perez Roque visits Mexico DF. At that
time, the Cubans will carry a formal invitation from Raul
Castro for the Mexican President to come. Jimenez predicted
a possible November visit by Calderon. At that point,
Jimenez said, "my job will have been finished." He
anticipated he would depart soon thereafter as Mexican
Ambassador and retire to his native Jalisco.


3. (C) Migration: Jimenez, who received two telephone
readouts of the 4/29-30 visit to Mexico by a Cuban delegation
to pursue the migration issue, said the two sides were
pleased with the modest progress achieved to date. The next
round has already been set for Havana May 13-14. The two
sides were in rough accord on the scope of the problem,
including the increasing use of Central America as the first
step in the move north towards the U.S. The sticking point,
Jimenez said is repatriation, and the Mexican insistence on
an ability to monitor the status of those returned. Jimenez
repeatedly probed COM on how returnees' status is monitored
under the US-Cuban Migration Agreement. COM outlined current
USINT practices. Comment: We will follow up Jimenez'
Consular staff, to outline how we go about it.


4. (C) On business, Jimenez was most bullish. Next week
would see the visit to Cuba of a delegation of some 120-150
Mexican business execs to explore opportunities to market
their products. Jimenez remains hopeful, of exceeding last
year's bilateral travel figures.


5. (C) Human rights only figured on the latest talks as an
adjunct of monitoring returned migrants. The Ambassador
agreed that Mexico is well-placed to press the issue, and
especially, the release of long-term political prisoners.
Jimenez thought the Vatican had raised the issue of prisoner
release, but agreed the international community needed to
keep pressing. Jimenez' sense, nonetheless, is that a
large-scale political prisoner release is unlikely before
Fall of 2009.

WILLIAMS