NEGROPONTE VISIT: CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS SAY

UNCLAS LIMA 001725 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINR PHUM VE PE SUBJECT: NEGROPONTE VISIT: CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS SAY SPREADING PROSPERITY, STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS, PASSING PTPA KEY -------------- Summary: -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Deputy Secretary Negroponte met with civil society representatives at the Ambassador's Residence on May 10. They discussed the challenges in converting Peru's economic growth into generalized prosperity; the strengths and weaknesses of the Peruvian state and Garcia's governing style; Peru's continued vulnerability to radicalism, including Hugo Chavez' influence; and the importance of the Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA). The diverse group agreed that Peru has moved a long way down the path to democracy and development, that the state's lack of capacity is the country's Achilles Heel, and that the PTPA is essential to sustaining the momentum of the country's modernization. End Summary. ¶2. (U) D/S Negroponte met with a variety of civil society representatives at the Ambassador's Residence on May 10. In attendance were: businessman Jose Miguel Morales; National Ombudsman and former Toledo Government Prime Minister Beatriz Merino; President of the National Educational Council Patricia Salas; cosultant Jaime Garcia; leader of the pro-transparency activist Beatriz Boza; and Catholic University Rector Salomon Lerner. -------------- Converting Growth into Prosperity -------------- ¶3. (SBU) All participants agreed Peru must now convert economic growth into more generalized prosperity. Jose Miguel Morales said the country is reaping benefits from fifteen years of relative macroeconomic stability through the Fujimori, Paniagua, Toledo and now the Garcia Presidencies. Morales drew a distinction between the Fujimori dictatorship and his democratic successors, but noted the macroeconomic constants all had maintained. As a consequence, the internal market has grown, tax revenues are running strong, and both national and regional government coffers are fuller than they have been in decades. The poor, however, particularly those in rural areas, are not perceiving benefits quickly enough. -------------- The GOP Has Strengths But Also Key Weaknesses -------------- ¶4. (U) Participants ascribed the gap between growth and perceived benefits to the weaknesses of the Peruvian state. Some parts of the central government, such as the tax collection agency (SUNAT),Customs, the Central Bank, work well. Others utterly lack capacity, particularly in their ability to provide needed infrastructure -- roads, schools, health clinics, police protection -- to needy populations. The same applies to regional governments, they said. There is a severe shortage of trained technocrats who can implement the visible, concrete infrastructure projects the population craves. -------------- The Pluses and Minuses of the Garcia Style -------------- ¶5. (SBU) All recognized that the Garcia administration was maintaining the country's macroeconomic balance and its democracy. Nonetheless, they criticized certain aspects of the President's leadership. Several noted that Garcia and his Prime Minister, Jorge del Castillo, too often play the role of "firemen," i.e. they use central government resources to respond to day-to-day crises and to local demands. In the short term, they look like problem-solvers. Over the long term, this kind of presidentialism/centralism is not sustainable. Peru needs to develop mediating institutions -- stronger political parties, more capable regional and local governments -- that can enable regions and localities to solve their own problems without summoning a Minister from Lima, usually by means of a violent protest. ¶6. (SBU) Other Garcia administration practices can be problematic. Several participants maintained that one of the President's popular austerity measures -- cutting government salaries across the board -- have driven talented technocrats from government. Moreover, the state needs to grow its presence in underserved regions. To do that, the GOP should work with local NGOs and other civil society organizations. Instead, Salomon Lerner lamented, the GOP has "demonized" the NGOs. (Note: Lerner referred to a recent NGO law that many in civil society regard as hostile to their organizations. End Note.) -------------- - Despite Growth, the Radical Temptation Remains -------------- - ¶7. (SBU) Radical elements stand ready to reap advantage from the gap between economic growth and generalized prosperity. Morales alleged that the Regional President (state governor) of Puno has received USD 4 million from Venezuela's Hugo Chavez to spend on schools and infrastructure. Chavez' money can be put right to work. In contrast, regional authorities have to get GOP approval for GOP-financed projects, an essential measure to ensure quality control but that also creates delays that Chavez can exploit. ¶8. (SBU) Analyst Jaime Garcia noted that remnants of Sendero Luminoso have fused with the narcotraffickers, creating a narco-terrorist nexus. Possibly even worse, narcotics production has become woven into the economies of some of the country's poorest regions. Jaime Garcia maintained that in Ayacucho, for example, narcotrafficking accounts for almost half of the region's agricultural economy. ¶9. (U) Fragmented local political and social movements also constitute a problem. Beatriz Merino remarked that the Ombudsman tracks scores of social conflicts throughout the country, the majority of them led by provincial interests that protest in short-term, self-destructive ways. Striking teachers in Loreto, for example, have closed down the airport, cutting off local tourism. Morales remarked that Peru needs to build more dams to even out its water supply, which oscillates between summer droughts and winter floods, but that highland residents have so little trust in outside interests that they won't consent to the projects. -------------- PTPA is Key -------------- ¶10. (U) The diverse group agreed that the Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) would provide essential reinforcement for the positive trends that have moved Peru forward. Morales noted how the high labor standards maintained by importers in countries like the U.S. help Peruvian workers. Several interlocutors said access to foreign markets would bring more prosperity to the country's interior. They added that, despite the state's limited capacities, thanks to booming exports -- which the PTPA would sustain -- the GOP has resources to direct at social problems. -------------- Comment: -------------- ¶11. (U) The most striking thing about his diverse group -- which ranged from business figures to human rights activists -- was their strong consensus. All agreed that Peru has moved a long way down the path to democracy and development, that the state's lack of capacity is the country's Achilles Heel, and that PTPA is essential to sustaining the momentum of the country's modernization. STRUBLE