TFH01: (S/NF) MICHELETTI RESIGNATION PROPOSAL

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NOFORN
SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM HO
SUBJECT: TFH01: (S/NF) MICHELETTI RESIGNATION PROPOSAL

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Classified By: Ambassador Hugo Llorens, 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (S/NF) Summary. Former President Carlos Flores and
Verification Commissioner Arturo Corrales told the
Ambassador and DCM that they were pushing for the de facto
regime head Roberto Micheletti to resign and be replaced by a
government of national unity, whether or not President Manuel
"Mel" Zelaya reengaged with the San Jose-Tegucigalpa Accord
in order to change the political equation and allow for
international support of the election. They said that
Micheletti was open to the idea. The Ambassador plans to
meet with Zelaya to make a final pitch to get him to
reengage. Flores and Corrales argued that Zelaya should not
be allowed to abandon the accord and needed to bring his
concerns to the Verification Commission. End Summary.


2. (S/NF) The Ambassador and DCM met with former President
Carlos Flores and Arturo Corrales, de facto regime head
Roberto Micheletti's representative to the Verification
Commission, to discuss the possible resignation of Micheletti
in an effort to salvage the San Jose-Tegucigalpa Accord on
November 9. Flores and Corrales said that Micheletti is now
seriously considering stepping down. The proposal they are
advocating is for Micheletti to create a government of
national unity and then take a "leave of absence" from his
position; they said that this needed to happen very quickly
in order to save the accord. (Note: The Ambassador plans
to meet with President Manuel "Mel" Zelaya today to make a
final pitch for him to reengage with the accord. End Note.)


3. (S/NF) Even in the event that Zelaya is not willing to go
back to the table under the accord, the Ambassador told
Flores and Corrales that it was important for Micheletti
still to be willing to step down unilaterally. He made the
case that if Micheletti stepped down now, he would show the
world that his first interest was the well-being of the
Honduran people. Such an action could change the political
equation and international perceptions and allow for greater
international support for the November 29 election. The
Ambassador also emphasized that such a bold step would put
ALBA and Chavez on the defensive. Finally, he noted that
such a decision would ensure that Micheletti would earn the
strong respect and goodwill of many in the international
community.


4. (S/NF) Both Flores and Corrales agreed that Micheletti
needed to resign whatever the position of Zelaya and said
that he was now open to the idea. They described a meeting
at the Casa Presidencial over the weekend, attended by
Corrales and Vilma Morales, one of Micheletti's negotiators
on the accord, in which the topic was discussed. (Note: The
Ambassador spoke to Morales on Saturday and made the case for
Micheletti's resignation. She agreed that it needed to be
done; only stressing the need to do it legally.) Corrales
said a potential obstacle was that several of Micheletti's
advisors, including a woman named Kenya Lima (linked to the
U.S. lobbyists hired by Micheletti),might advise him to take
a hard line.


5. (S/NF) Flores and Corrales believe that if Zelaya does not
agree to engage, Micheletti should create a government of
national unity with a highly respected Honduran as Minister
of Governance. (Note: This minister could serve as acting
president). They said it seemed that Micheletti was
considering Juan Ferrera for that position. Ferrera is a
businessman, well known to the Embassy, and a prominent civil
society leader. Although on the anti-Zelaya side, he is
respected for his integrity. Until recently he was the
President of the National Anti-corruption Commission - a
watchdog group that took the lead in fighting corruption.
Flores and Corrales suggested that Micheletti could ask
Congress for a leave of absence (possibly going to the Bay
Islands),leaving the government in the hands of Ferrera and
the government of national unity through the elections.
Corrales said that if Micheletti took a leave of absence he
would agree not to issue any statements and to leave the
issue of Zelaya's restoration in the hands of Congress, which
would vote on the question possibly after the elections.

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Corrales said that once Micheletti stepped down, he believed
that he would have little or no interest in returning to
power.


6. (S/NF) Flores and Corrales said that Zelaya should not be
allowed to so easily weasel out of the accord. Corrales said
he planned to send a letter of protest to the other members
of the Verification Commission stating that if Zelaya
objected to the way the accord was being implemented, he
needed to bring his concerns before the Verification
Commission, as called for in the accord. Flores and Corrales
expressed concern that Verification Commission member and
former President Ricardo Lagos, under pressure from the Rio
Group, would not provide strong support for the accord. They
also lamented recent statements by President Oscar Arias
criticizing Micheletti's lack of good faith in fully
complying with agreement terms.


7. (S/NF) Comment: We will continue to press for Micheletti
to step aside, to be replaced by a government of national
unity. We will also argue that it is the best step for
Honduras, that it will help defuse Chavez and that it will
help repair Micheletti's personal relations with the U.S.
LLORENS