GUATEMALA EXTENDS AUTHORIZATION FOR US MILITARY CD

C O N F I D E N T I A L GUATEMALA 000360 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2014 TAGS: MOPS MARR SNAR PREL PGOV GT SUBJECT: GUATEMALA EXTENDS AUTHORIZATION FOR US MILITARY CD OPERATIONS REF: GUATEMALA 317 Classified By: PolMilOff Rob Copley for reason 1.5 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) Summary: With more than a two-thirds majority and as a matter of national urgency, on February 12 the Guatemalan Congress approved a two-year extension of Central Skies/Mayan Jaguar authority to conduct joint counternarcotics exercises. Extensive lobbying on the part of WHA A/S Noriega, the Ambassador, and other members of the country team was crucial to the new administration's efforts to get the authorization through a divided congress. This positive first step demonstrates that the Berger Administration takes its counter-narcotics obligations seriously. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Mayan Jaguar is the Guatemalan component of Central Skies, a joint regional counter drug (CD) military operation. The renewed authorization, Decree 5-2004, will expire on December 31, 2005. The bill passed with 120 votes in favor - 15 more than necessary to form a two-thirds majority. Only the far-left URNG and ANN parties opposed the measure. ¶3. (C) A/S Noriega pressed President Berger and his security cabinet for renewed Mayan Jaguar authorization during his February 3-5 visit (reftel),and received a commitment from President of Congress Morales to give the measure "emergency treatment." Ambassador Hamilton had previously met with key Ministers and with the new congressional leaders to explain the benefits of Mayan Jaguar. The Embassy lobbied all political parties and counseled the new administration on the mechanics of preparing the bill and submitting it to the legislature. ¶4. (C) Despite all the preparatory efforts, on the day of the vote the ANN and URNG parties twice attempted to scuttle the measure on procedural grounds, once it was clear that the GOG had the necessary votes to pass it. They nearly succeeded in forcing a compromise that would have reduced the authorization to one year vice two, but close, last-minute Embassy coordination with key FRG members Zury Rios and Antonio Arenales, who sought and fed our arguments directly onto the floor of the Congress, saved the day and convinced the plenary to adopt approval for two years. ¶5. (C) Comment: Although the new administration's inexperience in processing legislative proposals required extra time and some effort on our part to identify logjams, the political will of the Berger Administration to secure this important legislation was never in doubt. Passage of this important tool in the fight against narcotics, through the divided Congress, is a concrete indication that the Berger government places a high value on counternarcotics cooperation with us. WHARTON