NICARAGUA: AMBASSADOR CALLS ON NEW MINISTER OF

S E C R E T MANAGUA 000392

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA/CEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM NU
SUBJECT: NICARAGUA: AMBASSADOR CALLS ON NEW MINISTER OF
GOVERNMENT

Classified By: Ambassador Paul Trivelli for reasons 1.4 (b and d)


1. (SBU) Summary. In a courtesy call on February 2, new
Minister of Government Ana Isabel Morales Mazun told the
Ambassador that the government intends to honor agreements
established by the previous administration and to strengthen
the relationship with the United States. The Ambassador
queried Morales on several key topics, including extradition,
the penal code and trafficking in persons. End Summary.


2. (SBU) The Ambassador paid a courtesy call on new Minister
of Government Ana Isabel Morales on February 2. DCM and
Poloff (notetaker) attended; Morales included a colleague
from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a notetaker in the
meeting. The meeting was cordial and brief and Morales
called in a photographer to take photos at the end of the
session. (Comment: Morales remained low-key and rather stiff
throughout the meeting, only becoming slightly more animated
when she talked about immigration issues. End Comment.)

Role of the Ministry
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3. (C) Morales clarified in response to a question from the
Ambassador that the Ministry will maintain the same
relationship with the Nicaraguan National Police (NNP) as in
the past despite the recent reform of law 290 -- though the
NNP falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of
Government, in practice they do not exercise much oversight
or control, rather, the NNP deals directly with the
Presidency. Morales added that the Ministry's budget will
remains virtually the same as last year with a small increase
for the NNP.


4. (S) Comment: In January 2007, Embassy sources reported
Morales convened a meeting of members of her staff and senior
members of the NNP. During the meeting, Morales announced a
series of measures to reconstitute the ministry as it was in
the 1980s under the Sandinista regime when it was known as
the Ministry of Interior. Morales announced that she would
be personally taking control of operations and intelligence
issues for the NNP and that she would directly run all
operations, chair all meetings, and would be saluted by
police officers as had been the custom in the 1980s. As a
result of the meeting, NNP Chief Aminta Granera sought a
meeting with Daniel Ortega to discuss Morales' comments. In
response, Ortega indicated that he would submit a law to the
National Assembly to give him control of both the military
and police. End Comment.


5. (C) Morales also confirmed that the Ministry should be
the contact for any issues regarding deportation of U.S.
fugitives. The Ambassador added that he would like to
discuss in the future the broader issue of extradition of
Nicaraguan citizens, which is prohibited under Nicaraguan
law. Morales responded that the Constitution is clear, but
that they could work harder on trials in Nicaragua for
citizens who commit a crime in the United States.


6. (C) Morales added that the Ministry will be involved in
lobbying the National Assembly when debate is resumed on the
penal code, and may also be involved in developing new money
laundering and drug trafficking conspiracy legislation.
Morales told the Ambassador that the unit of the Ministry
(Inspectoria Civil) that investigates allegations of
corruption of government officials will continue to operate
and pursue cases. Morales also assured the Ambassador of
continued cooperation on anti-trafficking in persons
initiatives (TIP) and that the Ministry would provide
information for the annual TIP report despite personnel
changes. (Comment: One of the key Embassy contacts on TIP,
Maria Gabriela Zuniga, at the Ministry has been told that she
will be moved to another job; she believes that she may be
forced to leave. End Comment).

Immigration issues
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7. (C) Morales mentioned her personal interest in
immigration issues, queried the Ambassador about the status
of immigration legislation in the United States, and
expressed her interest in attending the Regional Conference
on Migration in New Orleans, April 14-27. She also agreed to
continue information sharing with the Embassy on immigration
issues and asked the Ambassador to provide further detail on
the kind of information and cooperation the Embassy desires
-- which the Ambassador agreed to do. (Comment: Information

sharing by the GON on aliens has diminished over the past few
months. The Consular section used to enjoy direct access to
GON immigration databases, but that practice was
discontinued. In addition, immigration officials no longer
pass information regarding visa applicants from countries of
interest, including the Middle East, as they did in the past.
End Comment.)

Biography
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8. (SBU) Ana Isabel Morales Mazun is a former Sandinista
guerrilla, and is recognized for being the only survivor of
the massacre of Veracruz. She was a student leader during
the Somoza dynasty and was recruited by Carlos Roberto
Huembes to fight against the regime. She worked for 19 years
in the Ministry of the Interior, today known as the Ministry
of Government, where she was Director and Deputy Director of
Immigration for almost 15 years. After working at the
Ministry of Government, Morales went to work at the Supreme
Court. She is a lawyer and public notary and holds a masters
in International Relations and two post graduate law degrees.


9. (C) Comment: Post has information that in 1997 and 1998
Morales was involved in providing false Nicaraguan documents
to illegal aliens transiting Nicaragua enroute to the United
States. On at least six occasions, Morales was reported as
linked to illegal alien trafficking. On at least one
occasion, Morales coordinated with other immigration
officials to facilitate the provision of false documents to
illegal aliens. End Comment.
TRIVELLI