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### Viewing cable 09MADRID59, JANUARY 8-9 VISIT BY WHA A/S SHANNON REAFFIRMS

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
09MADRID59 | 2009-01-16 16:04 | 2010-12-10 12:12 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Madrid

`

    VZCZCXYZ0000
    RR RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHMD #0059/01 0161659
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    R 161659Z JAN 09
    FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0075
    INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 5399
    RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0633
    RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 0396
    RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1347
    RUEHGT/AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA 1446
    RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JAN MANAGUA 0272
    RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 0687
    RUEHSP/AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN 0189
    RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 1431
    RUEHSN/AMEMBASSY SAN SALVADOR 1495
    RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0279
    RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 000059

    SIPDIS

    FOR EUR/WE, ALSO FOR WHA/PPC

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/14/2019
    TAGS: PREL PGOV KSUM AR BL CU SP
    SUBJECT: JANUARY 8-9 VISIT BY WHA A/S SHANNON REAFFIRMS
    U.S.-SPANISH PARTNERSHIP IN LATIN AMERICA

    REF: A. MOSCOW 20
    ¶B. MADRID 1366
    ¶C. 08 MADRID 518

    Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Arnold A. Chacon, for reasons 1.
    4(b) and (d).

    ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: A/S Shannon's January 8-9 Madrid program
    and subsequent media play were characterized by bilateral
    goodwill and Spanish optimism for a new phase in U.S.-Spanish
    cooperation in Latin America despite significant challenges
    in the region. He highlighted U.S. engagement in the
    Americas, shared interests with Spain, and our outreach in
    Europe and Asia to countries with strategic interests in
    Latin America and the Caribbean. The Spanish also raised
    Gaza and the High-Level Meeting on Food Security taking place
    in Madrid later this month. END SUMMARY.

    U.S., Spain, and Europe in Latin America
    ----------------------------------------

    ¶2. (C) Spanish Secretary of State for Iberoamerica Trinidad
    Jimenez hosted a lunch for A/S Shannon January 8. The
    conversational tour of the region set the stage for the
    remainder of A/S Shannon's interactions, notably the
    breakfast colloquium January 9 at Casa de America and a
    90-minute meeting with Secretary General of the Presidency
    Bernardino Leon, also January 9. At lunch and again before a
    public audience, Jimenez asserted that no two countries were
    more important to the future success of Latin America than
    the U.S. and Spain. She reviewed recent Spanish involvement
    in the region (Note: In what the press has called an effort
    to promote a closer relationship between Europe and Latin
    America, Jimenez traveled to Lisbon on January 13 and met
    with Portuguese FM Amado and the Secretary of State for
    Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. She also received her
    Italian counterpart in Madrid on January 14. End note.)

    ¶3. (C) During his meeting with A/S Shannon, Leon suggested
    the Western Hemisphere was becoming more "global." Leon
    cited the expulsion of Israel's ambassador by Venezuelan
    President Chavez and Nicaragua's September 2008 recognition
    of the breakaway Georgian republics of South Ossetia and
    Abkhazia. Leon also expressed interest in the approach the
    new U.S. Administration would take to the region and offered
    GOS assistance during the transition. Leon said
    President-elect Obama had expressed his desire to consult
    with Spanish President Zapatero before making any big
    decisions on Latin America policy. (Note: In a January 13
    radio interview Zapatero said he "hoped to have a deep
    conversation (with Obama) as soon as possible about conflict
    areas, as well as about Latin America, including Cuba," but
    that the contacts would start after January 20. End note.)

    ¶4. (C) A/S Shannon told Leon that during the Secretary's
    December 2008 trip to Panama for the first Pathways to
    Prosperity plenary, the U.S. had made efforts to engage with
    all countries in the region that had expressed interest in
    free trade. Leon raised the EU accords with Central America
    and Colombia. He lamented that Bolivia would likely be
    excluded due to the negative influence of Venezuela.
    Ecuador, he surmised, would want in on any trade agreement in
    order to protect banana exports.

    MEXICO AND BRAZIL
    -----------------

    ¶5. (C) Jimenez praised the U.S. for focusing attention on
    Mexico's border with Guatemala. Hearing that President-elect
    Obama would meet with Mexican President Calderon January 12,
    she called it a good initiative to form new institutional
    relationships. She expressed concern about Calderon's
    capacity to fight corruption within his government but noted

    the widespread respect he commanded in the region.

    ¶6. (C) Leon and Jimenez were very upbeat about Brazil.
    Regarding Lula's efforts on behalf of regional integration,

    Jimenez assured Shannon, "if it is good for Latin America, it
    is good for Spain." She suggested Spain and the U.S. should
    see each other and also Brazil and Mexico as partners rather
    than rivals. Discarding the idea that the U.S. had been
    excluded from December meetings in Sauipe, Shannon praised
    Lula's leadership and quoted the Secretary as calling Brazil
    "a regional power and a global partner." Jimenez was also
    supportive of "a strong Brazil and an involved Mexico."

