1. SUMMARY: DISCUSSION OF SUBSTANTIVE ECONOMIC ISSUES,
WHILE REITERATING LONG-STANDING DIFFERENCES AND RESULTING
IN A NUMBER OF US NEGATIVE VOTES, WAS RELATIVELY NON-
CONFRONTATIONAL IN TONE. MORE OUTRIGHT CONFRONTATION
CAME ON THE QUESTION OF EXCLUDING US AND OTHER DEVELOPED
COUNTRIES FROM SUBSIDIARY BODIES OF ECLA. IN THE COMING
YEAR, SECRETARIAT WILL CARRY OUT US-PROPOSED STUDY WHICH
WILL SEEK TO FIND COMPROMISE FORMULA ON INSTITUTIONAL
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QUESTION. EXECUTIVE SECRETARY IGLESIAS PLAYED VIGOROUS,
POSITIVE ROLE THROUGHTOU. END SUMMARY.
2. THE SESSION FOCUSED ON TWO PRINCIPAL AREAS: THE
MID-TERM REVIEW AND APPRAISAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, WHICH BROUGHT PRINCIPAL SUBSTANTIVE
ECONOMIC ISSUES TO THE FORE; AND PROPOSALS TO CREATE STANDING
COMMITTEES OF ECLA, WHICH RAISED THE QUESTION OF EXCLUDING
THE US AND OTHER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES FROM PARTICIPATION.
3. SUBSTANTIVE ECONOMIC ISSUES
IN THE REVIEW AND APPRAISAL OF THE IDS, THE SESSION
CONSIDERED THE REPORT OF THE HIGH-LEVEL COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS,
A BODY CREATED FOUR YEARS AGO WHICH EXCLUDES THE US AND
OTHER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. THE COMMITTEE BASED ITS REPORT
UPON, BUT WENT CONSIDERABLY BEYOND, THE CAREFULLY DOCUMENTED
STUDY PREPARED BY THE SECRETARIAT. WHILE THE REPORT CONTAINED
VALUABLE ANALYSIS AND SELF-CRITICISM, AS WELL AS POSITIVE
SUGGESTIONS FOR REGIONAL ACTION, ITS INTERNATIONAL PLAN
OF ACTION CONTAINED MUCH THAT WAS CONTRARY TO US POLICY
(FAMILIAR BASIC ISSUES OF THE NIEO AND CERDS). THE
DOCUMENT WAS NOT CHANGED TO ANY SIGNIFICANT DEGREE DURING
THE SESSION. THE US EXPRESSED ITS OPPOSITION IN FIRM BUT
NON-POLEMIC TERMS. CANADA AND THE UK REGISTERED DISAGREE-
MENT WITH SEVERAL OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS, THE FRENCH AND
DUTCH WITH A FEW, BUT THEY DID NOT REJECT THE REPORT,
TREATING IT AS A DEVELOPING COUNTRY POINT OF VIEW.
DISCUSSION OF SUBSTANTIVE ECONOMIC ISSUES TOOK PLACE
IN A LARGELY NON-CONFRONTATIONAL ATMOSPHERE. MOST
REFERENCES TO CERDS, MIEO, AND THE US TRADE ACT WERE MORE
"PRO FORMA" THAN POLEMIC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS, ON
THE OTHER HAND, GENERATED THE LIVELIEST STATEMENTS AND
PROMISE TO DEMAND INCREASING ATTENTION.
SEVERAL COUNTRIES IN ADDITION TO THE US EXPRESSED
A DESIRE TO AVOID FUTILE CONFRONTATION, CONTINUE WORKING
TO NARROW DIFFERENCES, AND GET ON WITH CONCRETE ACTIONS.
WHILE THE US STOOD VIRTUALLY ALONE IN A SERIES OF NEGATIVE
VOTES (6 OUT OF A TOTAL OF 15 RESOLUTIONS), OUR OPPOSITION
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ON THE ISSUES WAS ALREADY WELL KNOWN AND SEEMED TO PROVOKE
LITTLE SURPRISE OR RANCOR.
