LEONIDAS ROSA BAUTISTA TO BE NAMED NEW HONDURAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 002154

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CEN, WHA/PPC, IO, AND INR/B

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/11/2013
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS PINR ECON HO
SUBJECT: LEONIDAS ROSA BAUTISTA TO BE NAMED NEW HONDURAN
FOREIGN MINISTER

REF: TEGUCIGALPA 1863 (NOTAL)

Classified By: Ambassador Larry L. Palmer;
Reasons 1.5 (B) and (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: The Honduran Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(MFA) confirmed with PolOff September 5 that President Maduro
would be naming Leonidas Rosa Bautista as the new Honduran
Foreign Minister. The MFA had originally indicated that Rosa
Bautista would be sworn in on September 12, but is it
possible that the actual date could slip into the following
week due to some disarray within the ranks of the Government
of Honduras (GOH). Rosa Bautista will be replacing Guillermo
Perez-Cadalso Arias who resigned July 22 to become president
of the National Autonomous University of Honduras
(UNAH)(reftel). Rosa Bautista was not a name that had been
circulated widely as a possible replacement to Perez-Cadalso
and some two weeks before the announcement, Rosa Bautista had
told the Honduran press that he was not interested in the
job. Rosa Bautista is an activist in the National Party (PN)
who currently holds a seat in the National Congress. He is
associated with the more traditional, entrenched wing of the
PN known as the "dark side" who have repeatedly clashed with
President Maduro over necessary government reforms. Rosa
Bautista,s appointment should help ease some of the tensions
between the Congress and the government. END SUMMARY


2. (U) Leonidas Rosa Bautista, born February 4, 1947 in the
Department of Lempira, is a lawyer by profession and a career
"traditional" Honduran politician. He is a key member of the
more traditional side of the PN known as the "dark side."
Currently, Rosa Bautista represents the Department of
Francisco Morazan in the National Congress. He is a
conservative, long-time activist PN member who at one time
(1993) considered a bid for the presidency, although his
candidacy did not make it that far and he did not win his
party's nomination. He also participated in the 1982
National Constituent Assembly, which drafted Honduras,
current democratic constitution. Rosa Bautista was not a
name that had been circulated as a possible replacement to
Perez-Cadalso (reftel) and some two weeks before the
announcement he had told the Honduran press that he was not
interested in the job.


3. (C) Key Embassy contacts in Congress describe Rosa
Bautista in the following ways. He prefers to negotiate
rather than confront political opponents. He is considered a
very astute and difficult negotiator who does not easily cede
his positions and is extremely effective at using
parliamentary maneuvers to advance his agenda. However, he
will yield to a consensus on issues about which he has not
yet developed a position.


4. (C) Embassy bio files hold a reference to a May, 1993,
AmEmbassy Oslo cable (reftel not available) that linked Rosa
Bautista to a case of corruption/fraud involving $700,000 of
Norwegian aid funds. Rosa Bautista was the Chairman of the
Board of an agricultural equipment company, INVERSA, that
failed to deliver any equipment purchased with Norwegian aid
funds. INVERSA did subsequently deliver a few broken down
pieces of equipment after the Norwegian aid agency protested.


5. (C) More disturbing information relates to the actions of
Rosa Bautista,s wife, Irma Violeta Suazo de Rosa. She is a
former Supreme Court Justice (1997-2001) who actively sought
appointment to the current Honduran Supreme Court. However,
the selection committee rejected her after a U.S. NGO,
International Justice Mission, which lists Rep. Frank Wolf
(R- VA) and Ambassador Tony Hall on its letterhead, led an
international effort that exposed her involvement in the
obstruction of justice, intimidation of lower court judges,
and the fixing of a court decision in a drunk-driving case
involving the boyfriend of her daughter. The boyfriend
killed a seven-year old child while driving drunk. Suazo de
Rosa intervened to prevent police from investigating the
accident, interceded with a lower court judge to obtain a
dismissal of the case, and then used her position as a
Supreme Court justice to try to prevent appellate judges from
hearing the case on appeal.


6. (U) Some of Rosa Bautista,s declared priorities include:
attracting increased international investment; finalizing
border demarcations with El Salvador and Nicaragua; and
persuading the U.S. to grant Hondurans residing in the United
States under Temporary Protected Status permanent residency.


7. (U) Prior to joining the national legislature, Rosa
Bautista worked as a lawyer and professor of law, at one time
(early 1990,s) serving as the head of the Honduran
equivalent of the National Bar Association. Included among
Rosa Bautista,s Honduran clients are various high profile
businesses and individuals, including ex President Carlos
Flores.


8. (U) Rosa Bautista graduated with a law degree from the
National Autonomous University of Honduras in 1970 and, in
1963, received a Bachelor of Science and Letters degree from
a local college in the Department of Lempira. Rosa Bautista
is married to Irma Violeta Suazo de Rosa (also an attorney)
and they have three children.

9.(U) Rosa Bautista speaks some English.


10. (C) COMMENT: Rosa Bautista is an influential member of
Congress and well liked by the old school politicians in that
body. He is aligned with the leader of the "dark side"
faction of the PN congressional delegation Rodolfo Irias
Navas, who has repeatedly clashed with President Maduro over
necessary government reforms. Rosa Bautista,s appointment
should help ease some of the tensions between the Congress
and the government. Maduro,s decision to choose Rosa
Bautista, rather than a private sector businessman who could
promote investment and trade in Honduras, is evidence of the
President's effort to build better relations with the more
traditional elements within the National Congress. It will
also remove a key "dark side" member from Congress and should
ease somewhat Maduro,s negotiations with his own
congressional delegation, as Rosa Bautista,s replacement
will be closely aligned with the Maduro faction in Congress.
END COMMENT
PALMER