OAS SECGEN CANDIDACY OF FRANCISCO FLORES -

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 000149 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2015 TAGS: PREL AORC HO OAS SUBJECT: OAS SECGEN CANDIDACY OF FRANCISCO FLORES - HONDURAS STILL WILL NOT SUPPORT FLORES REF: A. STATE 10956 ¶B. 04 TEGUCIGALPA 2818 Classified By: Roger Pierce, Charge d'Affaires, a.i.; Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Ambassador has raised this matter on multiple occasions with Honduran President Ricardo Maduro, most recently on January 18 during visit of CODEL Weller. Maduro again demurred taking a position in support of Francisco Flores. During this most recent instance, Maduro, after reciting again his concerns about the domestic impact of supporting Flores' candidacy, Flores' historical behavior on the border issues, and the lack of a Central American consensus (see reftel B),went as far as to suggest that his own disputed nationality (many in Honduras accuse him of selling out Honduran interests too readily because he was born in Panama) also made it difficult/impossible to support Flores. He told the Ambassador that he had made clear his position on Flores' candidacy to Salvadoran President Saca. Pierce