4. THE EXCLUSIVITY ISSUE
EXCLUSIVITY PROVED TO BE THE MOST CONFRONTATIONAL
ISSUE AT THE SESSION. WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF EXSEC
IGLESIAS, USDEL SPENT MUCH TIME AND EFFORT SEEKING
ACCEPTABLE FORMULAS FOR MEMBERSHIP OF PROPOSED NEW
COMMITTEES ON POPULATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, AND
INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION. WE AIMED FOR FLEXIBILITY WITHOUT
SACRIFICING THE PRINCIPLE OF US RIGHT OT PARTICIPATION.
THE MEXICANS, ABLY ABETTED BY THE CUBANS, WERE THE
RING-LEADERS FOR EXCLUSION. THE RENEGED ON CAREFULLY
WORKED OUT COMPROMISES ON TWO OF THE PROPOSED COMMITTEES.
THEY EVENTUALLY SECURED ADOPTION (OVER US OPPOSITION)
OF A RESOLUTION WHICH, WHILE NOT ESTABLISHING NEW
COMMITTEES, ASSIGNED FUNCTIONS IN THE THREE FIELD ON
A PROVISIONAL BASIS TO THE HIGH-LEVEL COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS,
FROM WHICH THE US IS EXCLUDED. WHILE SEVERAL LATINS
DISAGREED, THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO BREAK RANKS IN PUBLIC.
THE LATINS DID RALLY, HOWEVER, ON THE LAST DAY TO DEFEAT
MEXICAN ATTEMPTS TO DELETE THE PROVISIONAL NATURE OF
THE ARRANGEMENT. THE ALSO PREVENTED MEXICO FROM
AMENDING, IN WAYS UNACCEPTABLE TO US, A RESOLUTION
AUTHORIZING A SECRETARIAT STUDY OF ECLA PROCEDURES AND
MECHANISMS. THE LATTER, PROPOSED BY THE US, WAS STRONGLY
SUPPORTED BY IGLESIAS, WHO BELIEVES THAT IN A YEAR HE
CAN WORK OUT AN ACCEPTABLE FORMULA.
THE EXCLUSIVELY CONCEPT HAS BEEN GAINING STEAM
FOR FOUR YEARS. CLEARLY THE "REGIONAL" (I.E. LATIN/
CARIBBEAN) MEMBERS BELIEVE IT IS TIME FOR CHANGES IN ECLA'S
STRUCTURE, ALTHOUGH THEY DIFFER IN THEIR VIEWS OF WHAT THESE
CHANGES SHOULD BE. SOME WANT THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES PRESENT
ONLY AS OBSERVERS OR ASSOCIATE MEMBERS; OTHER WANT TO
CONTINUE COMMISSION MEMBERSHIP AS IT IS, BUT WITH SOME
EXCLUSIVE SUB-GROUPS. THE STUDY WILL BE OF CONSIDERABLE
IMPORTANCE FOR THE FUTURE OF ECLA. IN THE VIEW OF USDEL,
IT PROVIDES A USEFUL WAY FOR THE US TO HAVE AN INFLUENCE
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ON PROPOSED STRUCTURAL CHANGES AND MAY MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO
AVOID A HEAD-ON COLLISION, WHICH OTHERWISE SEEMS INEVITABLE
AT THE NEXT ECLA SESSION.
