DEMARCHE: USG PRIORITIES FOR THE UPCOMING

UNCLAS MEXICO 000624 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC AU MX SNAR SUBJECT: DEMARCHE: USG PRIORITIES FOR THE UPCOMING COMMISSION ON NARCOTIC DRUGS (CND) MEETING MARCH 10-14 REF: STATE 019274 ¶1. Political counselor spoke with Guillermo Hernandez Salmeron, Deputy Director General for Global Affairs at SRE, and David Najera, Coordinator for Special Affairs in the North America Division, to note USG concerns with Mexican plans to table a resolution on small arms trafficking at the upcoming CND meeting in Vienna. Salmeron was out of the country until March 3, but confirmed today that Mexico plans to introduce three resolutions in Vienna 1) on precursor chemicals and illicit synthetic drugs 2) on money laundering and 3) on small arms. Political Counselor noted USG concerns with an initiative on small arms that would set the stage for U.S. - bashing in Vienna and lead to a less than useful multilateral discussion. Hernandez declined to share details of any of the three resolutions, but said their language was general and that the GOM was striving to avoid finger-pointing. He promised to share drafts with us as soon as he had final versions approved from his front office -- possibly March 4. Political Counselor said he would follow up. ¶2. On February 29, Political Counselor had raised this with SRE's North America Sub-secretariat, post's principal SRE point of contact on Merida Initiative, and stressed that bilateral engagement on the issue of small arms offered the most productive avenue for progress. Contact there took our concerns on board and said his office would engage with Global Affairs on the small arms resolution. Subsquently, the Director General for North America Affairs raised with his counterpart in Global Affairs. NA Affairs contacts promised to help get us copies of all three resolutions. Post will follow-up this week. Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity and the North American Partnership Blog at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / GARZA