MEXICO ON THE UNGA FIRST COMMITTEE RESOLUTION ON

UNCLAS MEXICO 003111 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR ISN/CATR (MALZAHN) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM PREL UNGA MCAP MX SUBJECT: MEXICO ON THE UNGA FIRST COMMITTEE RESOLUTION ON THE ARMS TRADE TREATY REF: STATE 110403 (SBU) Poloff conveyed reftel points October 28 to Julian Juarez Cadenas, Deputy Director General for UN-Related Security and Legal Issues at the Foreign Relations Secretariat (SRE). Juarez reiterated the position of the Government of Mexico (GOM) in recent discussions between the Mexican Embassy in Washington and the Department on the resolution of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). Specifically, he told Poloff that the GOM is against the requirement that decisions be made by consensus in the ATT because it would go against established procedures in the UN General Assembly and would require a definition of consensus. He added that the establishment of "veto powers" would weaken the treaty and only strengthen the positions of those countries who are against the treaty. He said that the GOM was open to determine suitable language that might be acceptable to the U.S. such as language used in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in which states make a firm commitment to reach consensus. 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 / FEELEY