LIBERTAD ACT: NICARAGUAN RELATIONS WITH CUBA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAGUA 000507

SIPDIS

STATE FOR S/CT, WHA/CEN, AND INR/IAA
STATE PASS USOAS AND USAID
SAN SALVADOR FOR DHS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/20/2029
TAGS: ETRD ETTC PREL ECON CU NU
SUBJECT: LIBERTAD ACT: NICARAGUAN RELATIONS WITH CUBA

REF: SECSTATE 48487

Classified By: Ambassador Robert J. Callahan for reasons 1.4b and d.

Summary
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1. (C) Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's association with
the Cuban regime spans several decades. Since Ortega
returned to power in January 2007, Nicaragua has
re-established close relations with Cuba, especially through
common membership in the Bolivarian Alternative for the
Americas (ALBA). Ortega frequently lauds the Cuban socialist
model in his public speeches. He has called for an end of
the U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba. While trade
between the two countries is limited, Cuba sponsors important
training and exchange programs in health and education. End
summary.

Cuba, Nicaragua, and the Revolutionary Brotherhood
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2. (C) Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's association with
the Cuban regime spans several decades. Upon release from
prison, Ortega spent several months in exile in Cuba during
the 1970s. When the FSLN rose to power, Ortega looked to
Cuban-style socialism for direction. Throughout the 1980s,
the two countries enjoyed close economic, political, and
military cooperation. After losing the 1990 elections,
Ortega would travel to Cuba frequently and he has maintained
close relationships with senior Cuban officials, including
Fidel Castro.


3. (C) Reflecting ideological and historical affinities with
the Cuban regime, Ortega moved immediately after taking
office in January 2007 to join Cuba, Venezuela, and Bolivia
as the fourth member of the Bolivarian Alternative for the
Americas (ALBA). In a televised speech on September 20,
2008, in Managua, Nicaragua, Ortega favorably remarked that
"Cuba is without question an extraordinary example of a
socialist project in the Latin American and Caribbean
context." In protest over the exclusion of Cuba from the
April 17-19 Summit of the Americas, Ortega joined other ALBA
members Bolivia and Venezuela in refusing to sign the draft
declaration.


4. (C) Through ALBA, President Ortega maintains regular
contact with high-level Cuban officials. According to open
source reporting, Ortega met with a number of senior Cuban
officials during the last several months:

--On April 21, 2009, in Havana, Cuba, Ortega met with Fidel
Castro. Ortega also participated in a series of media events
and received medical treatment while there.

--On April 16, 2009, at an ALBA summit in Cumana, Venezuela,
Ortega met with Raul Castro. There, Ortega called U.S.
sanctions against Cuba "a true genocide against the people of
Cuba," and he called for their removal.

--On April 1, 2009, in Havana, Cuba, Ortega and First Lady
Rosario Murillo met with First Vice President of the Cuban
Council of State Jose Ramon Machado Ventura and Minister of
Foreign Relations Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla.

--On November 26, 2008, in Caracas, Venezuela, Ortega
participated in an ALBA summit with Ricardo Cabrisas, Vice
President of the Cuban Council of Ministers. There, he
likened Nicaragua's battles against European and "Yankee"
interventionism to Cuba's struggle against the U.S. trade
embargo and international isolation since its revolution.


5. (C) Nicaraguan Ambassador to Cuba Luis Cabrera, Argentine
by birth but a close confidant of President Ortega,
coordinates the bilateral relationship at a working level.
Cabrera is the point of contact for President Ortega with the
FARC, according to documents seized by Colombian Armed Forces
from the FARC in 2008, published by the media.

Trade and Investment
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6. (U) Nicaraguan-Cuban bilateral trade declined steadily

MANAGUA 00000507 002 OF 002


from 1991 to 2005 but has increased since 2007. Nicaraguan
exports to Cuba in 2008 totaled $2.1 million, up from
$700,000 in 2007. Nicaraguan imports from Cuba were $1.6
million in 2008, down from $6.3 million in 2007 that included
the importation of a large quantity of energy-efficient light
bulbs. Nonetheless, two-way trade remains insignificant,
representing 0.1% percent of Nicaragua's total trade
worldwide. Nicaragua's investment promotion agency,
ProNicaragua, reports no significant Cuban investment in
Nicaragua.

Training and Scholarships
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7. (C) As a legacy of FSLN rule during the 1980s, Cuba and
Nicaragua have historically collaborated on health and
education programs. Since Ortega took office in January
2007, this collaboration has intensified:

--Nicaraguan Minister of Health Guillermo Gonzalez reported
that as of July 2008 there were 250 Cuban medical personnel
working throughout Nicaragua -- up from 140 just six months
before -- with the largest concentration along the Atlantic
coast. More recent estimates of the number of Cuban medical
personnel in Nicaragua are unavailable.

--Through "Operation Miracle," Nicaraguan Government
officials claimed in May 2009 that Cuban doctors, with
Venezuelan funding, have performed cataract surgery for more
than 50,000 Nicaraguans since January 2007.

--Under a long-standing agreement, any member of the
Nicaraguan military can receive free medical treatment in
Havana, though in practice most are served by local military
hospitals and seek specialized care in the United States.

--According to Embassy contacts, Cuba is supporting
Nicaraguan intelligence gathering, with training and
personnel, against Nicaraguan and U.S.-based democracy
activists.

--For years, Cuba has offered full scholarships to Nicaraguan
students to attend Cuban universities. According to May 2009
press reports, as many as 900 Nicaraguan students are
currently studying in Cuba, 700 of them medicine.

--Cuban teachers participate in a Cuban-designed rural
literacy program in Nicaragua called "Yes, I Can."

Comment
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8. (C) While President Ortega's ideological and historical
affinity with the Cuban regime make the two natural allies,
it is ALBA that provides the framework for the relationship
and Venezuelan funding that facilitates programs at the
operational level.
CALLAHAN