Canada's Burgeoning Pol-Mil Relationship with Mexico

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 000895 NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/MEX, WHA/CAN, PM AND INR AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PASS TO AMCONSUL QUEBEC E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/12/22 TAGS: PREL MARR CA MX SUBJECT: Canada's Burgeoning Pol-Mil Relationship with Mexico CLASSIFIED BY: Scott Bellard, Minister Counselor for Political Affairs, State Department, Political Section; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (SBU) Summary. The defense and security relationship between Canada and Mexico is evolving and both countries are open to exploring new areas for further cooperation. Humanitarian assistance, disaster response, counternarcotics, and nonproliferation were among the areas for detailed discussion in the fourth round of annual pol-mil talks in Ottawa in early December. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Canadian diplomats and defense officials held a fourth round of political-military talks with Mexican counterparts on December 3. Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) officials invited polmiloff to a debrief on December 14 by Donald Sinclair, Director General of the International Security Bureau at DFAIT. Department of National Defence (DND) officers joined by teleconference. ¶3. (C/NF) DG Sinclair characterized the Mexican participation in this latest round of annual pol-mil talks as "open and eager to engage" in an evolving relationship. According to Sinclair and DND officers, the relationship has developed "considerably" since this process began in 2006. The 18-person Mexican delegation included senior military officers and the Assistant Director General of National Security in the Office of the President. On the Canadian side, the process took on a greater prominence in light of recommendations for broader cooperative engagement in the hemisphere made by the U.S.- Canadian Permanent Joint Board on Defense (PJBD) in November. ¶4. (C/NF) The opening session addressed the scope of the problems facing Mexico and the nature of hemispheric security threats. The group examined regional challenges, while the Mexicans sought details on specific Canadian practices related to countries in the region. Potential areas for trilateral defense cooperation came under consideration, as well as prospects for greater bilateral Canadian-Mexican mil-to-mil cooperation. The Canadians and Mexicans discussed initiatives at the UN Security Council in an effort to identify areas for cooperation in a "North America team" approach. If Canada is successful in its bid for election to a UNSC seat in 2011, the Canadians would be in a position to carry on with support for non-proliferation initiatives as the Mexicans depart the UNSC, participants agreed. ¶5. (C/NF) DG Sinclair characterized the process as already "yielding results." The Mexican delegation offered frank acknowledgement of the country's internal problems, but also sought broader cooperation in external areas of concern. They posed questions about how Canada protects human rights while conducting counternarcotics operations. The two sides identified as subjects for further exploration, including the potential for a cooperative approach to Haiti as well as possibilities for cooperation in Maritime Domain Awareness, humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and the work of the Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) focused on South America. DFAIT officers suggested JIATF South as a potential venue through which to consider joint training and broader joint, interagency cooperation. They considered the expansion of the U.S. Canadian Maritime Defense Plan, especially in view of the similarities between the Mexican and Canadian Naval Services. In what appeared to the Canadians as a departure from previous reluctance, Mexico expressed an interest in participating in Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) exercises scheduled for the east coast in 2012. Defense officials discussed the issue of interoperability of Mexican and Canadian forces, concluding that more work was needed in order to establish a baseline of current interoperability. ¶6. (C/NF) The two delegations cited the possibilities for greater information sharing between Canada and Mexico, as well as work with the U.S. on a trilateral threat assessment for the region. The Canadians suggested that the binational North American Aerospace Command (NORAD) could explore the possibilities of designating information relevant to security in the hemisphere to be shared with Mexico. Canada's Chief of Defence Intelligence already shares selected information with Mexico, and the exchange could be readily expanded. ¶7. (C/NF) DG Sinclair noted to polmiloff that, In the context of identifying deliverables for the 2010 North American Leadership Summit, Canada seeks close consultation with the U.S. on the best ways to advance our respective defense and security relations with Mexico. The Canadians may propose that the next Canada-Mexico pol-mil talks address military doctrine and security/defense aspects of the legal system, such as military law enforcement and the role of the Judge Advocate General. The Canadians encouraged Mexico to host the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas (CDMA) in 2012, but it is more likely that the meeting will take place in Mexico in 2014. The Canadian National Security Adviser will visit Mexico in January to continue strategic discussions between these two North American partners. DG Sinclair said that Canada intends to come up with major new allocations (perhaps up to C$50 million a year) for a "security envelope" to contribute to capacity building and training of Mexican police and counternarcotics officials. According to Canadian interlocutors, the Mexicans have not entered into these strategic discussions with any specific list of "asks," however. The Canadians characterize the Mexican approach as being more about capacity building than a dollar figure for assistance, saying Mexico "wants skills, not money." ¶8. (C/NF) Comment: The Canadians are clearly keen to expand their bilateral engagement with Mexico, but in close consultation with the U.S. Both Canada and Mexico are showing greater willingness to explore new areas for security dialogue, apparently in response to shifting perceptions of regional security threats. The long-standing Canadian lack of enthusiasm for greater trilateral cooperation appears to be softening, although the Canadians will draw a clear line at any arrangement that might dilute their special relations with the U.S. BREESE