HONDURAN DELEGATION TO CICTE IN EL SALVADOR; GOH

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000139 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT. FOR WHA/USOAS, S/CT, AND WHA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PREL AORC HO OAS SUBJECT: HONDURAN DELEGATION TO CICTE IN EL SALVADOR; GOH HAS SIGNED BUT NOT RATIFIED 1971 AND 2001 OAS CT CONVENTIONS REF: A. STATE 7902 ¶B. OLSEN/MAKENS E-MAILS DECEMBER 2002 ¶C. TEGUCIGALPA 3318 ¶1. (U) POLOFF delivered reftel A demarche January 10 on the CICTE Third Regular Session January 22-24 in El Salvador to MFA DG for Foreign Policy AMB Mario Fortin. Fortin informed PolOff January 16 that the Honduran delegation to the CICTE meeting would be AMB Policarpo Callejas, Advisor to the Foreign Minister, AMB Jaime Guell Bogran, Ambassador to El Salvador, and Fortin. ¶2. (SBU) Post notes that the GOH has signed but not ratified either of the two OAS counterterrorism (CT) conventions (1971 and 2001). EmbOffs have continuously pressed the GOH to become a party to these conventions, along with five other international counterterrorism conventions still pending. EmbOffs have requested a meeting with Vice Minister Anibal Quinonez to deliver official copies in Spanish of the two OAS CT conventions. WHA/USOAS and WHA/CEN obtained these documents and forwarded them to Post and Honduran OAS PermRep AMB Salvador Redezno, at the request of the MFA Director General for Treaties Ivonne Bonilla (ref C). Bonilla had said that the GOH wanted to become a party to all pending CT conventions but claimed that the GOH first needed official Spanish-language copies of the conventions that would be suitable for forwarding to Congress for consideration. Post is guardedly optimistic that once the MFA has the official copies of the two OAS CT conventions it will finally move to send the two conventions to Congress for approval. Palmer