AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH NOBEL LAUREATE RIGOBERTA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUATEMALA 000172 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SOCI KDEM KJUS PHUM KCRM PGOV GT SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH NOBEL LAUREATE RIGOBERTA MENCHU REF: A. 08 GUATEMALA 1352 ¶B. 08 GUATEMALA 1487 ¶1. (U) Summary: During a February 19 meeting with the Ambassador, Nobel laureate and former presidential candidate Rigoberta Menchu highlighted the work of her foundation, which supports educational centers and programs promoting peace and multiculturalism. Menchu also discussed the political aspirations of Winaq, a political movement she founded in 2007. Winaq is in the process of registering as a political party to run in the 2011 national elections. In the 2007 presidential election, Encounter for Guatemala (EG), with which Winaq was affiliated, obtained less than three percent of the vote. While the party's focus will be the indigenous population, Menchu stressed that it will be an inclusive, participatory party with a broad political agenda. End Summary. ¶2. (U) On February 19, the Ambassador and poloff met with Nobel laureate Rigoberta Menchu and Eduardo de Leon Barrios, Executive Director of the Rigoberta Menchu Tum Foundation. Menchu congratulated theAmbassador on the election of a new U.S. presidet and expressed her interest in a courtesy call on President Obama. She said she had sent him a congratulatory note, and had witnessed firsthand the "tremendous enthusiasm" in the U.S. when she was there two weeks before the inauguration. ¶3. (SBU) Menchu explained that the mission of her foundation, which she founded 17 years ago, is not solely to bring perpetrators of human rights abuses of the internal conflict to justice but also to serve as the historic "custodian" and to preserve the memory of that period. She underscored that it is the state's obligation to provide for education, health care, and infrastructure development, and that the foundation does not want to assume the state's responsibility. It sees its role as facilitating the government's efforts by promoting peace, education, multiculturalism, and pluralism. ¶4. (U) A core mission of her foundation is improving education. It runs several educational centers that provide basic education, and will soon open a new center in Panajachel, with the support of the Pavarotti Foundation. It has an agreement with San Carlos University for a program to train bilingual teachers, and is developing alliances between private and public schools to improve access to education. ¶5. (U) In addition to education, the foundation promotes peace and involves youth in programs to become good citizens. Menchu noted that despite the end of the internal conflict, many people still live in fear and there are strong divisions within communities. She would like to develop an interactive educational center for peace, possibly in San Pedro Jocopilas, Quiche -- one of the poorest zones and one of the most heavily affected areas during the internal conflict -- that would serve not only as a monument to the past but also as a model for visualizing the future. ¶6. (SBU) On the theme of impunity, Menchu lamented that cases from the internal conflict have been stalled in the court system as a result of multiple appeals. The Ambassador noted that CICIG Commissioner Castresana expressed deep concern over the climate of impunity, and that the transfer of criminal cases from one jurisdiction to another was undermining the judicial system. Menchu expressed concern over the increasing violence and impunity as reminiscent of the violence during the internal conflict period. She noted that various social development organizations and mayors seek Qthat various social development organizations and mayors seek closer contact with the international community, and suggested that members of the international community make site visits to communities where they can better understand the concerns and perspectives of local leaders. The Ambassador welcomed the idea and offered to raise it with other members of the diplomatic corps during their next meeting. ¶7. (SBU) Menchu commented that Winaq ("people" in K'iche' Mayan language),a political movement led by a provisional 24-member national board of directors, is in the process of registering as a political party and will participate in the 2011 national elections. She said it will be the "first political party with an emphasis on the indigenous population." However, Winaq will not be a party only for the indigenous; it will be an "inclusive, participatory party" that will reflect the country's diversity and multiculturalism not only in concept but also in practice. Winaq plans to create a political institute to provide leadership training, and to focus on promoting self-esteem among the indigenous population. Menchu dismissed the GUATEMALA 00000172 002 OF 002 arbitrary political labels of "right" and "left," saying that the Mayans do not have such a concept but rather embrace a "global vision." ¶8. (SBU) Comment: Menchu's 2007 presidential bid generated little enthusiasm among the indigenous population and the population at large -- she won just 2.78 percent of the vote. We do not anticipate that Winaq will be an important force in the 2011 elections, though indigenous issues will have increasing resonance since the decentralization of voting centers in the 2007 elections has empowered rural voters, and since indigenous voters were successful in mobilizing support for President Colom. McFarland