GOCR'S FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITIES: SICA, UNSC AND A

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SAN JOSE 000651 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR WHA/CEN; IO/RHS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: IO KDEM PGOV PHUM PREL CS SUBJECT: GOCR'S FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITIES: SICA, UNSC AND A HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL SEAT REF: A. SAN JOSE 498 ¶B. SAN JOSE 622 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On July 23, Costa Rican MFA Director of Foreign Policy Alejandro Solano gave a presentation to representatives of the diplomatic corps on Costa Rica's foreign policy priorities over the next six months. Solano focused on Costa Rica's six-month presidency of the Central American Integration System (SICA),and the last six months of Costa Rica's term on the United Nations Security Council. Costa Rica also informed us that they will seek a seat on the Human Rights Council for the 2011-2014 term, and asked for USG support in the May 2011 elections. End Summary. -------------- SICA GOALS -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Costa Rica's term as president of SICA began on July 1, 2009 and will end on December 31, 2009. Costa Rica hopes to move forward on five key areas (in the order presented by Solano) during their presidency: - European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) - the GOCR will continue working on the FTA with Europe, with the hopes of making significant progress over the next six months. This issue is very high on the GOCR's agenda, though it has been hampered by the ongoing situation in Honduras. The GOCR hopes to move forward in the negotiations without Honduras for now, and later allow them to re-join the negotiations after the restoration of the constitutional order in Honduras. The GOCR will meet with the other SICA members at the Tuxtla conference from July 27-29 to propose continuing the negotiations without Honduras, as a way to push forward with the FTA. - Mercosur-SICA relations - The GOCR wants to pursue the consideration of a larger FTA between the Mercado Sur (Mercosur) and SICA. While Solano admitted that negotiations of this type would "take months or years", he said the GOCR was anxious to begin the process. While there is significant interest in such an agreement on the part of Mercosur members (including Brazil and Uruguay, whose presidents have both visited Costa Rica over the past four months and discussed a potential trade deal),Costa Rica has yet to formally propose the idea to other SICA members. - Capitalize Banco Centroamericano de Integracion Economica (BCIE) - Solano said the GOCR will ask the USG for assistance in examining the capital restrictions and leverage possibilities of the bank. He also mentioned that South Korea has expressed a desire to become an extra-regional member of the BCIE, which would also inject new capital into the bank. - Honduras - The GOCR, as president of SICA, will continue to work towards a peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis in Honduras, and urges both sides to accept the San Jose Accords (Ref B). - Strengthen the governing of SICA - The GOCR wants to develop SICA,s potential and increase the ability of SICA to act as a regional institution. This includes strengthening the SICA secretariat, continuing efforts to prioritize steps towards further integration, and ensuring that SICA runs in a transparent manner. -------------- UNSC PRIORITIES -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Costa Rica's current rotation as a non-permanent member of the UNSC ends December 31, 2009. During their final months on the UNSC, the GOCR plans to continue to work on the following issues: - Disarmament and non-proliferation - The GOCR will continue to work on disarmament issues throughout its tenure on the UNSC. They will continue to follow the language developed in the Presidential Statement during Costa Rica's UNSC presidency (November 2008) on disarmament and non-proliferation. - International Criminal Court (ICC) - The GOCR will continue to promote the ICC as an effective institution, and believes that "justice and peace are not incompatible." The GOCR believes that in pursuing peace the UN shouldn't set aside SAN JOSE 00000651 002 OF 002 the goal of bringing perpetrators of crimes to justice. Also, the GOCR will oppose any attempt by the UNSC to suspend the investigations of the ICC due to any reasons (for example, in the case of Sudan). - Human Rights and the War on Terror - The GOCR will continue to work with European partners (Germany, Belgium, Denmark, etc) to ensure that a focus is put on respecting human rights even while pursuing terrorists. - UNSC Reform - The GOCR is committed to many major reforms of the UNSC, and supports increasing the transparency of, and availability of information on, the UNSC. However, the GOCR does not favor the establishment of new permanent members to the UNSC. Instead, the GOCR would support longer terms for rotational positions on the Council (double the current term),and allowing immediate re-election of non-permanent members who have just finished a term on the Council. - Oil for Food - The GOCR wants to continue working to ensure that Oil for Food reports are filed in a timely manner, and that new payments are not authorized until reporting is submitted. - Haiti Reconstruction - The GOCR will work to ensure the sustainability of the reconstruction and peace building project in Haiti over the coming six months. -------------- HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL SEAT -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The GOCR informed us by diplomatic note of their intention to run for a seat on the United Nation's Human Rights Council for the term of 2011-2014. Though Costa Rica has never held a seat on the Council and recognizes some of the Council's flaws, they have been strong supporters of the body and had previously urged the USG to seek a seat. The GOCR has requested USG support for their candidacy, and our vote in the May 2011 elections. Post transmitted a copy of the diplomatic to the Department on July 27. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The Arias administration, which will leave office in mid-2010, sees the SICA presidency as a way to push forward on a number of 'their' issues in the region, chiefly among these the intra-regional FTAs. Additionally, with the coming end of their term on the UNSC, the GOCR is both interested in seeing through a few of their longer-term projects (oil for food, UNSC reform, human rights issues),as well as seeking additional avenues for international engagement. A seat on the Human Rights Council seems to be a good fit both for Costa Rica and its desire to have a broader international impact, and for the Council itself, as Costa Rica has a long history of working on human rights issues. Costa Rica could serve as a welcome partner with the USG at the HRC, and we believe their membership should be encouraged. BRENNAN