MEXICO'S TAKE ON USG'S UNGA 64 GOALS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MEXICO 002891 SENSITIVE SIPDIS NSC TO SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR WHA RESTREPO, WHA FOR DAS ROBERTA JACOBSON, WHA FOR MEX DIRECTOR LEE AND STAFF, S/CRS TO AMB. JOHN HERBST, IO/UNP SUN, WHA JEN BEN-YEHUDA E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/23/2019 TAGS: MX PREL UNGA PINR SUBJECT: MEXICO'S TAKE ON USG'S UNGA 64 GOALS REF: A. SECSTATE 90254 ¶B. MEXICO 2747 ¶C. MEXICO 2795 ¶D. MEXICO 02747 ¶E. MEXICO 2776 Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Gustavo Delgado for Reasons : 1.4 (b),(d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Poloff delivered reftel A demarche on UNGA to a variety of interlocutors from the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE),receiving the most detailed response on disarmament, climate change, human rights, and civilian post-conflict response. The GOM will engage actively with partners in pressing for resolutions on disarmament. On climate change, it is pressing for developed countries to set more ambitious goals and promoting the "Green Fund" proposed by the Calderon Administration. Mexico is expanding its work on civilian post-conflict reconstruction and plans to host a donors' conference on Haiti in November. All SRE interlocutors strongly welcomed U.S. reengagement these issues, signaling an increased desire to work with the U.S. in multilateral foras. End Summary. Non-Proliferation and Disarmament -------------- ¶2. (C) Julian Juarez Cadenas, the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs' (SRE) Director General for Nuclear, Security, and Legal Issues, again (reftel B) welcomed the USG's renewed commitment to disarmament and non-proliferation, including its determination to work with Congress to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). According to Juarez, Mexico is committed to raising its profile on these issues. With that objective in mind, Mexico plans to endorse energetically several potential initiatives on non-proliferation in UN First Committee, along with members of the New Agenda Coalition (NAC). These prospective initiatives include: promoting a resolution pressing for universal ratification of the CTBT; organizing a UN conference on nuclear disarmament; and co-sponsoring a resolution that calls for a world free of nuclear weapons. Climate Change -------------- ¶3. (SBU) In terms of climate change, Rodolfo Godinez, Director of Environmental Issues, agreed that the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the appropriate venue for substantive discussions on commitments on climate change. He commented that other fora, such as the U.S.-led Major Economies Forum on Climate Change and the preparatory meeting in Bangkok, can also helpfully contribute to dialogue. Along with Director General Guillermo Alejandro Hernandez Salmeron, Godinez will attend the upcoming Climate Change Convention in Copenhagen in December. Godinez told Emboffs that the GOM wants developed countries to set more ambitious goals, such as higher emission cuts by 2020 and ¶2050. At Copenhagen, Mexico would promote its proposal for a Green Fund, under which all states will contribute to climate change mitigation projects according to a predetermined formula. According to Godinez, this Fund has received a great deal of international support, including a public endorsement by the UN Secretary General (Reftel D). In response to Poloff's question on the demarche, Gondinez stated that the GOM does not support the 2012 Summit on Sustainable Development proposed by Brazil because of the cost associated with holding such a large event at this time. Godinez commented that a series of lower-level meetings on this issue would suffice. No Big Shifts on Human Rights and Democracy from GOM -------------- -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Juan Gonzalez Mijares, the Foreign Ministry's Deputy Director General of the Office of International Human Rights Policy, stressed the GOM's strong concern for human rights. This includes genuine interest and involvement in gender and discrimination issues in the UN (for more details on Mexico's position regarding UNGA proposals on gender, see reftel C). Mijares noted that the GOM had not taken firm positions on the country-specific resolutions that the United States is sponsoring on Iran, Burma, and the DPRK. The GOM has decided not to co-sponsor these initiatives and evaluate each on its own merits, using the guidance of the UN Secretariat's reports on human rights country and thematic-specific resolutions. He highlighted that Mexico will co-sponsor resolutions on: the protection of migrants; the protection of human rights of civilians during armed conflict; protection against torture; the rights of children; and economic and social rights. These resolutions reflect the GOM's top priorities on human rights and were among the issues discussed at the Mexico-Canada-U.S. Trilateral Human Rights Consultations September 10 (for readout on bilats between Mexico and USG, see reftel E). A Widening Profile on Civilian Post-Conflict Reconstruction -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Despite a tradition of non-interventionist policies regarding the politics and security of other countries, Fernando Gonzalez Saiffe, Assistant Director General for the UN Security Council, told Poloff that Mexico has expanded its post-conflict activities in the civilian sector over the last several years. The GOM has sent a limited number of civilian personnel, such as civil engineers, to work in post-conflict areas, as well as provided some funding and training for certain missions. (Although Gonzalez claimed that the GOM had increased its involvement in Haiti, we are unaware of any Mexican police or civilian staff posted with MINUSTAH. We will follow-up on what the SRE may be planning.) Gonzalez told Poloff that Mexico will host a Haiti donors' conference in November and hopes former President Clinton will attend. In addition, Gonzalez outlined to Poloff that the Federal Election Institute (IFE) has provided technical assistance in Iraq, Africa, Kosovo, and other post-war zones. Gonzalez noted that the greatest barrier to Mexico's increased involvement in this type of activity remains the non-interventionist perspective of many Mexican legislators, who oversee the budget. ¶6. (C) Comment: Mexico supports increased engagement with us on multilateral issues and has encouraged continued outreach to the NAM and the G-77 as a way to promote closer coordination with Mexico at the UN. Mexico's SRE is slowly raising the country's profile on the international stage -- in part through expanded involvement in post-conflict reconstruction activities -- but remains constrained by its tradition of "non-intervention." We should look for opportunities to tap Mexico's expertise and leadership on issues where our interests are linked, such as organized crime, TIP, climate change, and gender-equality. End comment. 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 / PASCUAL