Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06SANSALVADOR963
2006-04-11 20:16:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy San Salvador
Cable title:  

U.S. Ambassadors Outline Agenda for Central

Tags:  PREL ECON 
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112016Z Apr 06
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 SAN SALVADOR 000963 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL ECON
SUBJECT: U.S. Ambassadors Outline Agenda for Central
America


Summary and Introduction
------------------------
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 SAN SALVADOR 000963

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL ECON
SUBJECT: U.S. Ambassadors Outline Agenda for Central
America


Summary and Introduction
--------------

1. (SBU) WHA Assistant Secretary Tom Shannon, Ambassador to
El Salvador Douglas Barclay, Ambassador to Guatemala James
Derham, Ambassador to Belize Robert Dieter, Ambassador to
Panama William Eaton, Ambassador to Honduras Charles Ford,
Ambassador to Costa Rica Mark Langdale, and Ambassador to
Nicaragua Paul Trivelli met on March 18, 2006, in San
Salvador to outline regional concerns related to populist
politics, regional security, nongovernmental diplomacy,
immigration, CAFTA-DR implementation, corruption, and
regional integration. The following paragraphs summarize
discussions on these themes and provide recommendations for
follow up. For better coordination on these issues, Embassy
San Salvador suggests that each embassy in the region be
responsible for follow-up on a particular issue. End
summary and introduction.

Populist Politics
--------------

2. (SBU) Ambassador Trivelli made it clear that Ortega is
the same populist Mafioso who drove Nicaragua into the
ground under previous Sandanista rule. An Ortega victory in
upcoming presidential elections would give Chavez a foothold
in the region and trigger another round of human and capital
flight. A/S Shannon said it is important that neither
Ortega nor Aleman win, given Ortega's influence over Aleman.
Leaders in the region must focus on how important these
elections are, he added.


3. (SBU) Ambassador Eaton said the political left in Panama
is weak, and all parties are centrist or right wing. There
is little anti-Americanism, and President Torrijos is trying
to improve bilateral relations. He warned that because
Panama has the second-worst income disparity in the
hemisphere, there is some concern that a leftist demagogue
could rally support.


4. (SBU) In his campaign, President Zelaya of Honduras
promised to reduce the price of gasoline by implementing the
recommendations of a national commission to nationalize the
fuel distribution network, Ambassador Ford said. Now, he is
scrambling to fulfill that pledge and address other
governance issues in a desire to show that democracy and a
market economy can meet the needs of the poorest Hondurans.


5. (SBU) Presidential elections are 18 months away in
Guatemala, where Alvaro Colon is the leading candidate;
Ambassador Derham said there are concerns over allegations

of corruption in the current government that may spell
trouble for incumbents and that narcofunds are backing
certain candidates. Ambassador Derham added that the
election of Morales in Bolivia was a welcome event among the
indigenous population in Guatemala, but they are still
reeling from the war years and are not yet organized enough
to put together a political campaign. He noted that there
are reports, however, that Guatemalans are traveling to
Venezuela under what is being called a "Chavez IVP"--further
Venezuelan influence in Guatemala could lead to pressure on
government to agree to deals such as the Petrocaribe fuel
offers that Venezuela has promoted recently.


6. (SBU) Recommendations: A) Continue to monitor populist
political activities in the region and share experiences on
best practices to support democracies in the region. Follow-
up: Embassy Nicaragua.

Regional Security
--------------

7. (SBU) Ambassador Derham said that Guatemala's most
pressing issue is security, especially gangs and other
organized crime. He shared three anecdotes on security in
Guatemala that illustrated the challenge facing the country
from smugglers of persons, drugs, and contraband--these
groups control parts of the country, and law enforcement is
difficult in those regions. Corruption among the police and
judiciary further complicate the issue. In the recent "Blue
Sky" development exercise submitted with the MPP, he
proposed putting all assistance for Guatemala into security.
Ambassador Ford compared the security situation in Honduras
to that in Guatemala and noted a recent increase in airborne
drug trafficking through Honduras and an increase in truck
hijackings.


8. (SBU) Ambassador Derham emphasized that to combat drug
trafficking in a country that lacks a functional system of
law enforcement, creativity is important. Working with U.S.
law enforcement, the Embassy lured three prominent
Guatemalan officials accused of drug trafficking to the
United States, where U.S. authorities arrested them.
Dealing with the issue also requires hands-on assistance,
Ambassador Derham said, as has been necessary in
establishing a multi-agency task force to combat money
laundering in Guatemala. He described a project in Villa
Nueva designed to curb growing criminality fed by a family
structure of broken families. Finally, he noted the
importance of pushing forward on the legislative agenda,
citing the development of a RICO-style statute in Guatemala.


