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 - - - - - - - - - - ¶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 - - - - - - - - - - ¶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 - - - - - ¶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