HONDURAN CARDINAL RODRIGUEZ CRITICAL OF PRESIDENT

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 TEGUCIGALPA 001136

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2018
TAGS: PGOV KDEM EFIN SOCI HO
SUBJECT: HONDURAN CARDINAL RODRIGUEZ CRITICAL OF PRESIDENT
ZELAYA AND SEES DIFFICULT SITUATION IN HONDURAS

Classified By: Ambassador Hugo Llorens, reasons 1.4 (b & d)


1. (S) Summary. Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez, the most
respected person in Honduras, reviewed the current political
situation with the Ambassador during a December 11 courtesy
call. Rodriguez said that he was completely surprised with
the results of the primaries and the transparent way the
process was run. Rodriguez noted that drugs and the related
crime and violence are the biggest problem that Honduras
faces, but also said migration issues are paramount. He said
the Church had worked hard to convince Hondurans to stay here
and work for a better future, but lamented that the lure of
"easy money" tempts many to leave every single day.
Rodriguez said that he knows President Manuel "Mel" Zelaya
well, but that there had been a break-down in their
communication of late. He told the Ambassador that he had
withdrawn from public comments on politics to signal his
displeasure with President Zelaya, particularly after
Honduras' accession to ALBA. Rodriguez expressed concern
that Zelaya has been influenced by money from Chavez. He
also said, without giving specifics, that the political
system was being undermined by drug money. He noted Zelaya's
tendency to create political crises in order to get himself
in the limelight while "solving" them, and said he thought
this would continue the last year of his administration. He
agreed that the Ambassador,s approach of reaching out and
engaging Zelaya and his Administration and seeking to work on
issues of mutual interest was the best course to take.
End Summary.

Elections
--------------

2. (S) The Cardinal said he was greatly surprised by the fair
and transparent way the primary elections had been conducted,
and was also pleased with the results. He said he had feared
that President Zelaya would try to obstruct the electoral
process and subvert constitutional rule. He was pleased that
Vice President Elvin Santos had won in the Liberal Party, as
he sees him as a young and honest politician, and someone who
could represent a break from the more corrupt Liberal
political establishment. Rodriguez believed Congress
President Micheletti had made a strategic mistake by trying
to prevent Santos from being a presidential candidate and had
paid a huge political price in the primaries. Rodriguez said
he was also pleased that the Rosenthal family,s political
bet on Micheletti had failed, since he believed that
patriarch Jaime and son Yani had too much power, especially
in their control of the Supreme Court. He also mentioned
concerns he had about National Party winner Porfirio "Pepe"
Lobo, because of his leftwing past and his brother's alleged
ties to drug traffickers. (Note: This allegation is derived
from the fact that Lobo studied for a time in the Soviet
Union during the 1970s. However, Lobo has a business degree
from the University of Miami, has a long trajectory on the
center-right of the political spectrum and has impeccable
pro-U.S. credentials. We also have no reliable information
linking Lobo or his brother to drug trafficking.)


3. (S) The Ambassador said he was also very pleased with the
transparent way the elections had been run. He said our
Embassy had worked closely with the OAS, UN, Supreme
Electoral Tribunal and the National Register of Persons in
support of a transparent and fair process. Both agreed that
the system was the best that it had ever been and believed
the general elections of November 2009 would continue along
this positive path.

Drugs and Crime
--------------

4. (C) Rodriguez lamented that the drug trade was a major
threat to Honduras and was promoting corruption and violence.
He said that when President Zelaya took office, he had very
high hopes for him, but fears now that Zelaya has been
corrupted by money. He expressed concerns, without providing
evidence, that Chavez,s money was influencing Zelaya. He

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also voiced the fear that drugs were increasingly influencing
the political class, again without providing any specific
evidence or example. Rodriguez lamented that the rich and
powerful do not worry about others, least of all the poor,
and that the poor were turning to drugs for comfort and also
for income. He predicted that this situation could get worse
and become a social crisis that could explode.

President Zelaya
--------------

5. (S) Rodriguez related that Zelaya had been a student of
his at a local high school called San Miguel Academy, and
that at that time he was a typical rebellious adolescent, but
also a good boy. The Cardinal said he and Zelaya had
previously had a positive relationship, but that he has not
spoken to him since August, when Chavez came to Honduras to
sign the ALBA agreement. (Note: In 2007, Rodriguez spoke
out against Chavez, who responded by calling him an
"imperialist clown." Chavez's statements were universally
rejected by Hondurans, who deeply respect their Cardinal.
End Note.) Rodriguez lamented that Chavez had Zelaya in his
pocket and said that he had refrained from commenting on
political issues since the ALBA signing to register his
displeasure. He also complained about Zelaya constantly
inventing crises, or "circuses," almost every month to
distract the public from the real issues, such as the economy
or crime. Rodriguez charged, as many have, that he had
information that Zelaya was behind the prosecutors' strike in
April. He also expressed concern about Zelaya,s brother,s
alleged ties to organized crime, and complained about his
close relationship with Guillermo Seaman, head of the Civil
Aviation authority, and Marcelo Chimirri, Director of
Hondutel, who were both facing charges for corruption. The
Ambassador noted that the Honduran system was imperfect, but
that fortunately there were many good people in Honduras who
wanted to do the right thing. The Ambassador also asserted
that attempting to isolate Zelaya and leaving him to Chavez
and ALBA would be a mistake and would ensure an infinitely
worse result. The Cardinal agreed emphatically with the
Ambassador's approach of engaging Zelaya, but predicted that
we would see more crises in the last year of Zelaya's
administration.

Migration
--------------

5. (C) The Cardinal mentioned that the issue of migration of
Hondurans to the United States was key for the future of this
country. He said that he and the Church worked hard to try
to convince people to stay in Honduras and work to build
their futures here, but that it was difficult with the lure
of what they saw as "easy money." Rodriguez noted that he
had visited several detention centers in the United States,
specifically Texas, and that the children's facilities were
absolutely outstanding. He said the adult centers were not
as elaborate, but classified them as dignified and noted they
provided for all of the detainees' needs. Rodriguez said
that the Church is involved in running several migrant
reception centers in Honduras and that Minister of Governance
and Justice Meza has not been helpful during his term. He
said that Meza was a known Marxist who hates the Catholic
Church and that he had stopped assistance to the centers,
which already had been pledged by the GOH, and only resumed
it when public pressure was brought to bear.

Comment
--------------

6. (C) Despite presenting a grim outlook on drugs and crime
and a prediction of more crises during the final year of the
Zelaya administration, the Cardinal still professed to be an
optimist. He said the Honduran people are kind and good and
want to do the right thing. He was very pleased with how the
elections were carried out and with the results and believes
that both candidates would bring positive changes to
Honduras. The Cardinal agreed that Zelaya should not be
isolated and expressed confidence in our policy of

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engagement. End Comment.
LLORENS