NICARAGUA NOMINATES ANTI-U.S., FORMER AMCIT AS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 MANAGUA 002008 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR IO/PPC BATLLE DEPT ALSO FOR WHA/PPC GONZALEZ, DEACON AND MILLER DEPT ALSO FOR WHA/CEN CORNFORTH NSC FOR K. MCDONALD DEPT FOR CA DEPT FOR EAP/J AND S/WCI DEPT FOR INR/B USUN NEW YORK FOR MCBRIDE SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/27/2012 TAGS: PREL OPDC PINR CVIS UNGA VT NU SUBJECT: NICARAGUA NOMINATES ANTI-U.S., FORMER AMCIT AS GRULAC CANDIDATE FOR 63RD UNGA PRESIDENCY REF: VISAS DONKEY FOR D'ESCOTO BROCKMANN (SENT 8/15/07 THROUGH CCD) Classified By: Ambassador Paul Trivelli for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Nicaragua plans to nominate former Foreign Minister, Miguel D'ESCOTO Brockmann, a gratuitously anti-U.S., former AMCIT, and former Catholic priest, as the GRULAC candidate for President of the 63rd Session of the UNGA (2008-2009),Foreign Minister Samuel Santos told us on August 24. Based on recent consultations with his other GRULAC counterparts, Santos was assured that no other candidates were being considered from the region. D'Escoto is well-known for outrageous and gratuitously offensive public comments about the U.S. END SUMMARY. UNGA NEEDS A PRESIDENT, WHY NOT A NICARAGUAN? -------------- ¶2. (C) During an August 24 meeting with the Ambassador, Nicaraguan Foreign Minister, Samuel Santos, passed us a letter (see text para 9) addressed to the Secretary informing that Nicaragua planned to nominate Miguel D'ESCOTO Brockmann, as the GRULAC candidate for President of the 63rd Session of the UNGA (2008-2009). Santos told us that the GRULAC region would take its "turn" as UNGA president during 2008-2009, per the UN's tradition of regional rotations. He also said that during recent consultations with his other GRULAC counterparts, Santos was told that no other candidates were being considered from the region. ¶3. (U) On August 28, an article appeared on page 5 of the left-of-center, Nuevo Diario newspaper, one of Managua's two major dailies. The article reports that "FM Santos has confidently declared that Nicaragua will win the UNGA presidency for 2008-2009." The article adds that Santos told journalists that D'Escoto's candidacy had been formally submitted in New York and that no other candidates had been announced. Santos added that, he had "spoken personally with each and every ambassador" from GRULAC member states and that "all of them expressed total support for Nicaragua's candidate." Santos said his next step would be to seek backing for D'Escoto's candidacy from the Non-Aligned Movement countries during their upcoming meeting in Tehran. WHO IS MIGUEL D'ESCOTO BROCKMANN? -------------- ¶4. (C) D'Escoto, who served as Foreign Minister during the first Ortega Administration, currently holds a ministerial rank as advisor to the President on Border Dispute Issues. Although the former Catholic priest (Maryknoll Order) was born in Los Angeles, he renounced his U.S. citizenship and actually was the beneficiary of property seized from other American Citizens by the Sandinista government in the 1980s. D'Escoto appears to harbor deep loathing for the country of his birth. He regularly makes critical and outrageous claims about U.S. foreign policy. A MAN WHO BELIEVES THE TWIN TOWERS ATTACK WAS NO BIG DEAL -------------- -------------- ¶5. (U) Recently, D'Escoto's anti-U.S. public statements reached new levels when he dismissed the gravity of the September 11th attacks. During an August 13 speech President Ortega said that the 3,000 deaths in New York on September 11th were "insignificant" compared to the "acts of U.S. genocide" in Hiroshima and Nagasaki that killed 120,000. The next morning, during a TV interview, D'Escoto opined that Ortega had been "very moderate," (muy suave) because he had only included the number of immediate deaths in Japan, not the total number of those who died as a result of "genocidal" atomic bombs, "which was five times that number." MANAGUA 00002008 002 OF 004 COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) We suspect D'Escoto's UNGA Presidency nomination is simply the latest effort by Ortega to challenge us. Since taking power in January, Ortega has gone out of his way to offend, with D'Escoto frequently and gleefully engaging in public one-upsmanship of gratuitously offensive comments. Ironically, we have, at the same time. been under constant pressure from the government to expedite and issue visas for senior advisors and officials, many of whom have serious ineligibilities--including D'Escoto. In Ortega's mind, D'Escoto likely embodies the perfect trifecta as a candidate. He has legitimate international diplomatic experience as former Foreign Minister. His vociferous, anti-U.S. stance grants him credibility with hardliners, and like most high-level Ortega Administration officials, D'Escoto has serious visa ineligibilities. Only weeks ago, D'Escoto requested a visa to travel to the U.S. for medical treatment. D'Escoto initially refused to appear at the Embassy, and verbally abused Embassy employees over the phone, using excessively vulgar and offensive language. (NOTE: While D'Escoto is currently listed in CLASS as potentially ineligible for a U.S. visa because of "terrorist activities," the Embassy does not have information on file that would support this finding. End note.) ¶7. (C) D'Escoto is among the worst candidates possible for 63rd UNGA President. Setting aside his poor health and grotesquely cavalier attitude toward September 11th, D'Escoto has repeatedly demonstrated disdain and disregard for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. In his personal demeanor, he swings erratically from charming to threatening, oozing arrogance throughout. We are certain that there are more suitable candidates for the 63rd UNGA Presidency from within the GRULAC region. The 63rd UNGA is still over one year away; however, we believe serious thought should be given to encouraging the GRULAC to identify more qualified individuals for the position. Given that, in 1981, D'Escoto was barred by the Vatican from performing any priestly functions, it may be