Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05GUATEMALA595
2005-03-07 21:35:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Guatemala
Cable title:  

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT

Tags:  PHUM KPAO PREL GT 
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UNCLAS GUATEMALA 000595 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN, WHA/PDA, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KPAO PREL GT
SUBJECT: PUBLIC DIPLOMACY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT
PRODUCES MIXED REACTION

UNCLAS GUATEMALA 000595

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN, WHA/PDA, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KPAO PREL GT
SUBJECT: PUBLIC DIPLOMACY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT
PRODUCES MIXED REACTION


1.Summary: The Ambassador spoke on background to
senior columnists and editorial writers on Feb. 28 to
highlight salient aspects of Guatemala's human rights
report, traditionally an intensively scrutinized
document. PAS arranged to have translated copies
available at the end of the briefing and posted both
English and Spanish texts on the Embassy website to
guarantee thorough coverage. As a result of our
efforts, the story was front page news in most major
dailies on March 1, as well as fodder for editorials
and op-eds. Less evident was any consensus among media
about the tenor of the report. End summary


2. The idea behind the briefing was to ensure that the
report got widespread attention and a fair reading.
By way of context, the Ambassador explained the
importance of human rights to our National Security
Strategy and the emphasis that President Bush gave in
his second inaugural address to freedom and liberty.
The Ambassador drew attention to the Human Rights
Report's bottom-line assessment that "the Government
generally respected the human rights of its citizens;
however, very serious problems remained in some
areas." The Ambassador reviewed in detail our
justification for this evaluation, a significant
change from the previous year's conclusion that "the
Government's human rights record was poor."
Guatemalan journalism, however, suffers from a knee
jerk tendency toward pessimism, an almost perverse
satisfaction in reporting the negative, and a deep
skepticism about human rights improvements. Our hope
was that a roundtable effort would result in measured
headlines and some honest analysis. The press coverage
shows that we achieved our goal only partially.


3. With two exceptions, all front page news stories
were negative. Leading daily Prensa Libre ran a banner
headline: "U.S. Imputes Assassinations to National
Police Agents." Leading business daily Siglo 21's
front page banner headline said "U.S. Signals Social
Cleansing," and "Credible Reports of Summary
Executions in 2004." Tabloid daily Al Dia, also in a
front page headline, stated "Police Violate Human
Rights; U.S. says Police torture and Kill." Mass
circulation daily Nuestro Diario ran an inside story,
using man-on-the street interviews to discuss the
social cleansing theme.


4. Investigative daily El Periodico, however, ran a
page 3 story, "Human Rights in this Country Improved,
According to the U.S," and unsurprisingly, government
daily Diario de Centroamerica's stories and editorial
reiterated that " U.S. Sees Improvement in Respect to
Human Rights.


5. Our background briefing had visible impact on
editorialists and columnists. Prensa Libre's
editorial, headlined "Initial Advance in Human
Rights," concluded "this should be considered an
important step forward in the recuperation of
Guatemala's image as a country in which the state no
longer violates human rights, as it once did." Prensa
Libre columnist Haroldo Shetemul noted that the report
cited major improvements, but he devoted the bulk of
his column to negative areas of the report. Siglo
21's Carmen Rosa de Leon-Escribano thought the HRR
laid out a useful agenda for the government.


6. Official GOG reaction was restrained. President
Berger was quoted in official Diario de Centroamerica
saying the HRR was "positive for Guatemala. As
President, I am very proud to have advanced so much in
one year." Interior Minister Vielmann and Police Chief
Sperissen stressed that the HRR recognized that the
state no longer had a policy of disregard for human
rights. They both acknowledged that the GOG needed to
do more to investigate and prosecute individual cases
of police abuse and corruption. MFA U/S Marta
Altolaguirre told us privately she appreciated the
report's overall balance.

Hamilton