id: 145970 date: 3/14/2008 17:01 refid: 08OTTAWA379 origin: Embassy Ottawa classification: CONFIDENTIAL destination: 08STATE25971 header: VZCZCXRO5495 OO RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHQU RUEHVC DE RUEHOT #0379 0741701 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 141701Z MAR 08 FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7525 INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 0441 RUEHGT/AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA PRIORITY 0095 RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 0626 RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 1805 RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO PRIORITY 0189 RUEHBH/AMEMBASSY NASSAU PRIORITY 0412 RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA PRIORITY 0152 RUEHSJ/AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE PRIORITY 0208 RUEHSN/AMEMBASSY SAN SALVADOR PRIORITY 0848 RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO PRIORITY 0719 RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO PRIORITY 0418 ----------------- header ends ---------------- C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 000379 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/2013 TAGS: PREL, PTER, CO, EC, CA SUBJECT: CANADA ON 3/17 OAS MINISTERIAL REF: STATE 25971 Classified By: PolMinCouns Scott Bellard, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 1. (C) Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Director General for Latin America and the Caribbean James Lambert confirmed to PolMinCouns on March 14 that Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier planned to attend the March 17 OAS Ministerial meeting in Washington. Lambert noted Canada's understanding that Deputy Secretary Negroponte would represent Secretary Rice due to her scheduled travel to Russia. He expressed appreciation for reftel oral points, and said that Canada was "on the same page" on its substantive points, similarly wanting the Ministerial to look forward, not backward. He noted that it would be especially unhelpful to do anything to "unravel" the positive developments from the March 5 OAS meeting and the Rio Group Summit, while reiterating Canadian support for Colombia generally. He expressed the hope of avoiding any perceptions by delegations that the U.S. and/or Canada were anti-Venezuela. He predicted that a key "tactical question" will be how OAS eventually responds to whatever conclusions INTERPOL may draw from its examination of the computers that the Colombians had seized at the FARC camp, especially if there were any strong indications of violations of sovereignty by other states. A key challenge at this Ministerial and over the next few months will be to maintain a positive enough atmosphere for Colombia to be able to host a successful OAS General Assembly in June, he underscored. 2. (C) Lambert and Director of Inter-American Relations and Regional Policy Heidi Kutz nonetheless expressed some discomfort about the direction the U.S. seemed about to take in citing Article 2 of the OAS Charter, indicating Canada's hope that the Ministerial would more narrowly focus on "commenting on and validating" the conclusions of Secretary General Insulza's Commission and on making relevant recommendations. (Lambert also expressed regret that the OAS had not accepted Canada's offer to participate on the Commission, while instead accepting Mexico at the last minute.) Kutz pointed to a certain remaining "fragility" within the OAS, and commented that all delegations should proceed cautiously in order to achieve the most positive "institutional outcome." Lambert said that, while Canada has had some points of dissatisfaction with the OAS over the years, by and large the OAS had proven itself as "up to the job" in meeting various challenges, and this was the longer-term trend to encourage. He added that Canada was looking forward to hosting the OAS Defense Ministers in Banff in September, and that Canada expected OAS responses to terrorism and violations of sovereignty to be among the likely topics. Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada BREESE =======================CABLE ENDS============================