worthwhile to consult with the Holy See. BIO NOTES -------------- ¶8. (C) D'Escoto comes from what he described as "a privileged Nicaraguan family with a tradition of rebellion." Born in Hollywood, CA in 1933, he returning to Nicaragua with his family in 1934. By 1951 he had renounced his U.S. citizenship. He received B.A. and M.A. degrees from St. Mary's College of California and holds an M.A. in Journalism from Columbia University (1962). In 1981, D'Escoto defied a Vatican order calling upon priests to remove themselves from government service and he refused to recognize the authority of the Vatican. As a result of his defiance, the Vatican prohibited D'Escoto from performing any priestly duties. To our knowledge, the prohibition has never been rescinded. Even so, in Nicaragua D'Escoto is still commonly referred to a "Father." MFA personnel also address him as "Father" and Embassy personnel were also instructed to do so when he applied for a visa. D'Escoto speaks Spanish, English, and understands some Italian and French. His brother, Francisco, was the FSLN Ambassador to the U.K. at least between 1984 and ¶1987. TEXT OF LETTER TO SECRETARY RICE -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Following is our unofficial English translation of the letter from FM Santos to Secretary Rice. We will pass the original to WHA/CEN separately. MANAGUA 00002008 003.2 OF 004 BEGIN EMBASSY UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION Ministry of Foreign Affairs Managua, August 24, 2007 MRE/VM-DGO/743/08/07 Dear Madam Secretary: With a lot of joy, I want to share with you the decision of the Government of Reconciliation and National Unity of presenting the candidacy of father Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann MM. as president of the 63rd United Nations General Assembly. Father Miguel D'Escoto was chief of Nicaraguan diplomacy in the decade of the 80s, which gave him an extraordinary experience in international themes by actively participating in the agreement of nations and in the search of political and diplomatic negotiations in the solution of international controversies. For this reason and for his human and social sensibility, he is a most suitable candidate to preside over the General Assembly. Your Excellency, Nicaragua grants a particular importance to this candidacy and is aware of the responsibility and importance that presiding the General Assembly implies. I assure you that Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann will dignifiedly represent our countries in such a high position. Attached you will find Miguel D'Escoto MM's curriculum vitae. Waiting that our proposal be considered by your government, I reiterate the assurances of my highest consideration. (handwritten above the signature) A hug //S// Samuel Santos Lopez The Honorable Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State SIPDIS of the United States of America END Embassy Non-Official Translation of Letter ¶10. (U) BEGIN D'ESCOTO C.V. (Translation by Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Miguel d,Escoto Brockmann, M.M. Was born in California in 1933. A year later, June 1934 he came to Nicaragua, his parents' country, only four months after the assassination of the national hero Sandino. Later, in 1947 he went back to the United States, after graduating from high school and studied Civil Engineering. In 1953 entered the Maryknoll Missionary Congregation where in 1961 was became a priest in New York. From 1953 to 1955 studied Philosophy in Glen Ellen, Illinois. Later on, from 1957 to 1961 he studied Theology and Pedagogy in New York. Further on attended the Journalist School (Pulitzer Institute) at the Columbia University, New York, where in 1962 he obtained a Master in Sciences. In 1963, was send to Chile and funded the Instituto Nacional de Accion Poblacional e Investigaciones (INAP) where he worked full-time with "callampas;" the name given to the poorest neighbors Chile. These "callampas" were located outside Santiago as well as other cities such Concepcion and Temuco, in the southern region of Chile. MANAGUA 00002008 004 OF 004 In 1970 headed the Maryknoll Social Communication Department in New York where his greatest contribution was to found ORBIS a publication which is still considered one of the most important in the United States concerning Third World issues. After the Managua Earthquake in 1973 he created the Fundacion pro Desarrollo Comunitaria Integral, FUNDECI, in order to help the victims of the earthquake. Afterwards, and living in New York by that time, he became one of the founders of Grupo de los 12 (Group of 12), conformed by professionals and intellectuals which shared democratic and progressive views in favor of the struggle of the FSLN, Sandinista National Liberation Front. In July 1979 he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, staying in the post until 1990, period in which among many other important events he had an outstanding participation in the peace process of Contadora and Esquipulas. In February 2007 he was appointed Counselor to President Daniel Ortega Saavedra in the field of International Relations and bordering issues with the rank of Minister. Some Awards Carlos Fonseca Amador Order, highest recognition given by the FSLN. Julio Cortazar Prize for Peace and Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean, given by the International Relations Institute of Argentina in June 1985. Lenin For Peace, International Prize given by the Soviet Union, June 1987. Alfonso Comin por la Paz Prize in 1984 Doctor Honoris Causa in Engineering, given by the Nicaraguan University of Engineers on November 25, 2005. Orden al Merito Centroamericano, given by the Central American Parliament in May 2006. Nora Astorga Distinction, given jointly by la Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua, UNAN-Managua and the National Students Union UNEN, on June 27, 2006 Jose de Marcoleta Order, given by Nicaragua,s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 14, 2007. Cardinal Miguel Obando Bravo Order, highest award given by la Catholic University Redemptoris Mater (UNICA),on August 21, ¶2007. END D'ESCOTO C.V. TRIVELLI