9. (SBU) Ambassador Ford said President Zelaya was focusing
more on prevention in dealing with security issues.
Meanwhile, the Embassy continues to focus on a rule of law
program that has invested $30 million in administration of
justice and related programs since 1987. An important part
of that effort has been reaching out to the economic elite
to convince them that better physical and judicial security
would serve them in the long term--although some do gain
short-term benefits by manipulating weaknesses in the
justice system. Ambassador Barclay noted that the police in
El Salvador were generally good, but the court system was in
shambles. Expanding on Ford's point about reaching out to
the economic elite, Ambassador Barclay said that getting
improvements in security is a cultural issue, and that
convincing people it is in their interest to reform the
judiciary is the key.


10. (SBU) Ambassador Trivelli noted that on a regional
level, INL resources would be limited for 2006. Given the
U.S. focus on drug producing countries, Central America
would not see many resources for addressing the problem of
drugs transiting the region. Ambassador Dieter suggested
that a regional approach might be effective in countering
that decrease in funding to tackle security issues.


11. (SBU) Recommendations: A) Consider developing a
regional approach to INL activities and funding to better
deal with cross-border security issues. Follow-up: Embassy
Guatemala City.

Nongovernmental Diplomacy
--------------

12. (SBU) A/S Shannon said he is concerned about the public
perception of policies promoted by the United States. We
have difficulty in packaging what we do, whether it is free
trade or the Millennium Challenge Account, and it is not
plainly evident to the general public what the benefits of
these initiatives will be. There is concern that Latin
Americans feel the United States has forgotten about the
region, but in terms of foreign assistance this is false.
The Bush administration is much more engaged in the region
than previous administrations--spending has doubled from
$800 million to $1.6 billion, the number of Peace Corps
volunteers is up 40 percent in the region, and there are
initiatives such as the Millennium Challenge Account with
compacts in Nicaragua and Honduras, and possibly El
Salvador, which will benefit the region. The Department
must move beyond merely advancing our policy goals with host-
country governments and make greater efforts toward direct
outreach to the general public.


13. (SBU) Ambassador Dieter agreed with A/S Shannon and
said that although interactions with the Government of
Belize were cordial, the best way to communicate about the
United States is to go directly to the people, whether it be
the private sector, church groups, schools, or other civic
organizations. He noted also Secretary Rice's recent
comment that the Department emphasizes engagement, not
simply reporting, and he proposed that Posts be proactive in
assisting volunteer and humanitarian groups and suggesting
projects they might consider. Ambassador Eaton suggested
making available a clearinghouse of nongovernmental
organizations. Ambassador Langdale suggested that a local
version of the Department's Corporate Excellence Award had
proven useful in stimulating the private sector's interest
in civic responsibility. Ambassador Langdale said he makes
it a point to ask U.S. executives with whom he meets about
their corporate giving programs in Costa Rica. Several
ambassadors inquired regarding the status of Hurricane Stan
disaster assistance spearheaded by the private sector.


14. (SBU) Recommendations: A) Ensure wider distribution of
existing resources on NGOs operating in the region. B)
Establish country-level Corporate Excellence Awards
throughout the region. C) Seek additional information on
Hurricane Stan disaster assistance. Follow-up: Embassy
Belize City.

Immigration
--------------

15. (SBU) Ambassador Barclay described the importance of
immigration issues for El Salvador, where polls show that 70
percent of the population would immigrate to the United
States if given the chance. In early Fall 2005, then-Acting
DHS U/S Beardsworth met in El Salvador with Salvadoran
officials to request cooperation with the increase in
deportations that he described privately as a "train
barreling down the track." To deal with that challenge, he
outlined a number of initiatives to improve the processing
of deportees, and even promised "up to $100 per deportee" in
processing fees for the Salvadorans.


16. (SBU) The Embassy and the Salvadorans then created a
deportation working group to follow up. However, DHS has
not followed through on commitments U/S Beardsworth made
during that initial meeting. For example, DHS halted
cooperation with Salvadoran consulates in the United States
in developing interview procedures based on
videoconferencing. Meanwhile, Salvadoran officials have
begun to complain to DHS about deportations that exceed
agreed-upon limits on the number of deportees per flight, as
well as about flight frequency, the mixing of criminal and
noncriminal deportees, and other issues. The Salvadorans
raised deportation issues in the February Bush/Saca meeting
and hope to build on momentum from that meeting when they
meet with senior DHS officials on April 18 in Washington to
discuss next steps.


17. (SBU) Ambassador Derham voiced concern that rhetoric
accompanying the debate on immigration reform in the United
States creates a significant public diplomacy challenge. A/S
Shannon noted the constructive role played by some of the
Central American governments and Mexico in discussing
immigration. This has had the effect of calming down the
public and putting the issue in a better light. Ambassador
Derham noted that the decision not to offer TPS for
Guatemalans will give more influence to politicians who
deliver an anti-American message.


18. (SBU) Recommendation: Coordinate reporting and other
communications to inform Washington audiences on the
potential impact immigration reform could have on their host
countries. Follow-up: Embassy San Salvador.