5. EXECUTIVE SECRETARY IGLESIAS
AS THE NEW EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, IGLESIAS PLAYED A
VIGOROUS AND POSITIVE ROLE THROUGHOUT. WHILE THE
SIGNIFICANCE WAS SOMEWHAT OBSCURED BY THE INSTITUTIONAL
BATTLE, HE SUCCEEDED IN GIVING ECLA A MORE VIGOROUS ROLE
IN THE "NEW FRONTIER" FIELDS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY,
FOOD, AND POPULATION. THE TWO PRINCIPAL INITIATIVES OF
THE CONFERENCE WERE HIS -- A STUDY OF LATIN AMERICAN
BALANCE OF PAYMENTS PROBLEMS, INCLUDING THE POSSIBLE
CREATION OF A "SAFETY NET", AND A LATIN AMERICAN FOOD
CONFERENCE. HE HAS STAKED HIS LEADERSHIP OF ECLA ON
BRINGING IT UP TO DATE WITH CURRENT REALITIES, GIVING
"REGIONAL" MEMBERS A FORUM THAT THEY SEE AS THEIR OWN,
WHILE MAINTAINING CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE US AND
OTHER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. HIS IMPRINT ON THE INSTTIUTION
ALREADY SHOWS.
6. TENOR OF THE SESSION
THE US ENCOURAGED THE NON-CONFRONTATIONAL APPROACH
BY THE TONE OF ITS INTERVENTIONS, AND BY A SOLID, SUB-
STANTIVE SPEECH IN GENERAL DEBATE DEALING FRANKLY AND
CONCRETELY WITH THE PRINCIPAL ISSUES, ESPECIALLY
COMMODITIES AND TRADE. ALSO IMPORTANT WAS OUR SUPPORT
OF THE BALANCE OF PAYMENTS STUDY AND OUR WILLINGNESS
TO REACH REASONABLE COMPROMISES ON COMMITTEE STRUCTURE --
EVEN THOUGH THOSE COMPROMISES SUBSEQUENTLY FELL APART.
WHILE THE LATIN AND CARIBBEAN MEMBERS STATED THEIR
VIEWS CLEARLY AND VIGOROUSLY, AND CERTAINLY DID NOT RECEDE
FROM THEM ANY MORE THAN WE DID FROM OURS, MOST SEEMED TO
WANT TO AVOID OUTRIGHT CONFRONTATION. THIS WAS EVIDENT
BOTH ON SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES AND ON INSTITUTIONAL QUESTIONS.
EVEN CUBA, WHICH HAD A LARGE AND ACTIVE DELEGATION, DID
NOT FREQUENTLY PRESS POLEMICS WITH THE US. THE PAUCITY
OF INFLAMMATORY RHETORIC, HOWEVER, SHOULD NOT OBSCURE
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THE FACT THAT WE ARE FUNDAMENTALLY AT ODDS ON NUMEROUS
IMPORTANT ISSUES OF SUBSTANCE.
THE COUNTRIES THAT FORCED MEXICO TO RETREAT ON THE
FINAL TWO INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES (PARA 4 ABOVE) WERE
ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, COLOMBIA, AND ECUADOR. ALSO HELPFUL
AT VARIOUS TIMES WERE CHILE, URUGUAY AND COSTA RICA.
THE OTHER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES WERE MARGINALLY HELPFUL TO
US BUT CONSIDERED THESE MATTERS PRIMARILY A US PROBLEM.
PERHAPS MOST CONFRONTATIONAL, AFTER MEXICO AND CUBA,
WAS TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, FROM THE OPENING REMARKS OF
THE GOVERNOR GENERAL TO THE CLOSING ONES OF THE PRIME
MINISTER. TWO OF PM WILLIAMS' INITIATIVES -- A LATIN
AMERICAN "SURVEILLANCE" CENTER FOR TRANSNATIONALS AND
AN EXCLUSIVE CARIBBEAN COMMITTEE -- ESCALATED THE RHETORIC
AND PUT THE US IN OPPOSITION. AS HOYTCOUNTRY, HOWEVER,
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO WAS IMPECCABLE IN ITS HOSPITALITY,
AND SET A TONE OF FRIENDLINESS THAT GENERALLY MARKED
THE MEETING.
BENNETT
UNQUOTE. INGERSOLL
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