IMO DEMARCHE DELIVERED - MEXICO

UNCLAS MEXICO 003160 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR IO/T THOMAS JOHNSON LONDON FOR JOHN WHITTLESEY USCG CG-52 AND INTL AFFAIRS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC IMO EWWT PHSA UK MX SUBJECT: IMO DEMARCHE DELIVERED - MEXICO REF: STATE 98012 ¶1. (U) Coast Guard Attache and Econoff delivered reftel demarche in support of the U.S. candidacy for Category A reelection to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council on 29 October. Captain Marco Antonio Vinaza, director general of the Mexican Merchant Marine, and Captain Luis Muriel, director of nautical education and formerly Mexico's representative to the IMO, received the demarche on behalf of the Secretariat for Communications and Transportation. Emboffs separately sent the diplomatic note and aide-memoire to the Secretariat of Foreign Relations. ¶2. (SBU) Vinaza and Muriel were favorable to the U.S. candidacy but did not commit Mexico's vote. They solicited U.S. support for Mexico's reelection in Category C. They made their case on three grounds. First, the Council needs an equitable regional representation. From Latin America, only Chile and Mexico are up for election in Category C. Second, reciprocity: Mexico has a history of supporting U.S. positions and proposals at the IMO. They noted the creation of the Hawaiian marine reserve in 2006 in particular. Finally, Gulf of Mexico oil tanker traffic between Mexican ports such as Tuxpan and the U.S. Gulf Coast is of critical import to U.S. energy security and Mexican economic well-being. Mexico is the number three supplier of oil to the United States and re-imports much of its gasoline from U.S. refineries. U.S. cruise ship traffic is also very substantial in this area, with many ships calling in Cozumel, Mexico's primary cruise destination (1,008 arrivals in 2008) and one of world's busiest. PASCUAL