CAFTA Implementation
--------------

19. (SBU) Ambassador Ford noted the challenge of CAFTA
implementation, both technical and economic, especially in
the face of last-minute attempts by some sectors to maintain
trade barriers. Another challenge he outlined is how to
manage expectations in the medium term, as people discover
that the agreement is not an instant panacea. The new
government in Honduras supports CAFTA, but they will need to
show that it delivers economic prosperity to the people.
That is a challenge for governments in the region and for
the United States--we need to find a way to talk to the
public about trade in a way that makes sense to them.
Ambassador Eaton suggested that publicizing local success
stories would be an important tool in this effort.


20. (SBU) Ambassador Eaton said Panama is working on an FTA
with the United States and hopes to complete it before U.S.
midterm elections, which USTR believes possible.
Panamanians hope to take advantage of niche agricultural
markets in the United States; they understand, however, that
their future is not in agriculture. The FTA has about a 55
percent public approval rating, and even the opposition is
beginning to understand its benefits.


21. (SBU) Ambassador Langdale said CAFTA was a nonissue in
the recent presidential election in Costa Rica, which Oscar
Arias won by only 18,000 votes. The Assembly is two-thirds
in favor of CAFTA, free trade, and the United States in
general. Ambassador Langdale said CAFTA will pass, but the
public sector union may create headaches for implementation-
-the union's leader promised "fiery street demonstrations"
if CAFTA is implemented.


22. (SBU) Ambassador Derham said that Embassy Guatemala is
focused on CAFTA implementation now that Guatemalans
understand the agreement is not self-executing and requires
legislative changes. Ambassador Derham felt the stage was
set for CAFTA implementation with the visits of Deputy
Secretary Zoellick and Secretary of Commerce Gutierrez last

SIPDIS
fall, but short-term implementation problems persist.


23. (SBU) Recommendation: A) Share best practices on CAFTA
outreach and implementation efforts. Follow-up: Embassy
Tegucigalpa.

Corruption
--------------

24. (SBU) Ambassador Eaton said that despite the negative
impact that corruption has on the investment climate, the
economic elite in Panama were reluctant to tackle the issue-
-after all, the status quo has worked well for them. In
societies where laws are rarely enforced, Ambassador Ford
suggested that agreeing on a common definition of corruption
is important. He suggested that preventing corruption by
promoting a culture of lawfulness is an effective means of
addressing the issue. Education on public ethics, beginning
in primary schools, is important too. Coalition building
with NGOs, the media, and the private sector is also useful,
Ambassador Eaton said. For Panama, working with the banks
is critical, given the country's history of money
laundering. Ambassador Eaton suggested the creation of a
multi-agency task force on combating corruption.


25. (SBU) Ambassador Eaton highlighted visa revocations as
a useful tool in drawing attention to the issue, a point
that Ambassadors Trivelli and Ford supported. USAID's
regional programs to tackle corruption were highlighted.
CAFTA was also mentioned as a tool for tackling corruption.
Ambassador Barclay raised the example of the ethics law in
El Salvador, which everyone is in favor of, but which has
gotten no political traction since it was introduced four
years ago.


26. (SBU) Recommendation: A) Disseminate additional
information on USAID anti-corruption programs. B) Encourage
the creation of multi-agency tasks forces on corruption.
Follow up: Embassy Panama City.

Regional Integration
--------------

27. (SBU) Central American governments are members of
numerous smaller organizations that the United States has
not traditionally been well positioned to engage or
understand. There are usually no U.S. demarches associated
with CARICOM meetings, and the Department has little idea of
the dynamic in these meetings, or of the deals often struck
on the margins. A/S Shannon said he wants to get the
Department more focused on such regional organizations, and
he hopes that the next two months will see more action on
this, as these types of meetings are the seedbed for ideas
in the region. A/S Shannon asked all participants to think
about how regional integration should work, and whether it
should be implemented locally or from Washington.


28. (SBU) On physical integration issues, Ambassador Eaton
said Panama hopes to maximize the advantages of its
geographic location, and the government hopes Panama will
become the Singapore of the region, backed by trade
processing zones, free trade zones, good port facilities, a
widened canal, and banking infrastructure. Ambassador
Trivelli suggested that Panama should inform others in the
region about their plans for the canal so that they would
avoid wasting effort on dry canals and similar
infrastructure projects.


29. (SBU) Ambassador Langdale provided a presentation on
regional infrastructure integration, describing Central
American and Mexican efforts to plan jointly for
telecommunications, electricity, and transportation
infrastructure improvement through the 2001 Plan Puebla-
Panama. In terms of implementation, however, he noted that
governments in the region have a poor track record, citing
the uncertain future of a Pacific corridor road as an
example. Ambassador Langdale suggested working closer with
the Inter-American Development Bank to help governments
coordinate efforts. Several Ambassadors also inquired
regarding the status of OPIC's plans to establish an
investment fund for Central America, some of which could be
used to improve infrastructure.


30. (SBU) Recommendation: A) Establish a
political/economic reporting officer position based in
Central America to coordinate regional integration issues.
Follow-up: Embassy San Jose.


31. (SBU) Ambassadors Barclay, Derham, Dieter, Eaton, Ford,
Langdale, and Trivelli cleared this cable.