OAS "REGRETS" U.S. ACTION: INDIVIDUAL COUNTRY REPORTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 406652 E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR TAGS: PREL PM OAS SUBJECT: OAS "REGRETS" U.S. ACTION: INDIVIDUAL COUNTRY REPORTS FOR POSTS' INFORMATION, FOLLOWING IS A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF BEHAVIOR OF OAS MEMBERS AT DECEMBER 20-22 SPECIAL SESSION OF PERMANENT COUNCIL TO CONSIDER U.S. MILITARY ACTION IN PANAMA: ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA: BROKE WITH CARIBBEAN (PERHAPS DUE TO ABSENCE OF INSTRUCTIONS; DISCRETION ADVISED) AND USED HIS FLEXIBILITY TO ABSTAIN ON FINAL VOTE; HELPFUL PROCEDURALLY; IN STATEMENT EXPLAINED PRINCIPLES SHOULD NOT BE USED TO SHIELD HUMAN VIOLATIONS. ARGENTINA: INITIALLY MODERATING INFLUENCE WITHIN G-8 BUT BECAME INCREASINGLY PASSIVE AS TIME PASSED, CLAIMING ADVERSE POPULAR REACTION AND RETURN OF ANTI-AMERICANISM. SUPPORTED ALL G-8 POSITIONS, BUT SHARED INFORMATION. BAHAMAS: ABSENT ON SECOND DAY. BARBADOS: ACTIVE AS INTERLOCUTOR BETWEEN G-8 AND CENTRAL AMERICA, BUT LESS SUPPORTIVE OF U.S. THAN HOPED. WORKED TO MODERATE G-8 DRAFT. BOLIVIA: MODERATE BUT NOTED FROM START NEED OF PAZ GOVERNMENT TO TAKE STRONG LINE TO OFFSET REACTION TO EXTRADITION. JOINED G-8 RESOLUTION; VOTED FOR HELPFUL CR AMENDMENT THAT PASSED. BRAZIL: HARDLINE AND ACTIVE IN SELLING G-8 RESOLUTION. UNHELPFUL ON PROCEDURAL ISSUES. READ FM COMMUNIQUE. CANADA: SPOKE AS OBSERVER, BECOMES MEMBER JANUARY 1. MADE STATEMENT GENERALLY SUPPORTIVE OF PRESIDENT BUSH, ALTHOUGH REGRETTING USE OF FORCE. CHILE (PROTECT): PREPARED HELPFUL NON-PAPER RESOLUTION BUT DID NOT PUSH AFTER G-8 REJECTED IT. PASSED US USEFUL INFORMATION AND ADVICE. (DISCRETION ADVISED) COLOMBIA: RESTRAINED STATEMENT BUT HARDLINE AND ACTIVIST ON G-8 RESOLUTION. INFORMED THAT LONDONO WAS CONSULTING BUT HAD FOUND NO SUPPORT OUTSIDE OF VENEZUELA FOR A NEW MFM. COSTA RICA: ACTIVE AND ELOQUENT DEFENDER OF NEED TO RAISE PRIORITY FOR DEMOCRACY. COSPONSORED DRAFT WITH OTHER 3 CA DEMS. LEADER IN PUTTING BEFORE THE COUNCIL THE ACTIONS BY NORIEGA WHICH CAUSED THE CRISIS. PROPOSED NORIEGA AMENDMENTS. VOTED FOR U.S. AMENDMENTS. DOMINICA: ABSENT. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: DISAPPOINTING. PERMREP NOT PRESENT. ALTERNATE REP AGED AND UNINFORMED. VOTED STRAIGHT G-8 AND GAVE SHORT UNHELPFUL STATEMENT SAYING DR HAS SUFFERED FOREIGN INTERVENTION. ECUADOR: NEXT TO PERU, MOST UNHELPFUL. THIS LA DEMOCRACY VOTED "NO" ON NORIEGA AMENDMENTS ALONG WITH PANAMA. EL SALVADOR: HELPFUL BUT NOT THE LEADER, FOLLOWING COSTA RICA AND HONDURAS. ONLY AMBASSADOR OTHER THAN U.S. TO CITE NORIEGA'S STATE OF WAR PROVOCATION. GRENADA: TRIED TO BE HELPFUL BUT DUE TO PM'S DEATH WAS INSTRUCTED NOT TO PARTICIPATE ON L2/2L, LOSING IMPORTANT VOTE ON AMENDMENTS. HONDURAS (PROTECT): WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH U.S. SUBSTANTIVELY AND PROCEDURALLY. VERY HELPFUL. SPEARHEADED WITH CR HELPFUL CENTRAL AMERICAN DRAFT AND BROUGHT NORIEGA ISSUE TO COUNCIL REPEATEDLY. VOTED FOR U.S. AMENDMENTS. (MAY HAVE EXCEEDED HIS INSTRUCTIONS.) GUATEMALA: HELPFUL BUT WITH AMBASSADOR ABSENT, FAR LESS ACTIVE THAN COSTA RICA AND