    CENTRAL AMERCIA
    ---------------

    ¶7. (C) On Guatemala, both Jimenez and Leon expressed
    disappointment with Colom's slowness in recognizing and
    confronting the problems of corruption and organized crime.
    Jimenez told A/S Shannon she would travel to Guatemala soon
    to address concerns over insecurity and drug violence. She
    said Spain would also add an Interior Ministry representative
    to its embassy in Guatemala to support the Spanish Civil
    Guard's work in training Guatemalan national police. Leon
    noted the Guatemalan President had invited two Spanish
    advisors from the Office of the Presidency and suggested they
    should make contact with the U.S. Embassy there to exchange
    views. Leon was generally optimistic about Costa Rica, and
    opined that El Salvador would be okay following March 15
    presidential elections, but noted it would be better if ARENA
    won. Leon described Nicaraguan President Ortega as a "lost
    cause." He said Zapatero had refused to meet with Ortega
    during the October 2008 Latin American Summit in El Salvador.
    Jimenez called Ortega the worst of all the leaders with whom
    she works.

    SOUTHERN CONE
    -------------

    ¶8. (C) Leon told Shannon the GOS supports the Marsans Group
    in its dispute with Aerolineas Argentinas but said Spain
    would take measures to improve the climate before the
    February 8 visit to Madrid of Argentine President Fernandez
    de Kirchner. Shannon said the U.S. had made enormous efforts
    to maintain a good relationship with Argentina, with mixed
    results. Leon agreed the Kirchner team was "lamentable," and
    doubted Argentina's "perverse system" could be fixed, yet he
    expressed hope that Argentines would one day reclaim their
    political space. He offered to deliver any messages the U.S.
    might wish during Fernandez Kirchner's February visit. Leon
    said Spain was not worried about the outcome of Chilean
    elections, but expressed disappointment in Paraguayan
    President Lugo.

    ANDES
    -----

    ¶9. (C) Leon noted Ecuador's need to be more competitive to
    make up for the loss of its oil income. Saying he was
    hopeful about Ecuadorian President Correa, he conceded his
    first impression, at the time of Ecuador's expropriation of
    foreign oil companies, had been decidedly negative. He
    observed Correa continued to manipulate debt and market
    access issues for his own political gain, and he opined the
    Ecuadorian President needed a positive "mentor" in the
    region.

    ¶10. (C) Referring to Ecuador's March 2008 border conflict
    with Colombia and Correa's subsequent European tour, Leon
    expressed lingering frustration with Correa's propensity to
    express "barbarities" after a carefully managed and very
    moderate joint statement with President Zapatero. In the
    context of balancing Colombian concerns, Leon mentioned
    Ecuador's request for assistance with air traffic control
    radar. Leon and A/S Shannon agreed that improved civil
    aviation control was essential to ensure regional stability
    in the Andean corridor. Jimenez deemed Venezuelan President
    Chavez to be weakened, as evidenced by moving up the
    Venezuelan referendum.

    CUBA

    ----

    ¶11. (C) In his conversations with both Jimenez and Leon, A/S
    Shannon noted Cuba's long resistance to democratic change,
    and said the U.S., Spain, and other countries must continue
    to promote such change, pressing consistently for freedom for
    political prisoners and political space for a democratic
    opposition. Jimenez mentioned the difficulties of
    negotiating with the GOC, as in the case of humanitarian aid
    offers in the wake of hurricanes Ike and Gustav, but insisted
    it was important to make such gestures even if Cuba
    ultimately refused them. Anticipating the third round of
    EU-Cuba human rights talks January 15-16, Jimenez said the
    Czechs (holding the EU Presidency) did not appear interested
    in sending messages. Spain, on the other hand, wanted to
    find the "right formula," presumably not a public one, to
    speak of pluralism and to visit dissidents. Jimenez said she
    might travel to Cuba in May 2009 and joked that, looking to
    the June review of the EU's common position on Cuba, the U.S.
    ought to give the Czechs instructions that would be helpful
    to Spain's efforts. Jimenez expounded on what she called the
    discrepancies between Miami and Washington approaches to Cuba
    and argued that the U.S. transition was "the best excuse" for
    a change in U.S. policy.

    ¶12. (C) Leon asked A/S Shannon to convey Spain's intention to
    work closely with the U.S. on any possible Spanish
    presidential visit to Cuba. He did not discard the
    possibility Zapatero could travel to Cuba in 2009, but he
    noted Zapatero had backtracked following conflicting public
    statements by GOS officials. Jimenez retreated further,
    saying perhaps Zapatero would not visit in 2009 but that a
    visit would be reasonable during this legislature (which ends
    in 2012) if it could help promote change in Cuba.

