VZCZCXYZ0022
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHBO #7982 3121414
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 081414Z NOV 07 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0027
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7857
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 2099
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 9516
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ NOV LIMA 5603
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 6233
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 2361
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
UNCLAS BOGOTA 007982
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
EB PASS TO CHEVER VOLTMER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD ECON CO
SUBJECT: WTO DEMARCHE REQUEST - GOC UNLIKELY TO RAISE ISSUE
WITH BRAZIL OR ARGENTINA
REF: SECSTATE 152545
(SBU) On November 7 EconOff made requested demarche to GOC
trade and foreign ministry officials concerning an approach
to Brazilian and Argentinian officials at the Ibero-American
Summit in Santiago, Chile, on their WTO market access offers
(reftel). Juan Guillermo Castro of the Ministry of Trade
noted that the ministry would have no official present at the
Summit. He remarked that he would discuss the USG request
with Vice Minister Eduardo Munoz, but considers it unlikely
that non-trade GOC officials attending the Summit would raise
this technical matter. Patricia Cortes, the Americas Desk
Officer at the Foreign Ministry, confirmed that no trade
official would be on the delegation, and that a matter of
this nature would typically be raised only by such a
representative. She noted that historically Colombia does
not press Brazil and Argentina on such issues, adding that
the pending FTA with the United States makes Colombia less
likely to lean on those countries over trade policy. Cortes
agreed to pass along the USG request to Vice Minister of
Foreign Affairs Camilo Reyes.
Brownfield