FERNANDO BERROCAL, MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SAN JOSE 001009 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR CS SUBJECT: FERNANDO BERROCAL, MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY Classified By: Amb. Mark Langdale for reasons 1.4 (b&d) ¶1. (C) On May 8, 2006, Fernando Berrocal Soto was sworn in as Minister of Public Security and Government, along with the rest of Oscar Arias's cabinet. Berrocal has little background in security issues but extensive political and international experience, including two stints as Costa Rica's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Ambassador to the former Soviet Union. A journalist and attorney specializing in international law, Berrocal is a strong supporter of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and shares President Arias's disdain for military spending and unilateral foreign policies. Berrocal was a key adviser to Arias during the campaign and was a member of Arias's legal team monitoring the manual recount of the ballots. At age 61, Berrocal is the third oldest member of the new Arias cabinet (average age is 51). ¶2. (U) Berrocal was born February 19, 1945 in San Jose Costa Rica. He studied economics and social sciences at the University of Rome and earned a law degree from the University of Costa Rica (UCR) in 1969. Berrocal began his career as a journalist at La Prensa Libre, one of Costa Rica's leading daily newspapers. From 1973-1975, he was alternate commissioner, with the rank of ambassador, to the Central American Common Market. At age 30, Berrocal was assigned as Costa Rican Ambassador to the Soviet Union for three years. In 1978, Berrocal worked for the Latin American Economic System (SELA) at its headquarters in Caracas, and served as Deputy Permanent Secretary during 1980-1982. Berrocal then served as Minister of Presidency (similar to Chief of Staff) under President Monge until beginning his first stint as Costa Rica's UN PermRep in 1984. Oscar Arias replaced Berrocal in 1986 at the beginning of his first presidential term. Berrocal returned to Costa Rica, joined a private law practice and remained involved in the affairs of the National Liberation Party (PLN--to which Arias also belongs) until he was again named Costa Rican PermRep to the UN by President Figueres in 1994. Berrocal served as Permrep throughout the Figueres Administration (1994-1998). ¶3. (C) At the UN, Berrocal presided over the G-77 in 1996 and Costa Rica's presidency of the Security Council in 1997. From these platforms, Berrocal sought to restrict enforcement actions against Iraq to the previously approved sanctions. He particularly resisted expanding U.S. enforcement of No-Fly Zones in Iraq. Berrocal also frequently advocated for the Arias Foundation's Code of Ethics for Arms Sales during his time at the UN. Despite opposite positions on Iraq, Berrocal told us he remains a close personal friend of then U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Bill Richardson. Berrocal hopes his relationship with Richardson, now Governor of New Mexico, will produce resources for Costa Rica, perhaps through sister-city arrangements. ¶4. (U) Having returned again to Costa Rica and private law practice, Berrocal remains an outspoken supporter of the ICC and critic of U.S. efforts to obtain bilateral agreements based on Article 98 of the Treaty of Rome which he believes undermine the court. Berrocal moderated academic conferences on the ICC in 2002 and 2003. On both occasions, his remarks characterized the ICC as similar in importance to the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia and the 1945 establishment of the United Nations. Berrocal's 2002 speech noted with approval that even the world's sole superpower had been "forced" to submit to international law and the decisions of Security Council. ¶5. (U) Berrocal has published numerous books and articles, primarily addressing economic and social issues from a social-democratic perspective. He also wrote a lengthy op-ed condemning Fidel Castro's April 2003 crackdown on dissent which netted a personal friend, Raul Rivero, from Berrocal's days as Ambassador in Moscow. In his legal practice, Berrocal obtained asylum in Costa Rica for Venezuelan coup-plotter Carlos Ortega in 2003 and successfully delayed efforts by the Costa Rican government to strip Ortega of his status in 2004 after Ortega called for the overthrow of Chavez from Miami and returned clandestinely to Venezuela--both in violation of the terms of his grant of asylum. Until Ortega was arrested in Venezuela, Berrocal insisted that Ortega was in Costa Rica and claimed to have regular meetings with him. ¶6. (C) For the past two years, Berrocal has worked closely with Rodrigo Arias, brother and closest adviser to President Oscar Arias on developing the Arias platform and an agenda for governing. For several months during the campaign, Berrocal was on the short list of potential candidates for Vice President. Once Laura Chinchilla, an expert on security issues, was selected as First Vice President, Berrocal's diplomatic experience and background in international law would have made him a compelling choice to head the Foreign Ministry. President Arias decided, however, to keep tight reins over the Foreign Ministry by appointing a young protege, Bruno Stagno. ¶7. (C) In meetings with EmbOffs since his nomination, Berrocal has been open to suggestions and sincere in his desire to address problems within the Ministry. Berrocal was particularly interested in our opinions of many top officials within the Ministry and left those we identified as effective in their positions. Although many of his questions have been basic, Berrocal has shown himself a quick study and is laying out a logical vision for his tenure. Berrocal admires Mayor Rudolf Giuliani and credits his "zero tolerance" policies for restoring security to New York City. Berrocal has acknowledged publicly that he needs to address corruption problems within his Immigration Department and, in an unusual step, has requested a fresh audit of the weapons in the national armory before accepting responsibility for them. An audit had just been completed by the outgoing Minister. Berrocal has also made a concerted effort to smooth relations with the Attorney General, who is part of the judicial branch of government. ¶8. (U) Berrocal is married to Grethel Obando. They have six children and six grandchildren. Berrocal speaks English and Italian. LANGDALE