GOH SIGNS ALBA DOCUMENT CONGRATULATING FSLN ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 001023 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/14/2018 TAGS: PGOV KDEM SOCI KJUS NU HO SUBJECT: GOH SIGNS ALBA DOCUMENT CONGRATULATING FSLN ON ELECTION VICTORY AND ACCUSING USG OF INTERFERENCE REF: TEGUCIGALPA 849 Classified By: Ambassador Hugo Llorens, reasons 1.4 (b & d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Presidential Legal Advisor Milton Jimenez announced on November 13 that the GOH had signed the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas' (ALBA) document regarding the Nicaraguan elections. In a telephone call initiated by the Ambassador, President Manuel "Mel" Zelaya explained his actions as simply an expression of solidarity with Ortega, who had described U.S. offenses that he considered "beyond normal diplomatic activity." When the Ambassador described the systemic, widespread fraud that had been reported by international observers and NGOs, Zelaya feigned ignorance, and asked that the Ambassador provide the evidence for him to review, which we have done. The Ambassador later received a call from Jimenez, who said Zelaya had asked him to look at the allegations that Nicaragua's elections had been fraudulent. Jimenez did admit that he had held the press conference because Zelaya "told him to." The Ambassador noted that there had been no Embassy intervention in the Nicaraguan elections and that most of the concerns about the massive electoral fraud had come from Nicaraguans themselves. The Ambassador also conveyed our displeasure that the Honduran government had once again chosen to take sides on an issue involving the U.S. with the third country as was the case with during the credentialing ceremony. He said such statements were not conducive to productive relations. In a subsequent conversation with Jimenez, the Ambassador delivered reftel talking points on the Nicaraguan elections. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Jimenez held a press conference on November 13 at the Presidential Palace where he announced that the GOH had signed the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas' (ALBA) document regarding the Nicaraguan local elections, which specifically condemns U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua Robert Callahan for "interference" and creating a "destabilizing" atmosphere in Nicaragua. The document congratulates the FSLN and Daniel Ortega for their "historic victory," and condemns the violence perpetrated by the "right" in Nicaragua. ¶3. (C) The Ambassador called President Manuel "Mel" Zelaya on November 14 to get an explanation for these moves, explaining that there was no USG involvement in the internal affairs of Nicaragua. Zelaya explained that Ortega had called him to ask for his solidarity on this issue, and gave alleged examples of how the U.S. Embassy had gone beyond what Ortega considered "normal diplomatic practice." For this reason, Zelaya said he decided to support Ortega and sign the ALBA statement. Zelaya added that he had not received any requests for solidarity from the USG on this topic. The Ambassador described the widespread, systemic fraud that have been reported from multiple Nicaraguan and international sources. He asserted that this was not a USG issue, but an international one, adding Canada, the European Union and the United States had all made statements regarding the massive fraud. Zelaya answered that he was unaware of this information and asked that the Ambassador forward it to him for review and consideration. The Ambassador said he would be sending it to Zelaya and would follow-up with him subsequently to directly discuss this issue. ¶4. (C) Following this conversation, under instructions from Zelaya, Presidential Advisor Milton Jimenez called the Ambassador to review the matter. The Ambassador told Jimenez that this was the second time Honduras had taken sides against the Untied States in a dispute that did not concern it. The Ambassador added that if the GOH were considering making such a statement, they should have first called us to consider our side of the issue. Jimenez agreed that a call would have been prudent, but said that he was "instructed" to TEGUCIGALP 00001023 002 OF 002 hold the press conference. Subsequently, the Ambassador called Milton Jimenez again and delivered reftel talking points on the Nicaraguan elections and urged the Honduran government to work within the OAS and SICA to seriously address the freedom and fairness of the Nicaraguan elections. Jimenez said he would immediately call President Zelaya who was in El Salvador and brief him on our conversation. ¶5. (C) Comment: We believe that the public statements in support of the FSLN were orchestrated to keep support alive in the ALBA camp and continue to earn rebel laurels for Honduras. It is the second time that Zelaya has joined his ALBA cohorts against the United States the last being the credentialing mini-crisis in September. It is possible Zelaya is looking to see how far he can push the USG, especially with a contentious and chaotic primary election on the horizon. We plan to work the Nicaraguan elections issue directly with Zelaya. On the bilateral side, we will focus our energies on the primaries scheduled for November 30. The holding of free and fair primaries will be a key step in supporting the democratic process in Honduras and ensuring a smooth transition beyond Zelaya. End Comment. LLORENS