HONDURAS FACES SOME GRIEF OVER ICC ARTICLE 98

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 002730 SIPDIS DEPT. FOR WHA, WHA/CEN, S/WCI, EUR/ERA, L, PM/AT, AND PM/B E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/27/2012 TAGS: PREL KTIA PGOV MOPS HO KICC SUBJECT: HONDURAS FACES SOME GRIEF OVER ICC ARTICLE 98 AGREEMENT WITH U.S. REF: A. STATE 184022 ¶B. STATE 175073 ¶C. TEGUCIGALPA 2525 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR FRANCISCO PALMIERI; REASONS 1.5. (B) AND (D). The GOH has received some negative press criticism (septel) and questions from the Argentine Embassy following the September 19 signing of an ICC Article 98 Agreement between the USG and the GOH on the margins of the UNGA. DATT had heard indications that EU member nations were possibly going to demarche the GOH over the issue but according to MFA Director General of Foreign Policy Mario Fortin, the EU had not done so as of September 25. In fact, Fortin said that in a meeting between the EU and Central American countries on the margins of UNGA EU Foreign Policy SecGen Javier Solana said that the EU was still studying the issue of Article 98 agreements and did not speak out against any prospective Article 98 agreements between Central American countries and the U.S. PIERCE