Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03GUATEMALA143
2003-01-17 16:50:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Guatemala
Cable title:  

AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES COUNTER-NARCOTICS

Tags:  PREL PGOV PINR SNAR ETRD CASC KIPR GT 
pdf how-to read a cable
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GUATEMALA 000143 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2013
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR SNAR ETRD CASC KIPR GT
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES COUNTER-NARCOTICS
CERTIFICATION AND CAFTA WITH CONGRESSWOMAN ZURY RIOS

Classified By: PolCouns David Lindwall for reason 1.5 (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GUATEMALA 000143

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2013
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR SNAR ETRD CASC KIPR GT
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES COUNTER-NARCOTICS
CERTIFICATION AND CAFTA WITH CONGRESSWOMAN ZURY RIOS

Classified By: PolCouns David Lindwall for reason 1.5 (d).


1. (C) Summary: On January 16, the Ambassador and FRG
legislator Zury Rios discussed possible counter-narcotics
decertification and the importance of securing more effective
GOG cooperation in the war on drugs before a free trade
agreement is ready to be approved by Congress. Rios said
that the FRG strongly supports CAFTA, but said that the lack
of counter-narcotics cooperation was the fault of the
Executive. She lamented that the timing of decertification
will be used by the FRG's opponents to their advantage in the
upcoming election. Rios offered to seek the repeal of a
recently approved copyright law which represents a major
setback for IPR protection, and welcomed a continuing
dialogue with the Ambassador on issues affecting the
bilateral relationship. End summary.


2. (C). The Ambassador, DCM and PolCouns had breakfast with
Zury Rios on January 16 to discuss the full range of
bilateral issues. Rios is the Second Vice President of
Congress and is the daughter of President of Congress and
former military ruler Efrain Rios Montt.

Diminished Counter-Narcotics Cooperation
--------------

3. (C) The Ambassador told Rios that GOG counter-narcotics
cooperation in 2002 had fallen sharply from previous years,
and that as a result there is a near certainty that, in the
annual exercise mandated by U.S. law, Guatemala will be
decertified as a cooperating partner in the war against
drugs. He noted that recent achievements increase the
possibility that Guatemala will be extended a vital national
interests waiver, thus avoiding any sanctions, but that it
will be important to get cooperation back on track in order
for Guatemala to be re-certified at the semi-annual review in
six months.


4. (C) Rios responded with thinly veiled pique that "the
United States is the superpower, and it has to do what it has
to do." She argued that the timing of decertification was

"unfortunate" as it would be seen as a message from the USG
during the elections. She said that the media (which is
largely anti-Portillo) and the opposition parties would use
it against the FRG in the upcoming national election, and
lamented that this action had not been taken by the USG in
2002 so that it could have been cleared up before the
election season. She then switched tracks, and said that the
Guatemalan Executive had brought decertification upon itself,
it was solely to blame for the GOG's poor performance in
2002, and she hoped that decertification would get its
attention and make it take serious remedial actions. Rios
commented that on January 14, Congress (which is dominated by
the FRG) had voted unanimously for a resolution calling on
President Portillo to fire Minister of Government Reyes
Calderon (who has ultimate responsibility for all law
enforcement -- including counter-narcotics). While
Congress's censure of Reyes Calderon was based on his
inability to control spiraling violent crime, Rios was
implying that Portillo's choices of ineffective ministers has
exposed the FRG to damaging criticism on the public security
front in the upcoming elections, and they would not defend
Portillo from our criticism of his poor performance on drugs.

Free Trade with Central America and the New IPR Law
-------------- --------------

5. (C) In response to the Ambassador's question about the
FRG's view of free trade negotiations between Central America
and the US, Rios said that the leaders of the ruling party
are unequivocal supporters of CAFTA. She stressed that
successful CAFTA negotiations are a high priority for the
FRG. The Ambassador said that there are many opponents of
free trade in the United States, and that it is important
that before any agreement is ready to go to the U.S.
Congress, other bilateral issues of interest to American
constituencies be successfully addressed, including
counter-drug cooperation, justice in the case of murdered
Amcits, a cessation to threats against human rights activists
and protection of intellectual property rights, among others.


6. (C) The Ambassador told Rios that the USG was concerned
over new harmful IPR legislation passed in December, 2002 by
the Guatemalan Congress. This law was not vetoed by the
President and will become law once published by Congress.
Rios commented that she had not voted for the law (note:
which was proposed by an opposition congressman, but
supported by the majority of FRG legislators),and was
unfamiliar with what could be done to correct it at this late
stage. She promised to look into it, and later called back
to say the FRG would seek the law's repeal as soon as it is
published.

Investigating the Clandestine Forces
--------------

7. (C) The Ambassador told Rios that he would attend that
same afternoon a press conference held by Human Rights
Ombudsman Sergio Morales (septel) in which Morales would call
for the creation of an international investigatory commission
tasked with uncovering the activities of "clandestine
forces." These clandestine groups are believed to be
responsible for the rash of threats and attacks against human
rights workers in the past five years. The Ambassador asked
Rios if the FRG supported Morales's proposal, saying this
would be a chance for the party to get on the side of the
angels. Rios responded that she was unfamiliar with the
proposal, but that the FRG had supported Morales election as
Human Rights Ombudsman and they were generally supportive of
his work. She said the FRG would review the proposal
carefully..

Elections and Reform of the Electoral Code
--------------

8. (C) Rios said the FRG has not yet decided who will be
their standard bearer in the upcoming presidential election.
She added that the FRG is making one more attempt to pass the
electoral reform law (which has been in debate for almost two
years),and that the FRG had agreed to drop some of the more
controversial articles in order to secure opposition support.
She said that the law contains a provision which will delay
enactment of the law until after the 2003 elections so no one
could claim that it was being passed in order to improve the
FRG's chances in the upcoming election. Rios commented that
the most important reform contained in the law is a provision
to move voting booths out into rural locations with more than
500 voters, greatly increasing access to voting for
Guatemala's rural poor. (Note: This provision was one of
the most controversial, as it was seen by the opposition as
favoring the FRG, whose base is largely in rural areas. end
note).

Comment
--------------

9. (C) The meeting was cordial, and Rios clearly wants a good
working relationship with the USG, stressing the importance
of CAFTA and offering to be helpful on addressing our IPR
concerns. While she knows that we are uncomfortable with her
father's presidential ambitions (which she skillfully dodged
in our conversation),she recognizes that there are too many
shared interests for the FRG not to remain fully engaged with
us.
Hamilton