(U) Secretary Clinton's March 25 Conversation

200714 2009-04-03 17:28:00 09PARTO40301 US Delegation, Secretary CONFIDENTIAL VZCZCXRO9333 OO RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM DE RUCNAI #0003/01 0931728 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 031728Z APR 09 FM USDEL SECRETARY//MEXICO// TO RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO IMMEDIATE INFO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RHEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEHSP/AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 PARTO 040301 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/25/2019 TAGS: OVIP CLINTON HILLARY PREL SNAR MX SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Clinton's March 25 Conversation with Mexican President Felipe Calderon Ref: White House 0813 dated 03/21/09 ¶1. (U) Classified by Uzra Zeya, Deputy Executive Secretary, S/ES, Department of State. Reason 1.4 (d). ¶2. (U) 03/25/09, 1 p.m., Mexico City, Mexico ¶3. (U) Participants U.S. The Secretary Charge Bassett A/S Shannon Laura Pena, Senior Advisor to the Secretary Dan Restrepo, Senior Director, National Security Council Mexico President Calderon Foreign Secretary Espinosa Amb. Sarukhan U/S Rico Presidential Advisor Fernandez de Castro ¶4. (C) Summary: During an extremely cordial conversation with Secretary Clinton, President Calderon emphasized his personal commitment to providing security for Mexican citizens, pressed for greater U.S. actions against arms trafficking, conveyed concerns about how the issue of Cuba will be treated at the upcoming Summit of the Americas, and discussed his ideas for global action on environmental issues. Secretary Clinton praised Calderon's commitment and leadership, acknowledged U.S. co-responsibility for the drug war, and pledged U.S. partnership against organized crime. President Calderon encouraged the United States to re-assume its key role in the region and expressed his personal admiration for Secretary Clinton's leadership. He closed by expressing appreciation for President Obama's decision to visit Mexico. End Summary. ¶5. (C) President Calderon's aides tried several times to interrupt his animated conversation with Secretary Clinton, which lasted 1 hour 45 minutes and included a 15-minute one-on-one session, but he waved them off time after time. He opened by expressing his admiration for Secretary Clinton, confessing that he attended her 1998 appearance at Davos and submitted the written query, "Would you consider running for President?" Secretary Clinton said she was delighted to see him again, and conveyed her appreciation for his commitment and courage. The United States, she continued, recognized its co- responsibility for the current situation, and would stand shoulder to shoulder with Mexico until the battle was won. Secretary Clinton added that it was a personal priority for her to work on the broad relationship and have positive outcomes. -------------- SECURITY -------------- ¶6. (C) President Calderon acknowledged that our agenda is broader than security, but turned to that topic as the most urgent. His personal commitment was to leave his successor a secure Mexico with credible institutions free of the taint of corruption. To succeed he needed U.S. support, and suggested renewing the assault weapons ban. He said that there was a clear correlation between the lifting of the ban in 2004 and Mexico's current situation. During the six years of the Fox administration, Mexican forces captured 3,000 assault weapons. In the last two years, they confiscated 16,000, with no end in sight. The availability of assault weaponry had contributed to the cartels' new aggression against government forces. A second factor was cartels' expanding interests. While they still fought for access to the U.S. market, they were increasingly seeking to control the growing Mexican drug market, as well. The combination of assault weapons and an increased imperative for geographic control prompted the dramatic increases in violence Mexico had recently witnessed. The third factor was the Mexican government's increased pressure on the cartels. ¶7. (C) Calderon cited the situation in Ciudad Juarez as a case in point. Ciudad Juarez was important to the cartels as a launching point into the United States, he said, but it was also a growing metropolis with a potentially lucrative drug market. The cartels' battle for this territory had driven homicide rates up to record levels. President Calderon said he had made the decision to flood the city with federal forces and take over security while pressing the city and state governments to convert their local police into effective patrolling units and to do more against common crime. In just a month, violence in Ciudad Juarez had fallen by 73 percent, but this progress had to be sustained. ¶8. (C) Calderon said that a second priority should be to cut U.S. drug consumption. Mexico was working to halt the supply -- the United States needed to cut demand. This led to the third priority -- cutting money flows to the cartels. Calderon assessed that direct action to interdict bulk cash coming from the United States to Mexico would also strangle the cartels and their operations. Mapping money flows and sharing that information would help both countries interdict cash more effectively and shut down the institutions facilitating cash transactions. Mexico, he conceded, would have to do more to check inbound travelers and vehicles, ideally reaching a near 100 percent inspection rate through non- invasive (NIIE) means. That might not be possible with existing technology, he admitted, but deploying more NIIE machines along more points of the border would be very helpful. ¶9. (C) Calderon said he appreciated the change in the tenor of USG officials' remarks in recent weeks, and hoped that trend would continue. Suggestions by eminent U.S. government officials that Mexico was unable to govern its territory or risked becoming a failed state did incalculable damage, not just to Mexico's image, but to its efforts to confront organized crime. These statements caused law enforcement officials to lose hope, helped motivate local officials to surrender to intimidation, and discouraged citizens from