Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09TEGUCIGALPA493
2009-06-25 14:08:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Cable title:  

Ambassador Meets with OAS Representatives on June 28 Poll

Tags:  PGOV OAS HO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO8869
PP RUEHAO RUEHCD RUEHGA RUEHGD RUEHGR RUEHHA RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHMT
RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHQU RUEHRD RUEHRG RUEHRS RUEHTM RUEHVC
DE RUEHTG #0493 1761408
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 251408Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY TEGUCIGALPA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9946
INFO RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS
RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0170
RUMIAAA/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUMIAAA/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL//CINC/POLAD//
RUEAHND/CDRJTFB SOTO CANO HO
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DIRJIATF SOUTH
RUEIDN/DNI WASHINGTON DC
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J5 MIAMI FL
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP WASHINGTON DC 1034
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUMIAAA/USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000493 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV OAS HO
SUBJECT: Ambassador Meets with OAS Representatives on June 28 Poll

Ref: Tegucigalpa 489 and previous

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000493

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV OAS HO
SUBJECT: Ambassador Meets with OAS Representatives on June 28 Poll

Ref: Tegucigalpa 489 and previous


1. (SBU) Summary: On June 18, The Ambassador met with
representatives of the Organization of American States (OAS),which
had just announced acceptance of a Honduran government request to
send monitors for the June 28 poll (reftel),despite a Honduran
court ruling that the poll was illegal. OAS representatives
justified their monitoring of the poll by saying that it would keep
the OAS part of the dialogue rather than relegated to the sidelines.
The OAS announcement caught the Embassy by surprise and has been
used by the government to justify the poll. End Summary.


2. (SBU) The Ambassador, accompanied by USAIDOFF, met with
representatives of the OAS, including Raul Alconada (Chief of
Mission for the Electoral Observer Mission for the November 2008
primaries),Pablo Gutirrez (Director of OAS Department for
Electoral Cooperation and Observation),and Jorge Miranda
(in-country OAS chief) to discuss OAS' monitoring of a June 28 poll,
called by President Manuel "Mel" Zelaya to seek support for a
November referendum to call for a constituent assembly. The
Ambassador explained the full history behind the June 28 poll,
including the two court rulings against the President's initiative
and the precarious positions of some of the country's institutions,
most notably the Honduran Armed Forces, who have found themselves
caught between presidential orders to support the poll and a court
order not to do so.


3. (SBU) Gutirrez confirmed that OAS General Secretary Jose Miguel
Insulza had responded positively in a letter dated June 16 to the
request of Honduran Foreign Minister Patricia Rodas to dispatch an
observer mission for the June 28 poll. Alconada and Gutirrez
emphasized that they had told Minister Rodas that the purpose of the
OAS mission was to monitor political developments in Honduras, and
that it would not/not be an election observer mission.


4. (SBU) Alconada and Gutirrez justified the OAS decision by
explaining that they would be more able to engage in political
discussions after the poll and keep the President to his word to
respect the final authority of the Congress to authorize (or not)
the November referendum. Alconada said that he told the Foreign
Minister and the Secretary of the Presidency, Eduardo Enrique Reina,
that the Congressional authority was clear, and that it was the
understanding of the OAS that the June 28 poll was not/not electoral
in nature, had shaky legal standing, and would produce a non-binding
result. Still, Alconada and Gutirrez expressed concern about the
precarious position of the Honduran Armed Forces. The Ambassador and
the OAS representatives agreed to remain in touch and exchange
information periodically.


5. (U) The Honduran Congress voted June 23 to ask the OAS to
withdraw its offer to send a mission, citing the court ruling that
the poll was illegal.


6. (SBU) Comment: The OAS announcement of a mission caught us by
surprise, with President Zelaya informing the Ambassador during a
meeting with other high-level Honduran politicians. Though the OAS
has offered only an "accompanying," not observing, mission, this
nuance has been largely lost here, with the Presidency and Ministry
of Foreign Affairs using the OAS response and current presence as
evidence of the poll's legitimacy.

Llorens