MISSION HONDURAS LAUNCHES MERIDA COORDINATION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 001080

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR PREL KDEM KCOR KCRM MASS EAID ECON KJUS
PHUM, KPAO, HO
SUBJECT: MISSION HONDURAS LAUNCHES MERIDA COORDINATION
WORKING GROUP GOALS

REF: TEGUCIGALPA 997


1. Embassy Honduras has formed a plan to coordinate Merida
Initiative efforts both mission-wide and bilaterally. We
have created a Merida Working Group that meets monthly and
includes senior-level representatives from POL/NAS, DEA,
USAID, MILGROUP, DHS/ICE, DAO, RSO, PAS, MCC, JTF-B, RAO and
TAT. The DCM chairs the WG meetings and coordinates
information sharing between the member offices and agencies.
The WG will produce a mission-wide Merida strategy document
to lay out overall goals, establish lead offices and
coordinate Merida-funded programs with other related security
and prevention activities to ensure all Mission elements work
in concert.


2. USAID will primarily focus on the "soft" side of the
overall effort by supporting community-led initiatives to
address the root social and economic causes of youth
vulnerability to gangs and remote communities' vulnerability
to drug traffickers as a source of income. USAID will
address the gang problem by focusing three program elements
on select urban "hot spots" and rural areas affected by drug
trafficking: 1) community gang prevention; 2) education and
job opportunities; and 3) municipal response. USAID's Merida
programs will work in tandem with -- and enhance -- other
existing USAID programs, as well as coordinate with the
efforts of other agencies in the Mission. PAS will work
closely with AID in identifying counterpart NGOs and
individuals, as well as consider Merida benefits in their
International Visitor programs.


3. The primary action office for Merida's "hard" programs
will be POL/NAS, managing INL-directed funding. NAS will
focus on providing equipment, training and capacity-building
efforts to police, prosecutors and other security sector
actors. While INL funds -- both Honduras-specific and
regionally managed -- will also be directed to anti-gang
initiatives, they will be designed to remain complementary to
USAID efforts. Understanding that Merida funds are in
addition to already-existing programs to promote peace and
security in Honduras and the region, these two offices will
also work in coordination with DEA, MILGROUP, DAO, RSO, RAO,
PAS, JTF-B, TAT and MCC to ensure all efforts are managed in
concert.


4. The Ambassador has proposed to President Zelaya that the
U.S. and Honduras develop a two country, multi-agency
(taskforce) approach to implementing Merida and asked that
Honduras designate a Merida Coordinator to serve as the
counterpart to the DCM. President Zelaya has appointed
Security Minister Rodas to serve as the Honduran coordinator
and the President and the Ambassador agreed to convene the
Merida coordination task force before the end of CY 2008.
The task force would bring together all relevant ministries
within the GOH, and the President and the Ambassador would
co-chair the first meeting involving senior Cabinet ministers
and Country Team members. Subsequently, Minister Rodas and
the DCM would chair quarterly meetings to operationalize the
task force. The goals of the bilateral TF will be to
maximize the effectiveness of Merida projects and ensure GOH
input into deciding priorities and also ensure its
participation as a contributing partner, rather than just a
recipient of USG assistance. The Ambassador has discussed
further ways to coordinate security sector efforts with the
Minister of Security (reftel).


5. Embassy Honduras also will seek to emphasize the regional
elements of the Merida Initiative. The Tegucigalpa Merida WG
will have regular meetings with mission personnel and reach
out to counterparts from the U.S. Embassies in other Merida
countries to boost economies of scale, the sharing of lessons
learned and coordination of efforts across borders. Further
to this goal, the Ambassador believes it would be beneficial

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to have Ministers of Security and U.S. Ambassadors of the
region meet periodically to promote regional cooperation on
Merida measures.


6. The Honduran Military was transformed into a positive
defender of democratic principles through coordinated effort
with the USG in the 1990s. We hope that we will be able to
make use of the Merida Initiative as a seed for making a
similarly positive transition of the Honduran law enforcement
community in order to tackle the shared threats of
transnational crime and drug trafficking. Furthermore, the
Merida Initiative also offers an opportunity for the Central
American countries to expand their regional cooperative
efforts, a long-standing U.S. policy goal.
LLORENS