WILSON CENTER CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VISITS

C O N F I D E N T I A L GUATEMALA 000446

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL CVIS ECON EAID KCRM EAGR GT
SUBJECT: WILSON CENTER CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VISITS
GUATMALA

Classified By: Alison Davis, for reasons 14 (b) and (d)


Summary
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1. (U) The Wilson Center on the Hill sponsored a non-official
Congressional delegation (NODEL) to Guatemala, April 15-17,
for briefings on security and trade in Central America.
During their visit, Congressmen James Sensenbrenner (R-WI),
Peter Roskam (R-IL),and Devin Nunes (R-CA) met with Vice
President Rafael Espada, who described how widespread
impunity and the global economic slowdown are exacerbating
social problems in the country. Espada said that Guatemalan
agricultural exports to the U.S. must grow in order to
alleviate widespread rural poverty. The Congressmen also met
with an agricultural cooperative, representatives of The
Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG),and local
and international NGOs. End Summary.

NODEL Focuses on Security and Trade
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2. (U) Congressmen James Sensenbrenner, Peter Roskam, and
Devin Nunes visited Guatemala April 15-17, as part of a NODEL
to Central America. The Wilson Center on the Hill sponsored
the trip which focused on security and trade matters. The
delegation met with Vice President Rafael Espada, the Embassy
Country Team, Raquel Zelaya (Executive Director of a
well-respected think tank),Carmen Ortiz (an advisor to
Interpeace),Ana Isabel Garita (CICIG's Chief of Staff),and
Gerardo Shaart, General Manager of the Cuatro Pinos
Agricultural Cooperative.

Meeting with Vice President Espada
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3. (U) Vice President Espada met with the NODEL and
Ambassador McFarland on April 16. Characterizing relations
between the U.S. and Guatemala as "excellent," he emphasized
that growth in export agriculture, principally to the U.S.,
is key to addressing rural poverty. He cited mining,
hydropower, oil, and especially tourism as additional
development areas. The global economic crisis, he added,
will result in greater poverty and hunger. To address this,
the GOG is making social issues, with particular focus on the
needs of women and children, central to their agenda. VP
Espada noted that the major security challenge facing
Guatemala is weak rule of law institutions including judicial
corruption and poor implementation and enforcement of
existing laws.

Meetings with CICIG and NGOs
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4. (C) The Congressmen also met with CICIG's Chief of Staff,
Ana Isabel Garita, to discuss CICIG's role in addressing
impunity in Guatemala. CICIG works to investigate emblematic
criminal cases in cooperation with the Guatemalan Attorney
General's Office and also promotes legal reform and increased
capacity to investigate and prosecute crimes. Garita lauded
recent congressional passage of the Arms and Ammunitions Law
and discussed implementation of the Organized Crime Law,
which provides for use of wire tapping and controlled drug
deliveries. In terms of actual prosecutions, progress is
slow. Garita noted that CICIG can only work on cases
approved by the Attorney General who established a special,
vetted unit of Guatemalan prosecutors to work directly with
and under the supervision of CICIG.


5. (SBU) The Congressmen met with two other organizations on
security and economic matters. Carmen Ortiz, an advisor for
the NGO Interpeace, criticized the GOG's response to gangs
and youth violence, characterizing it as "reactive." She
called for a more open and democratic response as well as
increased capacity to investigate and prosecute violent
crime. This opinion was echoed in a meeting with Raquel
Zelaya, Executive Director of the Association of Research and
QZelaya, Executive Director of the Association of Research and
Social Studies, an organization dedicated to the study of
Guatemalan politics, culture and socioeconomics. Zelaya
focused on the government's low level of tax revenue and a
resulting dearth in government-provided social services.
Remittances, she said, are mostly spent filling this gap.
Zelaya called for increased U.S. support to Guatemala and
asked that the U.S. focus internally on drug use and arms
trafficking.

Meeting with Cuatro Pinos Agricultural Cooperative
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6. (U) On April 17, the Congressmen met with Gerardo Shaart,
General Manager of Cuatro Pinos, an agricultural cooperative
of small producers that exports value-added vegetables to the

United States and Europe. Shaart stated that Cuatro Pinos
helps small and rural producers to improve farming and food
safety standards while enhancing their income. Shaart
emphasized the importance of the trade relationship with the
United States in advancing development for poorer
Guatemalans.

Reception at CMR
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7. (U) At a reception hosted by the Ambassador, the NODEL
members had an opportunity to meet representatives of a broad
range of Guatemala's civil society, government, Congress,
private sector, media and the resident diplomatic corps.

Comment
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8. (U) The Wilson Center delegation's visit to Guatemala
offered a chance for American legislators and their
Guatemalan interlocutors to exchange views on the issues that
impact our interests in the region. Vice President Espada's
emphasis on the United States as a key trade partner,
especially in light of the economic slowdown, underscores the
importance the GOG attaches to maintaining a robust
relationship with the United States. Though the trip focused
on both security and trade, deteriorating public safety and
security dominated most conversations.
McFarland