Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09MANAGUA245
2009-03-06 21:34:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Managua
Cable title:
ORTEGA CALLS FOR ANTI-U.S. ORGANIZATION OF LATIN AMERICAN STATES AND PLEDGES TROUBLE AT THE SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
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C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAGUA 000245
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA/CEN AND USOAS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV NU
SUBJECT: ORTEGA CALLS FOR ANTI-U.S. ORGANIZATION OF LATIN AMERICAN STATES AND PLEDGES TROUBLE AT THE SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
Classified By: Ambassador Robert J. Callahan, Reasons 1.4 (b and d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAGUA 000245
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA/CEN AND USOAS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV NU
SUBJECT: ORTEGA CALLS FOR ANTI-U.S. ORGANIZATION OF LATIN AMERICAN STATES AND PLEDGES TROUBLE AT THE SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
Classified By: Ambassador Robert J. Callahan, Reasons 1.4 (b and d)
1. (U) In a March 4 speech at a Sandinista National
Liberation Front (FSLN) rally following the presentation of
credentials by ambassadors from Brazil and Finland,
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega called for the creation of
an Organization of Latin American and Caribbean States to
counter the negative and "imperialistic" influence on the
U.S. in the region. Ortega said the new organization should
specifically exclude the U.S. and Canada. Such an
organization, he stated, would be more representative of the
region than the OAS, would unite Latin Americans, and would
not "subordinate" itself to the interests of the U.S., which
is a "troublemaker" in the OAS. Only in this new organization
could Latin American work together as a block to confront the
United States and the capitalist system. Ortega pledged to
promote the new organization at the April Summit of the
Americas.
2. (C) Ortega also announced that he will demand that the OAS
reinstate Cuba as a full member and end all countries'
sanctions against the island at the upcoming Summit of the
Americas. "We are suffering from the sin of omission" by
falling under the influence of the U.S. in denying a seat to
Cuba, he stated. (Note: Ortega recently has sought to expand
already strong ties with Cuba, including expansion of health
and literacy programs with Cuba, as well as cooperation with
Cuba's Ministry of the Interior (MININT). End Note.)
3. (C) The Foreign Ministry (MINREX) has refused our requests
to discuss Ortega's new initiative and the GoN's plans for
the Summit. MINREX America's Director Rene Morales told
PolCouns that "no one at the Ministry" would be available in
the foreseeable future to discuss Ortega's proposal or their
Summit agenda. Javier Melendez, Executive Director of the
Institute for Strategic Studies and Public Policy (IEEPP),
noted that Ortega has made a similar proposal in the past and
would be unlikely to pursue this agenda alone. He suggested
that Ortega could be expected to make public statements in
support of the anti-U.S. organization at the Summit in
conjunction with other ALBA members, notably Venezuela and
Bolivia.
4. (C) Comment. Ortega's proposal for an anti-U.S. Latin
American organization is not new or surprising. FSLN
leaders, including Ortega himself, have made clear their
disdain for the OAS and their view that the organization
represents an unwelcome vehicle for criticism and oversight
of its anti-democratic trends, especially with regard to
elections. Following international criticism of the
municipal elections fraud, Ortega called the OAS "the pawn of
the Empire" and claimed it was involved in a systematic
campaign against his government. His apparent willingness to
raise trouble over this proposal at the Summit, however, even
as his government attempts to persuade international donors,
including the U.S., to resume suspended aid, is striking. It
could suggest that Ortega may have determined that he is more
likely to get the financial and technical support he needs
from ALBA partners and that he is increasingly willing to do
what is necessary, including causing trouble at the Summit,
to secure that aid. Likewise, he may also be trying to
assert ideological leadership within the ALBA group even as
his financial dependency on Chavez grows.
CALLAHAN
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA/CEN AND USOAS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV NU
SUBJECT: ORTEGA CALLS FOR ANTI-U.S. ORGANIZATION OF LATIN AMERICAN STATES AND PLEDGES TROUBLE AT THE SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
Classified By: Ambassador Robert J. Callahan, Reasons 1.4 (b and d)
1. (U) In a March 4 speech at a Sandinista National
Liberation Front (FSLN) rally following the presentation of
credentials by ambassadors from Brazil and Finland,
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega called for the creation of
an Organization of Latin American and Caribbean States to
counter the negative and "imperialistic" influence on the
U.S. in the region. Ortega said the new organization should
specifically exclude the U.S. and Canada. Such an
organization, he stated, would be more representative of the
region than the OAS, would unite Latin Americans, and would
not "subordinate" itself to the interests of the U.S., which
is a "troublemaker" in the OAS. Only in this new organization
could Latin American work together as a block to confront the
United States and the capitalist system. Ortega pledged to
promote the new organization at the April Summit of the
Americas.
2. (C) Ortega also announced that he will demand that the OAS
reinstate Cuba as a full member and end all countries'
sanctions against the island at the upcoming Summit of the
Americas. "We are suffering from the sin of omission" by
falling under the influence of the U.S. in denying a seat to
Cuba, he stated. (Note: Ortega recently has sought to expand
already strong ties with Cuba, including expansion of health
and literacy programs with Cuba, as well as cooperation with
Cuba's Ministry of the Interior (MININT). End Note.)
3. (C) The Foreign Ministry (MINREX) has refused our requests
to discuss Ortega's new initiative and the GoN's plans for
the Summit. MINREX America's Director Rene Morales told
PolCouns that "no one at the Ministry" would be available in
the foreseeable future to discuss Ortega's proposal or their
Summit agenda. Javier Melendez, Executive Director of the
Institute for Strategic Studies and Public Policy (IEEPP),
noted that Ortega has made a similar proposal in the past and
would be unlikely to pursue this agenda alone. He suggested
that Ortega could be expected to make public statements in
support of the anti-U.S. organization at the Summit in
conjunction with other ALBA members, notably Venezuela and
Bolivia.
4. (C) Comment. Ortega's proposal for an anti-U.S. Latin
American organization is not new or surprising. FSLN
leaders, including Ortega himself, have made clear their
disdain for the OAS and their view that the organization
represents an unwelcome vehicle for criticism and oversight
of its anti-democratic trends, especially with regard to
elections. Following international criticism of the
municipal elections fraud, Ortega called the OAS "the pawn of
the Empire" and claimed it was involved in a systematic
campaign against his government. His apparent willingness to
raise trouble over this proposal at the Summit, however, even
as his government attempts to persuade international donors,
including the U.S., to resume suspended aid, is striking. It
could suggest that Ortega may have determined that he is more
likely to get the financial and technical support he needs
from ALBA partners and that he is increasingly willing to do
what is necessary, including causing trouble at the Summit,
to secure that aid. Likewise, he may also be trying to
assert ideological leadership within the ALBA group even as
his financial dependency on Chavez grows.
CALLAHAN