supporting the government's efforts. On the other hand, he opined, such statements led criminals to believe the government would fail, and gave them renewed confidence to continue to confront the forces of order. Calderon said he needed the support of the Mexican people, and he needed them to believe the rule of law would triumph. ¶10. (C) Secretary Clinton responded that her message was one of co-responsibility and cooperation. She was personally committed to making sure both countries succeed. The United States would do its share. In the coming weeks, AG Holder and DHS Secretary Napolitano would visit Mexico to further this important dialogue. The Obama Administration had announced on March 20 a series of new measures along the U.S. border to impede smuggling or arms and cash into Mexico. The Secretary said she could not be confident that an assault weapons ban would be passed by Congress, but she was confident the Administration would use every means to aggressively enforce existing law. She offered to share ideas with Mexico on demand reduction in both countries. She affirmed the Administration's absolute confidence that Calderon would succeed in his efforts, and that the United States would be with him every step of the way. ¶11. (C) President Calderon thanked her, noting that he appreciated the announcements made on the 20th, but adding that moving the National Guard to the border would pose a problem for Mexico. Turning back to Mexico's situation, he commented that the cartels were more aggressive in confronting Mexican institutions than ever before. They were more openly intimidating elected officials, and more brutally killing Mexican law enforcement personnel. They had undertaken terrorist- like acts, including throwing a grenade into a crowd of civilians last September. Mexico had to face evidence that corruption extended to all levels. The cartels had a strong distribution network in the United States, Calderon noted, and unchecked they could start to apply the same tactics in the United States. Mexico had to face the harsh truth about corruption in the Attorney General's office; the United States should be concerned that the massive volume of drugs, money, and weapons flowing across the border could imply corruption problems on the U.S. side, as well. Calderon said that both countries needed to coordinate efforts closely to be successful. The President expressed some frustration with the pace of Merida deliveries, while noting his appreciation for the partnership the Merida Initiative represented. -------------- THE REGION -------------- ¶12. (C) President Calderon observed that, while there were many sensitivities in Mexico to working too closely on security matters with the United States, the nations of Central America did not face the same political constraints. Mexico was concerned by the vulnerabilities in Guatemala and other Central American nations where security, judicial, and even democratic institutions were weak and susceptible to corrupt influences. In Guatemala, almost half the security forces had been forcibly retired by the prior president, leaving its security situation difficult at best. The United States should focus regional Merida assistance on these most vulnerable countries. ¶13. (C) President Calderon then went on to express his hope that the United States would re-assert its leadership role in the region, using the Summit of the Americas as an important opportunity. The region was eager to meet President Obama, and excited to hear his vision of U.S. policy towards Latin America. Calderon confessed that a recent meeting with Summit host Prime Minister Manning of Trinidad and Tobago had left him concerned that Manning would try to force the Cuba issue at the Summit. Calderon said he had advised against this, arguing the United States and Cuba needed to work out their issues bilaterally first, before the region engaged. Calderon did not think Manning was persuaded, describing the leader as seduced by the idea of making history with this issue. -------------- THE WORLD -------------- ¶14. (C) Secretary Clinton noted U.S. appreciation for Mexico's leadership role in the G-20, and especially its early call for replenishing the international financial institutions. Calderon pointed out that the Inter- American Development Bank was one of those institutions that needed replenishing, and should not be overlooked. ¶15. (C) Calderon continued that he and President Obama had many things in common, and one was a "green" agenda. Calderon noted this was another personal passion of his. The global community set goals for the environment, but didn't create mechanisms to make those goals attainable. Calderon discussed his ideas for regional "clean energy" markets, and for the creation of a "green fund" that would provide incentives for nations who successfully actualized plans to reduce emissions. Secretary Clinton said that Mexico's vision on the range of issues affecting the environment, renewable energy options, and climate change was greatly valued, and for that reason President Obama wished to invite him to a Major Economies Forum on Energy and the Environment in Italy this July (reftel). President Calderon noted that, as Secretary of Energy and earlier, as President of the Development Bank (Banobras),he had approved wind energy and biogas programs across Mexico. Now those programs were models of their kind. Secretary Clinton told him she was pleased to be visiting Mexico's showcase biogas plant in Monterrey, drawing a warm smile from the President. -------------- NEXT STEPS -------------- ¶16. (C) Calderon summed up the discussion by noting that our two countries need a broad strategy to focus on security, competitiveness, and the range of bilateral issues. He said that we should build strategic alliances in areas like healthcare, where U.S. demand could be met by Mexican supply. Calderon noted he had shared these ideas with President Obama, and very much looked forward to discussing them further in April. He reiterated again how honored Mexico was to receive the U.S. President. Secretary Clinton thanked Calderon for his time and leadership, and again pledged her personal commitment to concrete results in the relationship. CLINTON