TFH01: CONVERSATION WITH PRESIDENT ZELAYA

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 001000 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CEN A/S TOM SHANNON E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/01/2019 TAGS: PGOV KDEM PREL HO SUBJECT: TFH01: CONVERSATION WITH PRESIDENT ZELAYA Classified By: Ambassador Hugo Llorens, reasons 1.4 (b & d) ¶1. (C) Summary: The Ambassador spoke to President Zelaya early on the morning of October 1. They discussed the recent OAS efforts to promote a national dialogue. Zelaya proposed a three-point agenda for the talks, which he hoped could be started next week to coincide with the arrival of the OAS Foreign Ministers in Tegucigalpa. He predicted that if the Micheletti side backed away from an agreement the Resistance movement would prevent the holding of elections and that chaos would ensue. Zelaya sounded tired and depressed. End Summary. ¶2. (C) The Ambassador congratulated Zelaya on his daughter, Zoe, giving birth to a baby boy yesterday. Zelaya appreciated the personal call and said he was happy to have a new grandson and wished he was in position to visit his daughter and grandson in the clinic. Zelaya sounded tired and seemed depressed. He criticized the Micheletti government for its continued repression of the Honduran people. He noted that the overwhelming level of violence in Honduras had been unleashed by the security forces against the Honduran people. ¶3. (C) Zelaya said he had met with OAS envoy John Biehl the afternoon of September 30. He said he had discussed the status of OAS efforts to promote a dialogue and plans for the OAS Foreign Minister to come to Honduras on October 7. Zelaya said that the green light should not be given on the visit if a basic agreement could not be reached on starting the national dialogue between both sides. He stressed that he was open to begin the negotiations as soon as possible, but said that talks would go nowhere if both sides did not agree on agenda for the negotiations. Zelaya said that his formal position called for a three-point agenda, as follows: ¶1. Acceptance by both sides of the basic San Jose Accord; 2. Discussion of additional suggested amendments to the basic agreement and plans and schedule for implementation; and 3. Agreement on both a domestic and international guarantor group. ¶4. (C) Zelaya said that he hoped that the negotiations could begin and that an agreement would be achieved and ready for implementation by mid-October. Zelaya said he was committed to fully implementing the San Jose Accord and was open to negotiated additional articles and annexes. If an agreement was reached, he hoped that the Verification Committee would be on the ground quickly, and that both sides would begin to implement the Accord swiftly including establishing a government of national unity. Zelaya also said that he hoped that both sides would also accept the selection of a domestic guarantor. He said that he planned to propose the Honduran military as the Honduran guarantor, since the military did retain an obligation to defend the Honduran constitution. He said a positive role by the military could serve to heal the wound from the coup and help the military recover some of its lost prestige. Zelaya warned that if an agreement was not concluded by October, he believed that the Resistance Movement would rise up against the election process. He predicted that it would be impossible to hold elections in the absence of an agreement and said that in the poor and marginal neighborhoods in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula and around the country the people would boycott the elections and seek to shutdown the polling places. ¶5. (C) Zelaya concluded by saying that conditions in the Brazilian Embassy continued to be difficult. He alleged that the security forces were beaming in ultra-sonic, low frequency waves, which were aimed at disrupting communication inside the compound. He claimed that these waves were also having psychological and physical affects, including headaches, on those inside. LLORENS