Nicaragua: Attorney General Estrada Aspires To Be Ambassador

UNCLAS MANAGUA 001214 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EINV ECON KIDE PREL PGOV OVIP SUBJECT: Nicaragua: Attorney General Estrada Aspires To Be Ambassador To The United States REF: 08 MANAGUA 1084; STATE 79312; 08 MANAGUA 1414 SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Attorney General Hernan Estrada would like to be Nicaraguan ambassador to the United States. He has told U.S. citizens that he was unhappy that President Daniel Ortega named Arturo Cruz as ambassador in 2007 and believes that he can do a better job than Cruz did. We also believe that Estrada no longer wants to be Attorney General because of the stress of the job. During a recent meeting with the Ambassador, Estrada attempted to demonstrate his knowledge of bilateral issues and his command of English. As a former ambassador to East Germany and Austria in the 1980s, Estrada has the experience to lead a diplomatic mission, but he remains a loyal Sandinista hardliner who will follow the orders of Ortega and First Lady Rosario Murillo. During his trip to Washington in December, Estrada will want to show and ultimately convince Ortega that he is capable of managing the U.S.-Nicaragua relationship as an ambassador. ESTRADA ASPIRES TO BE NICA AMBASSADOR TO U.S. -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Since 2008, rumors have circulated that Attorney General Hernan Estrada would be named Foreign Minister or Nicaraguan ambassador to the United States. During a November 12 conversation with U.S. citizen property claimant Norman Senfeld (Ref A),Estrada told him that he wanted President Ortega to nominate him as ambassador. Estrada said that he has coveted this position for some time and expressed his disappointment when President Ortega nominated Arturo Cruz as ambassador in 2007. CONFIDENCE IN "HANDLING THE AMERICANS" -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Jorge Estrada (no relation),president of a real estate development company, told Econoff that Attorney General Estrada had expressed his aspiration of becoming ambassador to him. Attorney General Estrada boasted to him that "he could handle the Americans." Several U.S. claimants have also told us that Attorney General Estrada has bragged that his trip to Washington in July to meet with USG officials and members of the U.S. Congress was the reason why Nicaragua was granted a Section 527 waiver for 2009-2010 (Ref B). ROLE OF ATTORNEY GENERAL TAKING ITS TOLL -------------- ¶4. (SBU) We also believe that Estrada would like to become ambassador because of the stress of his current job. After we delivered the Secretary's Section 527 waiver decision for the 2009-2010 period to him on July 30, he told our local staff that "this job is making me old." Raul Calvet, president of a tourism and real estate services company, said Estrada is under pressure from Ortega and First Lady Rosario Murillo to deliver on promises of land to Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) supporters and their business cronies. CHARM OFFENSIVE -------------- ¶5. (SBU) During a November 10 meeting with the Ambassador, Estrada attempted to demonstrate his knowledge on issues related to security, counternarcotics, economic development, and tourism. Estrada emphasized that the Government of Nicaragua (GON) was committed to cooperating with the USG in these areas, and both countries should strive to improve the bilateral relationship. Estrada also spoke some English to show his command of the language. At the beginning of the meeting, Estrada greeted the Ambassador by saying, "the Ambassador of the U.S. Empire." The Ambassador looked at him coldly, shook his hand forcefully, and said "enough already." Estrada explained that he also used the word "empire" when he greeted Mexican officials in reference to the Aztec Empire. Estrada asserted that "empire" was a nod to the greatness of a nation. Throughout the meeting, Estrada worked diligently to smooth things over and even asked the Ambassador for his opinion on which country had the greatest empire. EXPERIENCE AS AN AMBASSADOR... -------------- ¶6. (U) During the first Sandinista government in the 1980s, Estrada worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He served as ambassador to East Germany and Austria from 1986-1990. He speaks Spanish, English and German. As Attorney General, Estrada has acted as the GON's representative in international fora on human rights, money laundering, and counternarcotics cooperation. ...BUT UNABASHED FSLN LOYALIST -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Although Estrada prides himself to be one of the intellectual elite of the Sandinista party, he is an unabashed FSLN foot soldier who is trusted to implement and defend Ortega's policies. Estrada also serves as one of the GON's unofficial spokesmen and partisan hatchet men for the FSLN party (Ref C). Estrada can be an arrogant, difficult, and evasive person one minute and smiling, effusive, and charming the next. COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The purpose of Estrada's trip to Washington in December is to show Ortega that he is capable of managing the U.S.-Nicaragua relationship as an ambassador. In fact, he has been pushing his staff to resolve as many U.S. citizen property claims as possible before the trip. Estrada believes that if he can hold USG officials at bay regarding our concerns about Nicaragua's property claims resolution process in December -- as he thought that he did in July -- he will be able to convince Ortega that he should be nominated as ambassador. CALLAHAN