NICARAGUA: ORTEGA SAYS VENEZUELAN ASSISTANCE TO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAGUA 001436 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN PREL KMCA NU SUBJECT: NICARAGUA: ORTEGA SAYS VENEZUELAN ASSISTANCE TO REPLACE MCC AND OTHER DONOR PROGRAMS Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) In reaction to MCC's announcement to freeze disbursements and review its program, President Ortega said on December 1 that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had promised to provide funds to continue the implementation of MCC programs if they are canceled. Ortega claimed that U.S. assistance to Nicaragua from 2001 to 2007, which he said totaled $500 million, was nothing more than an installment payment toward the $45 billion dollars that the United States "owes" Nicaragua. That amount, he explained, includes interest on the $17 billion in punitive damages the International Court of Justice allegedly assessed the United States in 1986. Some opposition politicians have asked the USG to refrain from "punishing the people of Nicaragua for the sins of the government." Others, including former candidate for mayor of Managua Eduardo Montealegre, place the blame for cancellation more squarely on President Ortega. Business leaders have lamented the economic consequences of the decision to freeze disbursements, while beneficiaries of the MCC program in Leon and Chinandega have expressed their concern for how the decision will affect them directly. End summary. Ortega: "We Feel Liberated" -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In a letter dated November 24, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) CEO John Danilovich informed Minister of Finance Alberto Guevara that "As a result of the actions of the Government of Nicaragua in connection with the (November 9 municipal) elections . . . MCC will not approve disbursements for any projects or activities not already contracted by MCA-Nicaragua until further notice." When news of the MCC decision first reached President Ortega in Caracas on November 25, where he was participating in an ALBA Summit, he quipped, "We're not afraid, we're not going to back down . . . in fact, we feel liberated every time they take away aid." Ortega boasted that unlike U.S. assistance, Venezuelan funds -- provided by a fellow revolutionary -- come with no strings attached. ¶3. (SBU) In a nationally televised "Address to the Nation" carried live by Nicaraguan television channels on December 1, President Ortega responded more fully to the MCC announcement. After delivering a tour d'horizon that included a request that the opposition be "good losers" and criticism of European donors, he recognized the importance of MCC programs for Nicaragua, specifically mentioning road construction and property titling. He told his audience, however, that the decision to freeze disbursements would have only a "minimal impact." Ortega claimed to have received assurances directly from Hugo Chavez that Venezuela would provide funds to continue the implementation of MCC programs if they are canceled. "I want to tell the people of the West (Leon and Chinandega) to relax and trust in God, thanks to ALBA (the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas) and the people of Venezuela," he said. ¶4. (SBU) Ortega said Nicaragua is prepared to "sue" the United States if MCC decides to follow through on its threat to suspend its compact during its December 11 board meeting. To the delight of an audience of party faithful, Ortega first calculated U.S. assistance to Nicaragua from 2001 to 2007 at $500 million. He then asserted that this was nothing more than an installment toward the $45 billion dollars that the United States owes Nicaragua. That amount, he explained, includes interest on the $17 billion in punitive damages the International Court of Justice (ICJ) assessed the United States in 1986. Ortega urged Nicaraguan citizens to seek collection of the balance -- $44.5 billion -- whenever they come across a U.S. citizen. (Comment: The ICJ judgment is something of an "urban legend" in Nicaragua. Our understanding, based on information provided by the Office of the Historian, is that (a) the USG never recognized the court's jurisdiction; (b) the court, while finding for Nicaragua, never imposed a specific monetary penalty; and (c) the government of Violeta Chamorro withdrew the Nicaraguan claim. End comment.) ¶5. (SBU) In the build up to Ortega's "Address to the Nation," other government officials offered more direct criticism. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Manuel Coronel Kautz, who was Acting Foreign Minister at the time, said, "If Mr. Danilovich feels sorry for the Nicaraguans, maybe he should think about the hundreds of thousands of deaths that the (United States) causes in other countries." "(This decision) is not going to change our way of thinking, who we are, how we act," he added. Coronel Kautz concluded, "They have not given us anything. They have come to kill Nicaraguans. We have been invaded five times." Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Valdrack Jaentschke, who coordinates foreign assistance for the government, complained that "It is unacceptable and unethical to link assistance with internal politics." "Freezing disbursements," he said, is "part of a U.S. plot to destabilize the government." The action violated the terms of the compact and in his view "could be described as interference in domestic affairs." The Democratic Opposition: Blame Ortega or Blame the USG? -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Some opposition politicians expressed concern about the impact the U.S. decision will have on rural poor in Leon and Chinandega. Several members of former President Violeta Chamorro's cabinet -- including Antonio Lacayo, former Chief of Staff, and Enrique Dreyfus, former Foreign Minister -- wrote the Secretary of State and MCC CEO Danilovich on November 28 expressing disagreement with the decision to freeze MCC disbursements. While recognizing that "assistance is more effective when it reinforces good governance," they argued that a cut in assistance would only hurt the poor. ¶7. (SBU) In reference to the letter from Chamorro's cabinet, PLC Deputy Francisco Aguirre Sacasa, Foreign Minister during the Aleman administration, opined that MCC should refrain from "punishing the people of Nicaragua for the sins of the government." Later, Aguirre Sacasa blamed Ortega's verbal assaults against foreign donors and attacks on democracy for the freeze in disbursements. He has also argued that the MCC program could be saved if President Ortega is willing to solve the current political crisis by allowing for a fair and transparent recount of the municipal elections. ¶8. (SBU) Other opposition leaders place the blame for cancellation more squarely on President Ortega. Mario Arana, a former Trade Minister under President Bolanos who now heads the economic think tank FUNIDES, told econoff that with President Ortega back in office, MCC's decision to freeze disbursements was inevitable, as Ortega does not believe in democracy. Former candidate for mayor of Managua Eduardo Montealegre publicly blamed Ortega for the decision to freeze disbursements. He added, "Our message is one of unity, only if we are united will we defeat this dictatorship." ¶9. (SBU) Business leaders have lamented the economic consequences of the decision to freeze disbursements. Jose Adan Aguirri, President of a federation of business associations known as COSEP, said the impact would be felt directly by those employed in road building, but he also noted the impact on the rural economy and regional economic development. Nicaragua would "lose the MCC program for political reasons," he lamented. President of the American Chamber of Commerce of Nicaragua (AmCham) Cesar Zamora seconded this view, adding that while the poor would bear the consequences of cuts in assistance, "Politicians will not be affected at all." AmCham Vice President Margarita Sevilla voiced the same sentiment in a meeting with the Charge on December 1, as part of an effort to enlist Embassy support for opposition efforts to mount a legislative challenge to the municipal elections results. ¶10. (SBU) Extensive press coverage has highlighted the concerns MCC beneficiaries in Leon and Chinandega have for how the decision will affect them directly. In an interview with local media, a representative of an agricultural cooperative in Chinandega that has received fruit trees and other assistance from MCC called on the United States to reverse its decision, saying "It isn't the government that is being hurt." A plantain farmer from Chinandega who hopes to receive an irrigation system from MCC called for the United States to negotiate with President Ortega to resolve the situation. Agrecio Osejo, who is Mayor of Somotillo, Chinandega and also a member of the MCA-Nicaragua Board, characterized the decision as a foreign policy issue and called on President Ortega to help reinstate the program. Summing up the views of those who stand to benefit from the MCC program, one farmer said, "We are farmers . . . not politicians, and it is sad that this program has been suspended. We hope that the decision will be reversed." Comment -------------- ¶11. (SBU) With MCC assistance at stake, and other donors heading for the door (septel),Ortega instinctively looks to Hugo Chavez to fill the gap. Given falling oil prices, however, there is much skepticism here as to what Chavez will do (septel). Nonetheless, from a domestic perspective, Ortega's grandstanding on December 1 makes political sense. His pledge to keep assistance flowing to Leon and Chinandega placates important FSLN constituencies there. He also seeks to demonstrate to the opposition -- who seem unsure whether to blame Ortega or us -- that he does not need U.S. or European donors. By blaming donors for not caring about the damage they do to Nicaragua when they withdraw assistance, Ortega has managed to temporarily shift the focus away from massive, systematic elections fraud to the supposed evils of capitalism, imperialism, and interventionism. SANDERS