US embassy cable - 05OTTAWA2650

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 002650 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2010 
TAGS: BH, GY, MX, XM, KSUM, SOCI 
SUBJECT: CANADIAN VIEWS ON CHAVEZ AND THE SOCIAL CHARTER 
 
REF: SECSTATE 154693 
 
Classified By: ACTING POLCOUNS PATRICIA KIM-SCOTT, REASONS 1.4 (B) (D) 
 
1. (C) DCM spoke with Jamal Khokhar, FAC Director General for 
Latin America and the Caribbean, to elicit Canada's views on 
Chavez and the Social Charter.  Khokhar said that prior to 
the event, Venezuelan Ambassador Perez was called in for 
Canadian officials to deliver the message that the way 
Venezuela was pursuing the issue was simply unacceptable. 
Perez was told that the social charter of the OAS is not a 
national charter that has been internationalized but a 
document that has been jointly developed by the member 
states. 
 
2. (C) Khokhar said that Canada agrees with the United States 
about the document and sent its Deputy OAS representative to 
the meeting to signal its displeasure.  Canada is concerned 
that Brazil is engaged in a vote swap on the charter in 
exchange for help with the G-4 issue, and that some of the 
small Caribbean countries could sign on in exchange for oil. 
He said that Assistant Deputy Minister Peter Boehm will hold 
corridor discussions in Buenos Aires with some of those who 
have supported the document, arguing that it is a damaging 
precedent to have a parallel document that is not developed 
through conventional means. 
 
Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa 
 
WILKINS