EEB A/S SULLIVAN MEETS WITH PRESIDENT ORTEGA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAGUA 000839 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CEN, WHA/EPSC, WHA/AND, EEB AND EEB/TPP USDOC FOR 4332/ITA/MAC/WH/MSIEGELMAN 3134/ITA/USFCS/OIO/WH/MKESHISHIAN/BARTHUR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON PREL PRGOV ETRD NU SUBJECT: EEB A/S SULLIVAN MEETS WITH PRESIDENT ORTEGA REF: A. MANAGUA 820 ¶B. MANAGUA 815 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On February 27, A/S Sullivan met with President Ortega and members of his cabinet at FSLN headquarters. The entire ninety minute meeting was covered on live television. A/S Sullivan delivered a positive message centered on the U.S. strategy of Total Economic Engagement (TEE * applying and integrating all economic tools in our bilateral relationship with Nicaragua * and delivering real results for Nicaragua.) He emphasized that maintaining a vibrant democracy, open markets, improved business climate, respect for private property, and the sanctity of contracts are critical to ensuring continued investment, increased trade, and poverty reduction. Ortega stated at the outset that he valued the U.S. economic relationship and wanted to deepen it. He supported economic reforms, greater investment, and taking further advantage of CAFTA and MCC, but also lamented that these programs and approaches were not delivering sufficient poverty relief. A/S Sullivan stressed the link between anchoring democracy and continuing economic reforms to meet Ortega's economic growth and poverty reduction goals. Ortega concluded that while social and economic change does require democracy, "real democracy" comes only after social and economic change and is better instituted through citizens councils. End Summary ¶2. (U) On February 27, A/S Sullivan capped off his day in Nicaragua with a ninety-minute meeting with President Ortega. President Ortega was flanked by the First Lady, Vice President, and nine ministers, agency directors and presidential advisors. Among those in attendance were Minister of Foreign Affairs Samuel Santos, Presidential Advisor on Economic Issues Bayardo Arce, National Policy Advisor Paul Oquist, the President of the Free Trade Zone Commission, and the Ministers of Agriculture and Trade. Atmospherics: A different meeting in a unique location -------------- -------------- ¶3. (U) The meeting was held at FSLN headquarters, from which President Ortega currently governs. The "kiosk room," as it is called, sports walls decorated in an assortment of abstract shapes and symbolic designs in a multitude of bright primary and secondary colors. On the wall behind President Ortega was a design combining native American and Asian cultural symbols all centered around a Hand of Fatima with an evil eye in the center. All twenty attendees sat around a large, square, glass topped, violet wicker table sitting in matching violet wicker arm chairs (envision 1970s hippie motif combined with 1980's disco decor.) Behind the table were seven rows of chairs upholstered in multi-colored fabric, filled with members of the media. ¶4. (SBU) President Ortega was flanked by the First Lady, Vice President and nine ministers, agency directors and presidential advisors. Among those in attendance were Minister of Foreign Affairs Samuel Santos, Presidential Advisor on Economic Issues Bayardo Arce, National Policy Advisor Paul Oquist, the President of the Free Trade Zone Commission, and the Ministers of Agriculture and Trade. As President Ortega's speech dragged on, the Ministers became distracted. Santos took a nap behind his hand and then got up to pace behind the president, eventually standing against a wall. Arce soon got up to join him and they both chatted with First Lady Murillo. The First Lady spent her time issuing orders to her assistants and passing notes to ministers, paying little attention to what her husband was saying. Members of the press would periodically check that their recording equipment was on, but otherwise, socialized throughout Ortega's speeches. The only Nicaraguan thoroughly engaged in Ortega's exposition was former American citizen, now Nicaraguan, Paul Oquist, who listened through our interpretation receiver and took extensive notes. Whenever A/S Sullivan spoke, however, every member of President Ortega's team, especially the First Lady, paid close attention. Total Economic Engagement Yielding Real Results -------------- -- ¶5. (U) President Ortega opened the meeting by pledging to continue to deepen trade and economic relations and to "lay the foundation for continuing cooperation between our countries." A/S Sullivan overviewed his full day of meetings with GON officials and site visits, including the Seminole-owned cattle ranch, INCAE, and the ITG Cone-Denim site. A/S Sullivan emphasized that the staff of the ITG Cone-Denim site stated that their $100 million investment which will directly and indirectly employ thousands of Nicaraguans would not have happened without CAFTA. He stated that the U.S. is committed to a partnership with Nicaragua to achieve economic growth and poverty reduction while anchoring democracy in the region. A/S Sullivan then highlighted U.S. Total Economic Engagement in Nicaragua, including CAFTA, USAID's $200 million in programs over five years, the $175 million MCC compact, critical debt relief, OPIC's work on housing and infrastructure development and potential cooperation in the energy field, particularly biofuels. He stated that we are seeing real results from CAFTA and our integrated Total Economic Engagement strategy: exports are up 24 percent in less than a year under CAFTA, bringing total Nicaraguan trade to the U.S. to $1.5 billion, and foreign investment is increasing. He pointed out that Total Economic Engagement entailed partnership. To take advantage of opportunities provided under CAFTA, the MCC and other programs the GON needs to continue to institute reforms, including in areas such as business registration, tax collection, property rights, and investment disputes. The A/S concluded urging reform in these areas in partnership with the U.S. to together move forward the GON's economic growth and poverty reduction agenda. ¶6. (U) Ortega mentioned that he was pleased with the Seminole tribe's investment which he stated would incorporate social programs needed to attack poverty. Ortega reviewed the economic issues facing Nicaragua, including: extensive poverty, investment without "redistributing profits," the effect of CAFTA on small farmers, the larger role for companies beyond creating jobs, CAFTA vs. the