Chilean Senate President on Honduras

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTIAGO 000855 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/09/16 TAGS: PREL CI SUBJECT: Chilean Senate President on Honduras CLASSIFIED BY: Paul E. Simons, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) Ambassador spoke on September 16 with Jovino Novoa, President of the Chilean Senate, about Honduras. Novoa indicated that he was watching developments in Honduras very closely and enjoys close ties with the Honduran National Party and Presidential candidate Porfirio Lobo. Ambassador suggested that Novoa weigh in with Lobo on the need to accept the Arias plan and thereby gain legitimacy for the upcoming elections. Novoa said that both Micheletti and Zelaya were undermining democracy in Honduras, and that neither of them actually favored a legitimate election. He said that Lobo recognizes that it will be necessary to "give Zelaya something" to legitimize the elections and allow international observers to certify the process. However, the National Party wanted that gift to Zelaya to be as limited, brief in duration, and constrained as possible - "the minimum necessary." ¶2. (C) Previously, on September 15, Ambassador weighed in with Bachelet Foreign Policy advisor Marcos Robledo and Foreign Ministry adviser Roberto Matus to urge that Chile use all its available contacts with the Honduran Presidential candidates - including those enjoyed by the Chilean center right opposition parties - to press for their full acceptance of the Arias plan. SIMONS