PRESIDENT COLOM REPLACES TOP MILITARY LEADERSHIP

C O N F I D E N T I A L GUATEMALA 001593

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2018
TAGS: MARR PGOV PTER MCAP PREL PINR MOPS GT
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT COLOM REPLACES TOP MILITARY LEADERSHIP

REF: A. GUATEMALA 1504

B. GUATEMALA 353

Classified By: Political Officer Lance Hegerle for reasons 1.4(b,d)


1. (C) Summary: On December 21, in a pointed political
message to the military, President Alvaro Colom announced the
replacement of the Minister of Defense and the four other
most senior military leaders. The changes took the military
and local media by surprise, but President Colom had informed
the Ambassador of his plans to shake up the military on
December 18. Colom informed the Ambassador that he was
concerned by rumors of disloyalty within the top ranks of the
military, and had decided to remove the Minister of Defense,
the Military Chief of Staff, and other high-ranking officers.
The Ambassador persuaded the President to replace three
senior officers (Barrientos, Picon, and Reneau) linked to
drug trafficking. The changes should not negatively affect
post's good relations with the Ministry of Defense, and may
improve implementation of IMET and FMF related programs. End
Summary.

President Sacks Top Military Leadership
--------------


2. (C) On November 23, President Alvaro Colom informed the
Ambassador that he had received reports accusing several top
members of the military of disloyalty. Colom presented the
Ambassador with a list of six names, including the Minister
of Defense (MinDef),General Marco Tulio Garcia Franco, and
the Military Chief of Staff (CHOD),General Ronald Maurico
Illescas Garcia. He said he was considering their removal,
and wanted Embassy input on potential replacements. The
Ambassador responded that the Embassy had a good working
relationship with the Minister of Defense, and possessed no
derogatory information on either individual. The Ambassador
did urge the President to remove three senior officers
suspected of ties to narcotraffickers On December 18, Colom
again discussed his concerns about the military with the
Ambassador and informed him that he planned to remove the
MinDef along with other key officers. He stated that he was
not pleased with the military's response to a recent
narcotics related shoot-out in Huehuetenango (ref a),and was
also concerned with reports that senior military leaders were
aligned with the opposition political party Partido Patriota.
On December 21, Colom called the Ambassador to inform him
that he had indeed replaced the MinDef, the CHOD and three
other key officers. Colom repeated statements that the
changes were driven by concerns over political loyalty and
operational competence, but the timing of the removals
suggests that other motives were involved.


3. (C) Garcia Franco, the MinDef, has been replaced by
General Abraham Valenzuela Gonzalez, who was on active duty
but without an actual position and had last served as the
commander of the 5th brigade in Huehuetenango in 2007.
Embassy officials have had limited interaction with
Valenzuela, but reports on him are generally favorable.
Illescas, the CHOD, has been replaced by Air Force General
Juan Jose Ruiz Morales. Ruiz served under Garcia Franco as
the Commander of the Air Force, and has a good working
relationship with embassy personnel. (Milgroup NOTE: Ruiz
has worked closely with Milgroup representatives to implement
newly restored IMET and FMF programs focused on increasing
the Air Force's operational capacity. Milgroup has been
frustrated with the slow pace with which the Defense
Ministry's bureaucracy has moved to approve FMF-funded
QMinistry's bureaucracy has moved to approve FMF-funded
purchases targeted for the Air Force, and welcomes Ruiz
taking over the office that coordinates this process. END
NOTE). Colonel Pedro Antonio Noriega Cuellar has been named
to replace Ruiz as Air Force commander. Noriega had been the
head of D3 (Operations),and in that capacity had developed a
constructive relationship with Milgroup. The former
commander of the Guatemalan Navy, Vice Admiral Roberto
Fernando Campos Sanchez, replaced Vice Admiral Carlos Rene
Alvardo as the Vice Minister of Defense. As the Commander of
the Navy, Campos worked closely with embassy officers to
increase the Navy's cooperation on counternarcotics and
modernization issues. While the Vice Minister position is
technically the fourth most senior position within the MOD,
it is largely a symbolic position. While Embassy officers
expect Campos to continue to be open to working with the
U.S., his unwavering support as head of the Navy will be
missed. Captain Jose Antonio Lemus Guzman, currently the
head of military intelligence, has been named to succeed
Campos as Navy Commander. Embassy Officers enjoy a close
working relationship with Lemus and anticipate he will
continue the good coordination between the Embassy and the
Navy.