Venezuelan Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA),the proposed free trade negotiations with the EU, the low level of MCC funding in comparison to other countries, energy companies not meeting terms of contracts, Venezuelan help with the energy crisis, alternative energy including biofuels, progressive tax reform and the overuse of tax exemptions, the relationship between property rights and land redistribution, privatized companies underperforming, and health and education challenges. Ortega stressed that the GON was complying with its international commitments, including by building the access road to ITG Cone-Denim. He noted that in order to eliminate extreme poverty, the GON needed to encourage projects such as the large textile factory, but also to provide incentives for small producers that are "disadvantaged under CAFTA." He lamented U.S. corn subsidies and the rise in price of that commodity due to increasing demand for biofuels, but stated that there was much potential in Nicaragua for alternative energy investment, including in sugar-based ethanol. ¶7. (SBU) On each of the economic issues A/S Sullivan raised, President Ortega began with a positive statement reflecting pragmatic thinking in line with U.S. policy, but would then add one or more Sandinista caveats. The "negative effect" of the economic policies, claimed Ortega, on Nicaragua's poverty now required the FSLN to take a different approach. President Ortega criticized CAFTA for being a series of bilateral agreements, which therefore worked against the Central American Customs Union, which is negotiating an FTA with the EU that will include a "compensation fund." Although he admitted that there had been some unexpected successes with CAFTA, such as yellow corn, it was still not reaching the small producers and was hurting others. He called for a regional fund to "equalize the playing field" between Nicaragua and other Central American countries and the U.S. He also spoke about the GON's planned program to provide the rural poor with land, cows, pigs and chickens. ¶8. (SBU) In responding to A/S Sullivan's argument that the Nicaraguan government should do more to enact micreconomic reforms and shorten the time needed to start businesses, President Ortega agreed that the GON should do more to limit red tape. However, President Ortega's views on the private sector and its relationship with the government revealed an expectation that companies investing in Nicaragua should share profits with the employees and spend more on social investment. In reference to the Spanish Ambassador's recent statements in support of the Spanish energy distributor Union Fenosa, President Ortega argued that ambassadors had no role in advocating for private companies. In his view, the private companies in the energy sector created the current crisis by not meeting the terms of their contracts. He affirmed that all contracts and concessions could be reviewed at any time by the GON to ensure the terms were being met; if they were not, they would be canceled. He stated that after years of privatization and neo-liberalism there has been economic growth, but poverty and illiteracy still remain. He mentioned that he appreciated U.S. assistance, especially in the health field, but stressed continuing challenges in this area. Democracy and Growth -------------- ¶9. (U) A/S Sullivan responded to President Ortega's criticism of the social impact of privatization and neo-liberal policies by stressing that U.S. companies carry out investment in a socially responsible way. He noted that the USAID-supported public private-partnership, "Nicaraguan Handicrafts for Export Alliance" which he signed that day was a great example of the U.S. promoting partnerships with small businesses to get these goods to markets. He emphasized the important role that democratic reform and rule of law have on private sector growth and the alleviation of poverty. He repeated the integral role that the sanctity of contracts and open and transparent government play in building an economy that grows enough to lift people out of poverty. A/S Sullivan also stressed that the MCC Compact had benchmarks - including indicators on economic freedom - that the U.S. views as imperative to maintain eligibility and help encourage greater FDI. He noted that the U.S. shares the challenge of energy security and that President Bush was focused on biofuels, featuring the topic in his State of the Union Address. He re-emphasized his search for potential areas of cooperation to help Nicaragua in this effort to grow economically, highlighting alternative energy and the local potential for bio-fuels as examples. A/S Sullivan concluded by stressing that continuing to anchor democracy was integral to taking advantage of the moment of opportunity on the economic front, and that the ability to continue to improve the business climate, increase growth, and attract greater FDI could not be divorced from political developments and a sustained commitment to democracy. ¶10. (SBU) President Ortega responded that while social and economic change does require democracy, "real democracy" comes only after social and economic change. He highlighted how direct democracy, through his citizen councils, will be the best way to ensure this. The members of the councils (chosen by the FSLN and lead by party loyalists with the rank of Ministers) would not only present ideas and engage in dialogue with the GON, they would propose laws and assistance projects which the GON would push through the National Assembly. The councils would also serve as the "inspector generals" by tracking whether the GON championed their ideas and opinions. Ortega concluded by thanking A/S Sullivan for his visit. Comment -------------- ¶11. (SBU) It was not clear how much President Ortega's comments were targeted at A/S Sullivan or the public watching him on television. He used the occasion to deliver messages on a range of issues. Headlines the next day focused on President Ortega's criticism of the Spanish Ambassador's advocacy for Union Fenosa, rather than on A/S Sullivan's visit. Ortega appeared to be seeking common ground on the laundry list of economic issues he raised; that he had his entire cabinet present underscored the importance he placed on the U.S.-Nicaragua economic relationship. With media in attendance, he also was playing to the public. Continued promotion of our Total Economic Engagement strategy, centered on CAFTA and the MCC Compact is producing real economic results, and should help restrain any dramatic shifts on the economic front. End Comment. ¶12. (U) A/S Sullivan cleared on this cable. TRIVELLI