HONDURAS. HAITI: UNHELPFUL, JOINED G-8. BRIEFLY CITED FRENCH AND U.S. INTERVENTIONS IN HAITI AGAINST OUR ACTION. JAMAICA: WORKED TO SOFTEN G-8 LANGUAGE IN RESOLUTION CRITICIZING U.S. ACTIONS. SUPPORTED G-8 DRAFT: QUOTE NONE OF THE REASONS ADDUCED BY THE UNITED STATES CAN POSSIBLY JUSTIFY THE MILITARY INTERVENTION. UNQUOTE ONLY NATION TO PROPOSE PEACEKEEPING FORCE TO ENABLE U.S. TO WITHDRAW NEWLY DEPLOYED FORCES. MEXICO: SPEARHEADED G-8 RESOLUTION; CIRCUMSPECT IN CRITICISM OF U.S. LED SUCCESSFUL EFFORT TO CONVINCE CHAIRMAN THAT NICARAGUAN DRAFT HAD SOMEHOW TO BE SET ASIDE IF OAS WAS TO SURVIVE. NICARAGUA: LED THE ATTACK AGAINST U.S.: POLEMICAL, THREW IN CA ISSUES, SAID U.S. TROOPS MIGHT MOVE THROUGHOUT CA. PANAMA (NORIEGA'S AMBASSADOR): AS EXPECTED. DEJECTED AND OBVIOUSLY INSECURE. NOT FORCEFUL, BUT STURCK CHORD WITH REPEATED ACCUSATIONS OF INDISCRIMINATE KILLINGS, MILITARY ABUSE, THOUSANDS OF DEAD INCREASING BY THE MINUTE. ALLOWED TO SPEAK BUT NOT INCLUDED IN NEGOTIATIONS. PARAGUAY: G-8 LINE BUT PASSIVE. BRIEF CRITICISM OF NORIEGA. PERU: . (EXPLETIVE DELETED). OUTRAGEOUS ANTI-U.S. STATEMENTS. AGGRESSIVE LOBBYING FOR STRONGEST RESOLUTION ATTAINABLE. ACCEPTED NEED TO ABANDON CONDEMNATION OF U.S. FOR SAKE OF GETTING CARIBBEAN TO SUPPORT RESOLUTION. ST. KITTS: INACTIVE. FOLLOWED BARBADOS' LEADERSHIP. ST. LUCIA: HELPFUL PROCEDURALLY. WORKED TO MODERATE G-8 RESOLUTION AND KEEP THEM HONEST. ST. VINCENT: ABSENT. SURINAME: FOLLOWED CARIBBEAN. AMBASSADOR NOT PRESENT. TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, CHAIRMAN: IMPARTIAL, EFFECTIVE AND INDEPENDENT CHAIRMAN. ORGANIZED AND LED ACTIVE CONSULTATIONS AND MADE SURE EVERYONE WAS INCLUDED AND CONSULTED. URUGUAY: USED HIS OAS PRESTIGE AS AN INTERNATIONAL JURIST TO LEAD G-8 PROCEDURAL BATTLES AGAINST U.S. AND CA 4. ORIGINATED AND DEFENDED HAIRSPLITTING IN EFFORT TO FORCE EARLY VOTE IN FAVOR OF NICARAGUAN RESOLUTION DEC 2O. VIRULENTLY OPPOSED CRITICISM OF NORIEGA QUOTE TODAY I AM MORE WORRIED BY THE OCCUPATION OF PANAMA THAN BY THE ORIGINS OF THE CRISIS. VENEZUELA: DENOUNCED QUOTE TERRIBLE NEWS OF INTERVENTION BY U.S. TROOPS UNQUOTE. THWARTED G-8 UNITY BY REFUSING TO CO-SPONSOR G-8 RESOLUTION WHICH DID NOT DEAL WITH CAUSES OF CRISES: NORIEGA WENT BEYOND LIMITS OF TOLERANCE; "PERHAPS WE COULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS SITUATION IF THE OAS HAD CARRIED OUT ITS FUNCTIONS BETTER." SUBSTANTIVELY ONE OF STRONG POINTS OF MEETING, THOUGH GENERALLY UNINVOLVED. FM DID NOT ATTEND ANY MEETINGS, TOLD AMB EINAUDI THAT BRAZ, URU, ARG FMS HAD COMMITTED TO GOING TO WASHINGTON, DID NOT COME, BUT THAT PRES PEREZ WOULD CONTINUE TO PUSH FOR MFM AT AOOPORTUNE TIME. IN VIEW OF HIGH LEVELS OF INTEREST AND DIRECT PARTICIPATION OF SENIOR U.S. OFFICIALS IN CONTACTS, POSTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO USE THIS INFORMATION DISCREETLY SO AS TO CONFIRM U.S. INTEREST IN MULTILATERALISM AND TO PRAISE THOSE DELEGATIONS THAT WERE PARTICULARLY HELPFUL, WHETHER THROUGH SUBSTANTIVE POSITIONS (CA 4, ESPECIALLY HONDURAS), OR THROUGH EFFORTS TO RECONCILE VIEWPOINTS, FACE FACTS, OR MODERATE EXTREMISM (TRINIDAD, VENEZUELA, ETC.) EAGLEBURGER NOTE: POUCHED PROTECTED BY SO.