    AREAS FOR COOPERATION
    --------------------

    ¶13. (SBU) Leon asked about the prospects for extending the
    Merida Initiative to Central America. A/S Shannon said that
    $60 million in funding from the first tranche of $465 million
    was slated for Central America. An additional $150 million
    was requested for Central America in the FY-2009 budget
    request. Director General of Cooperation with Iberoamerica
    Consuelo Femenia joined Jimenez' lunch for A/S Shannon and
    briefed on Spain's assistance programs in the hemisphere.
    Femenia spoke of Spanish emphasis on governability, gender
    issues, and the health sector and noted the importance of
    continuity of development aid in countries like Bolivia,
    where Spain's bilateral plans are in limbo. While Jimenez
    said Spain had not restricted cooperation to Bolivia, the GOS
    was conscious of the need to make assistance more
    "efficient." To that end, lunch attendees espoused the
    benefits of triangular cooperation. A/S Shannon called for
    increased coherence among assistance programs. He suggested
    the U.S. and Spain review opportunities for triangular
    cooperation.

    GAZA AND FOOD SECURITY
    ----------------------

    ¶14. (C) Gaza crept into discussions of Latin America. Leon
    described FM Moratinos's planned trip the week of January 12
    to Egypt, Israel, Syria, and the West Bank. A/S Shannon
    encouraged Leon to stay in touch with U.S. officials on the
    Middle East to maintain an exchange of views (Note:
    Moratinos reached out the Secretary by telephone January 15
    to describe his trip. End note). Leon also pulled A/S
    Shannon aside to stress the importance to the GOS attaches to
    the UN High-Level Meeting on Food Security in Madrid January
    26-27.

    CASA DE AMERICA
    ---------------

    ¶15. (U) A/S Shannon and Jimenez drew a standing-room only
    crowd for an on the record breakfast colloquium January 9 at

    Casa de America (the Spanish Government's influential
    cultural institute for Latin America). A/S Shannon spoke of
    seeking new partners and opening new space for democracy and
    economic opportunity in Latin America. He noted the U.S. and
    Spain shared a strategic vision in the region. He
    acknowledged that Spain and the U.S. might differ on tactics
    in some cases but emphasized shared goals. He stressed the
    need to work not just with Latin American countries but with
    all countries who have strategic interests in the region.
    Asked whether 2009 would be the year of Cuba, Jimenez
    expressed hope for a change of U.S. attitude but commented
    the future of the embargo depended on gestures from both
    sides. A/S Shannon in turn insisted on the importance of the
    international community actively promoting democratic change.
    He emphasized it was more than just meeting dissidents
    during visits to the island, important though that was.
    Countries needed to work collaboratively and consistently
    with the dissidents to help them create space for a
    democratic opposition.

    MEDIA HOMERUNS
    --------------

    ¶16. (U) A/S Shannon granted interviews to the three leading
    media outlets. Left-of-center daily El Pais (circulation 2.2
    million), published a full page interview January 11. A/S
    Shannon participated in the live broadcast Cadena Ser Radio
    program "La Ventana" (average listenership 750,000).
    Number-one ranked Television Espanola (TVE) recorded an
    interview with A/S Shannon for its regular program "Barrio
    Latino." The show will air January 20 and will reach
    audiences throughout Spain and Latin America on January 20.
    In each interview, A/S Shannon laid out U.S. policy in Latin
    America and strongly defended the USG's engagement with the
    region in recent years. Topics of particular interest to the
    media included U.S. policy towards Cuba and Venezuela,
    prospects for trade and investment in the region given the
    economic crisis, drug trafficking and the Merida Initiative,
    and the perceived rise of leftist/populist leaders in several
    Latin American countries. Leading journalists and directors
    of Spanish news wire service EFE also participated in the
    colloquium January 9.

    COMMENT
    -------

    ¶17. (C) Spanish views continue to resonate with our own on
    most things Latin American. The GOS expresses frustration
    with the same leaders and situations that are of greatest
    concern to us. On Cuba, where we have our greatest tactical
    differences, Spain is watching closely for signals from the
    new U.S. Administration and hopes to consult closely on the
    issue. Throughout the Western Hemisphere, Spain seems
    genuinely interested in working with the U.S., and the Merida
    Initiative may present a unique opportunity to do so if we
    can move beyond Spanish good intentions to concrete actions.
    The Spanish are increasingly aware that many of Latin
    America's ills, such as narcotics trafficking, impact them as
    much or more than the U.S. A/S Shannon's visit was an
    extremely well-timed and typically effective push in the
    right direction. For historical and cultural reasons, Spain
    likes to regard Latin America as something of a special
    preserve and itself as the opinion leader within Europe.
    Nevertheless, Spanish officials such as Leon and Jimenez are
    keenly aware of the preponderant U.S. influence in the region
    and are anxious to maintain the fluid dialogue that has been
    established in recent years. The Zapatero Administration is
    likely to maintain its preference for low key diplomacy in
    dealing with problem countries in Latin America, but that is
    not say we cannot have a mutually-beneficial partnership in
    the region.

    ¶18. (U) A/S Shannon cleared this cable.
    AGUIRRE

`