HONDURAS DEMARCHED ON SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS:

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 002263 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR WHA/EPSC, WHA/USOAS, AND WHA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON KSUM KDEM HO OAS SUBJECT: HONDURAS DEMARCHED ON SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS: PRESIDENT RICARDO MADURO NOT ATTENDING REF: A. MADISON/LINDWALL/WILLIARD E-MAILS 11/1-2/05 ¶B. WILLIARD/OLSEN/LINDWALL E-MAIL 11/01/05 ¶C. STATE 199932 ¶D. TEGUCIGALPA 2184 ¶E. BAIRD/WILLIARD E-MAIL 10/26/05 ¶F. OLSEN/LINDWALL E-MAIL 10/25/05 ¶G. STATE 195526 ¶H. STATE 195518 ¶I. STATE 194232 ¶J. TEGUCIGALPA 2005 ¶K. STATE 178321 ¶L. STATE 175049 (SBU) President Ricardo Maduro informed Charge the morning of November 1 that he was unlikely to attend the Summit of the Americas due to the ongoing urgent disaster relief work due to the effects of Hurricane Beta. Charge urged him to reconsider that decision, citing the importance of the Summit. Charge later demarched Minister of the Presidency Ramon Medina Luna on the Summit of the Americas that same morning and PolChief delivered ref C demarche on the Summit of the Americas and the Doha stand alone statement to Foreign Minister Mario Fortin that afternoon (ref B). Both Charge and PolChief underlined the importance of President Maduro attending the summit. Post understands that this was followed by a phone call from Dan Fisk at the NSC to President Maduro the evening of November 1 to discuss the summit and Maduro's attendance (ref A). The GOH subsequently informed the USG November 2 that President Maduro would not/not attend the summit (ref A). Williard