4. (C) Colonel Anibal Flores Espana is the new Military
Inspector General and Colonel Carlos Adolfo Mansilla Mendez
was named as the Deputy Chief of Staff. Flores Espana
replaced Brigadier General Jose Luis Barrientos Pau. The
Ambassador had encouraged the President to remove Barrientos
Pau due to persistent allegations linking him to narcotics
traffickers and organized crime, as well as his alleged
involvement in conflict-era human rights violations,
including the high profile 1996 disappearance of Efrain
Bamaca. Embassy personnel have a long standing and positive
relationship with Flores Espana. Flores Espana is the
brother of Joaquin Flores Espana, who was implicated in a
2004 embezzlement scheme to finance President Colom's 2003
unsuccessful presidential campaign. Joaquin Flores Espana's
son, Jairo Flores, participated in UNE's 2007 campaign and is
currently the head of the government's Office of Urban Social
Cohesion, and one of the closest advisors to Colom's wife,
Sandra Torres. Flores Espana's last posting was as the 5th
brigade commander in Huehuetenango. He reportedly was
personally commended by Colom for his work in response to
narcotics related violence. Milgroup enjoys a good
relationship with him. In March 2005 Mansilla's B1/B2 visa
was revoked due to allegations of embezzlement of public
funds. He was never been convicted of wrongdoing, but it is
an issue of concern.

Reshuffling of Colonels in Early December
--------------


5. (C) The December 21 changes were preceded by several
changes in important command positions. Colonel Jorge Ortega
Gaytan was transferred from his position as the Ministry of
Defense's Spokesperson to command the prestigious Honor Guard
Brigade, one of two brigades stationed in the capital.
Ortega had excelled in his role as the military's public face
arguing for more resources. Picon has been replaced by
Colonel Juan Francisco Loranca Gomar, the former head of
Civil Military Relations Directorate, who does not possess
Ortega's press experience or charisma. Ortega replaced
Colonel Roderico Mendez Diaz, who assumed command of the
Parachute Brigade based near the port of San Jose. The
former head of he Parachute Brigade, Odber Enrique Argueta
Meria was transferred to command the Second Infantry
Brigade, located in the Department of Zacapa. Argueta
replaced Colonel Victor Rene Picon, who was rumored to be
involved in narcotics smuggling. The Ambassador had also
asked the President to replace Picon due to drug trafficking
concerns. He has not been provided with an onward assignment.
A perfect example of the lack of continuity within the
military is that on December 23 Ortega was replaced by
Colonel Carlos Alberto Gaytan Nufio as the head of the Honor
Guard Brigade. Ortega has not received an onward assignment,
and it is unclear if he will be transferred to a command
position in the remote Peten area, or be permanently
sidelined.


6. (C) Navy Captain Juan Contreras Aleman was named to
replace Navy Captain Rafael Alfonso Reneau as the Commander
of Guatemala's Pacific Command. Rumors of involvement in
narcotics trafficking surrounded Reneau, and he was
uncooperative with Post's counter narcotics activities
regarding maritime CN interdiction. The Ambassador had asked
the President to remove him.


7. (C) Comment: A high rate of turnover in senior command
positions and the resulting lack of continuity is a common
Qpositions and the resulting lack of continuity is a common
theme in the Guatemalan Military. Valenzuela is the ninth
MinDef in the last nine years and the second under Colom's
administration. Even in a ministry that has suffered
frequent command changes, this most recent change was drastic
in that it removed the entire military senior command
structure at once. Both Valenzuela and Ruiz have three years
of service remaining before mandatory retirement, which means
it is possible that they could serve in their current
positions throughout the remainder of Colom's administration.
If this were to happen it would provide the Ministry of
Defense with much needed stability and continuity.


8. (C) The timing of the changes appears to be a clear
message from President Colom to the military that he is in
charge and will not tolerate senior officers having ties to
the political opposition. If Colom had not intended to send
a strong message he could have waited until the first weeks
of January when senior members of government traditionally
present the President with letters of resignation.
Additionally, both Garcia Franco and Illescas would have
reached mandatory retirement age in June, 2009, and their
replacement at that time would have excited little if any
comment. It is unclear what additional reasons Colom may
have had for the changes beyond those he stated privately to
the Ambassador, if any. Press reports indicate that Garcia
Franco's refusal to obey Colom's order to turn over battle
plans and records dating from the conflict-era to the
civilian organization charged with investigating conflict-era
human rights abuses was a factor in his removal. (Garcia
Franco publicly argued at the time that he doubted the
constitutionality of the Presidents oral instruction, and
therefore wanted it in writing, ref b). Regardless of the
true reasons behind the changes, the frequent communication
between Colom and the Ambassador regarding the President's
concerns and his solicitation of the Embassy's opinion on
possible replacements demonstrates President Colom's
confidence in the USG, and his desire to maintain good
bilateral cooperation.


McFarland