GON COUNTER MERIDA PROPOSAL: VFM FORMALLY REQUESTS MEETING WITH WHA/CEN JOHN FEELEY

UNCLAS MANAGUA 000630 SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/CEN AND INR/IAA DEPT FOR USOAS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV ODPC PGOV PREL KCRM NU SUBJECT: GON COUNTER MERIDA PROPOSAL: VFM FORMALLY REQUESTS MEETING WITH WHA/CEN JOHN FEELEY REF: A. MANAGUA 448 ¶B. MANAGUA 207 ¶1. On May 5 we received a letter to the Ambassador signed by Manuel Coronel Kautz, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, requesting a meeting with WHA/CEN Director John Feeley to discuss Nicaragua's Merida Initiative Counter Proposal during the upcoming June 13 meeting of the Central American Security Commission (SICA) in El Salvador, where the Nicaraguans plan to present their proposal. An unofficial translation of the letter follows. Original letter in Spanish has been passed to WHA/CEN. ¶2. BEGIN TEXT OF DIP CORRESPONDENCE: Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Managua, 30 April 2008 MRE/DVM/0299/04/008 Mr. Paul A. Trivelli Ambassador of the United States of America His Office cc: Mr. Samuel Santos L., Minister Dear Mr. Ambassador: I am writing to you regarding the upcoming meeting of the Central American Security Commission, as well as the visit of WHA/CEN Director Mr. John Feeley. On this matter, following upon our discussion of March 25 at the Foreign Minister's office, as well as our request to Deputy Assistant Secretary Thomas Shannon on March 7 in Washington, we remind you about the need to arrange a meeting with Mr. John Feeley to discuss Nicaragua's Proposal of funding that will be presented at the upcoming Security Commission meeting. I thank you for your attention to this letter, and I take the opportunity to greet you with the assurances of my consideration. Sincerely, /s/ Manuel Coronel Kautz END TEXT OF DIPLOMATIC NOTE ¶3. Post will forward signed original to WHA/CEN via diplomatic pouch. TRIVELLI