Cable 237491

Este cable enviado a Washington detalla la reunión de ministros de Defensa y cancilleres de la Unasur. Se resalta que la Unasur, nuevamente pospuso el debate sobre el Acuerdo de Defensa Colombia-EE.UU. a pesar de la insistencia de Venezuela.

id:

 237491

date: 

12/1/2009 22:43

refid: 

09QUITO1009

origin:

 Embassy Quito

classification:

 CONFIDENTIAL

destination: 

09QUITO979|09QUITO983

header:

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DE RUEHQT #1009/01 3352243

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C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 001009 

SIPDIS 

AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PASS TO AMCONSUL RECIFE 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/12/01 

TAGS: PREL, MARR, AORC, EC, CO, XM, XR 

SUBJECT: UNASUR Establishes Confidence Building Mechanism 

REF: QUITO 983; QUITO 979 

CLASSIFIED BY: Heather M. Hodges, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B), (D) 

1.  (C) SUMMARY:  The November 27 UNASUR meeting of foreign and 

defense ministers managed to reach agreement on a resolution 

establishing a "confidence building mechanism," with provisions 

designed to improve transparency and information sharing, provide 

guarantees regarding the use and/or threat of force, and define 

South America as a region of peace.  UNASUR deferred discussion of 

the U.S.-Colombia Defense Cooperation Agreement until the next 

ministerial, and decided to invite the USG to discuss strategic 

issues and U.S. policy in the region with UNASUR.  END SUMMARY. 

2.  (SBU) The foreign and defense ministers of the Union of South 

American Nations (UNASUR), meeting on November 27 in Quito, 

approved a resolution creating a "Mechanism to Build Confidence and 

Security."  The agreement builds on the Bariloche Decision by 

UNASUR heads of state on August 28 to "strengthen South America as 

a zone of peace."  In a November 28 MFA press release, Foreign 

Minister Fander Falconi called the agreement a "transcendental 

milestone for UNASUR, that constitutes the basis of a new 

relationship in the field of security for the countries of the 

region." 

No Official Condemnation of the U.S-Colombia DCA 

--------------------------------------------- --- 

3.  (C) The meeting deferred a Venezuelan proposal to declare the 

South American region a zone free of foreign bases until the next 

ministerial, still to be scheduled.  The Ecuadorian press reported 

that the absence of Colombia's foreign and defense ministers at the 

November 27 also stymied the Venezuelan call for condemnation of 

the U.S.-Colombia Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA), also 

deferred until the next meeting.  The press referred to the lack of 

a condemnation in the agreement as a "win in this round by Colombia 

over Venezuela." 

4.  (C) Coordinating Security Minister Miguel Carvajal sought to 

put a positive spin on the outcome.  In a televised interview on 

November 30, Carvajal said that the U.S. and Colombian commitment 

to ensure that the interests of UNASUR members would not be 

affected by the presence of USG personnel on Colombian bases was 

affirmed by a document from Colombia, as well as a letter by 

Secretary Clinton.  Carvajal claimed that the United States 

"changed the text (of the DCA) in the last period" to provide such 

guarantees, and called this a "positive gesture." 

5.  (C) UNASUR has not given up on its goal to dialogue directly 

with the USG on the DCA.  The UNASUR resolution states that "UNASUR 

considers it important to invite the United States to a dialogue on 

strategic questions, of defense, peace, security and development, 

in a date to be coordinated by the (UNASUR) Presidency."  The 

Embassy has not received any communication from the MFA regarding 

such an invitation.  Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro and 

others reportedly suggested that UNASUR invite the Secretary. 

Confidence Building Mechanism 

----------------------------- 

6.  (SBU) At the conclusion of an 11 hour session, the UNASUR 

members approved a resolution establishing a five-section 

confidence building mechanism to improve transparency and 

information sharing, provide guarantees regarding the use and/or 

threat of force, and define South America as a region of peace. 

-- The first section, Exchange of Information and Transparency, 

creates a system for sharing information regarding defense 

policies, and requires member countries to share the text of all 

defense and/or security cooperation agreements as well as the 

defense budgets for the last five years. 

-- The second section, Intra- and Extra-Regional Military 

Activities, requires member countries to notify in advance all 

members of UNASUR of any defense maneuver along the border of 

another country, to include details of that activity. 

-- The third section, Security Measures, requires that member 

countries adopt needed measures to prevent and impede the presence 

or actions by illegal armed groups and to abstain from any type of 

assistance to these armed groups or its members. 

-- The fourth section, Guarantees, provides that the use or threat 

of force by any UNASUR member country against another will be 

prohibited, including any type of military aggression or threat to 

stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

-- The fifth section, Completion and Verification, allows for 

visits and increased military cooperation in the region and for the 

verification of border situations of member states and to raise the 

resulting studies to UNASUR's Council of State Leaders. 

Other Regional Issues 

--------------------- 

7.  (C) Regarding the elections in Honduras, President Correa 

announced from Brussels on November 27 that "the decision is made: 

we will not recognize the elections under the de facto government 

of Roberto Micheletti."  He portrayed this as a UNASUR decision. 

Correa encouraged the European Union to follow UNASUR's lead, 

saying the elections "would be like a coup d'etat."  However, 

Peruvian Foreign Minister Jose Garcia Belaunde undercut Correa by 

announcing separately in Quito on November 27 that Peru would 

recognize the elections.  Ecuador's MFA issued a press bulletin on 

November 29 reiterating its position that the Honduran elections 

were "corrupt from the outset." (Ref A) 

8.  (SBU) Ecuador had suggested that the UNASUR meeting agenda 

include a discussion of the alleged spying by Chile against Peru. 

However, Chile succeeded in its request to have the issue removed 

from the agenda, according to press reports. 

Low Level Attendance 

-------------------- 

9.  (C) Few ministers were present at the November 27 meeting. 

Among 23 total participants, only two countries sent both their 

foreign and defense ministers, namely Ecuador and Brazil.  Peru and 

Venezuela sent their foreign ministers, while Paraguay and Suriname 

sent their defense ministers.  The remaining five UNASUR countries 

were represented by vice ministers or other officials. 

Comment 

------- 

10.  (C) This UNASUR meeting was a milestone in that its divided 

membership managed to reach consensus on a document spelling out 

confidence building measures.  The Secretary and Defense 

Secretary's letters clearly helped defuse criticism of the DCA. 

HODGES 

=======================CABLE ENDS============================