GUATEMALA'S COMMITMENT TO HAITI

C O N F I D E N T I A L GUATEMALA 001993 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/17/2015 TAGS: PREL KPKO MARR HA GT SUBJECT: GUATEMALA'S COMMITMENT TO HAITI REF: STATE 149277 Classified By: CDA Bruce Wharton for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d). ¶1. (C) Polcouns delivered reftel demarche to Guatemalan Acting FM Carlos Ramiro Martinez and U/S for International Organizations Amb. Carla Rodriguez, who said that Guatemala's resident ambassador in Chile, Amb. Castellanos, would represent Guatemala at the August 19 Santiago vice-ministerial. Rodriguez said that Castellanos had been instructed to convey Guatemala's support for extending MINUSTAH's mandate. She also noted that Guatemala's experience with MINUSTAH had been positive and, assuming the consent of Guatemala's Ministry of Defense, the GOG would continue to contribute troops. ¶2. (C) Rodriguez confided that at a Rio Group prepcom in Buenos Aires a few weeks ago, the Venezuelans had argued vociferously against extending MINUSTAH's mandate, insisting that it was not a stabilization mission but unwelcome foreign intervention. She said Venezuela was isolated within the Rio Group on this issue. Rodriguez noted that the Rio Group summit scheduled for August 25-26 in Bariloche had been downgraded to a ministerial, ostensibly because not enough presidents could attend but implicitly for lack of consensus on Haiti and other issues. WHARTON