Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09TEGUCIGALPA726
2009-08-11 00:07:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Cable title:
TFH01: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH SOCIAL LEADERS
how-toVZCZCXRO9099 OO RUEHAO RUEHCD RUEHGA RUEHGD RUEHHA RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHMT RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHQU RUEHRD RUEHRG RUEHRS RUEHTM RUEHVC DE RUEHTG #0726 2230007 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 110007Z AUG 09 FM AMEMBASSY TEGUCIGALPA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0382 INFO RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS IMMEDIATE RUEAHND/COMJTF-B SOTO CANO HO IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUMIAAA/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL IMMEDIATE RUEAHND/CDRJTFB SOTO CANO HO IMMEDIATE RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE RULGPSU/COMSOCSOUTH IMMEDIATE RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE RUEIDN/DNI WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUMIAAA/USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 000726
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/09/2019
TAGS: PGOV KDEM HO
SUBJECT: TFH01: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH SOCIAL LEADERS
Classified By: Ambassador Hugo Llorens, reasons 1.4 (b & d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 000726
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/09/2019
TAGS: PGOV KDEM HO
SUBJECT: TFH01: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH SOCIAL LEADERS
Classified By: Ambassador Hugo Llorens, reasons 1.4 (b & d)
1. (C) Summary: The Ambassador hosted an August 8 meeting
with leaders of the pro-Zelaya social movements, in response
to a request from President Zelaya. These leaders represent
the radical left-wing support base of the Zelaya movement.
Participants were agrarian movement leader Rafael Alegria,
feminist Sara Alisa Rosales, labor leader Israel Salinas,
indigenous leader Salvador Zuniga, and lawyer Rodil Rivera
Rodil. The social leaders said that if no political accord
were achieved by August 14, they would recommend: 1) that
President Zelaya go into hiding; and 2) a general boycott of
the elections. End Summary.
2. (C) The Ambassador warned against promoting violence and
said social conflict would undermine President Zelaya's
return. He cited the U.S. condemnation of the coup, the "no
contact" policy, the suspension of military aid and the
"pause" in economic assistance. He said that Honduras had
been suspended from the inter-American system, and this
included lending from the Inter-American Development Bank.
The Ambassador stressed U.S. support for the Arias mediation
effort as the most viable way to restore the democratic order
and achieve reconciliation in a badly divided nation.
3. (C) The social leaders asked for the United States to
increase its pressure on the de facto regime. They asked for
the United States to remove the Ambassador, remove U.S.
troops from the Honduran air base at Palmerola, suspend
additional visas, freeze bank accounts, and consider
additional economic sanctions.
4. (C) The social leaders said that if there was no
resolution by Friday, August 14, they might consider the
San Jose Accords "a failure." They would recommend that
President Zelaya go into hiding and a call for a general
boycott of the election campaign.
5. (C) The social leaders accepted the Ambassador's message
of "non-violence," and said the only time protestors threw
stones was when they had been attacked by police. They
emphasized the social movements were "unarmed" and would
continue to practice non-violence.
6. (C) Comment: While they do not speak for the majority of
the demographic groups they claim to represent, these leaders
exert a large degree of influence among the various
pro-Zelaya social movements, and represent the hard left-wing
core of the movement. Many, particularly Rafael Alegria,
have a close relationship with President Zelaya. Local
pundits allege that Alegria has ties to and gets funding from
Chavez. All seemed to agree that time was running short; we
anticipate that they will exert additional pressure on Zelaya
to become more radical if negotiations do not make
significant progress in the coming week. End Comment.
LLORENS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/09/2019
TAGS: PGOV KDEM HO
SUBJECT: TFH01: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH SOCIAL LEADERS
Classified By: Ambassador Hugo Llorens, reasons 1.4 (b & d)
1. (C) Summary: The Ambassador hosted an August 8 meeting
with leaders of the pro-Zelaya social movements, in response
to a request from President Zelaya. These leaders represent
the radical left-wing support base of the Zelaya movement.
Participants were agrarian movement leader Rafael Alegria,
feminist Sara Alisa Rosales, labor leader Israel Salinas,
indigenous leader Salvador Zuniga, and lawyer Rodil Rivera
Rodil. The social leaders said that if no political accord
were achieved by August 14, they would recommend: 1) that
President Zelaya go into hiding; and 2) a general boycott of
the elections. End Summary.
2. (C) The Ambassador warned against promoting violence and
said social conflict would undermine President Zelaya's
return. He cited the U.S. condemnation of the coup, the "no
contact" policy, the suspension of military aid and the
"pause" in economic assistance. He said that Honduras had
been suspended from the inter-American system, and this
included lending from the Inter-American Development Bank.
The Ambassador stressed U.S. support for the Arias mediation
effort as the most viable way to restore the democratic order
and achieve reconciliation in a badly divided nation.
3. (C) The social leaders asked for the United States to
increase its pressure on the de facto regime. They asked for
the United States to remove the Ambassador, remove U.S.
troops from the Honduran air base at Palmerola, suspend
additional visas, freeze bank accounts, and consider
additional economic sanctions.
4. (C) The social leaders said that if there was no
resolution by Friday, August 14, they might consider the
San Jose Accords "a failure." They would recommend that
President Zelaya go into hiding and a call for a general
boycott of the election campaign.
5. (C) The social leaders accepted the Ambassador's message
of "non-violence," and said the only time protestors threw
stones was when they had been attacked by police. They
emphasized the social movements were "unarmed" and would
continue to practice non-violence.
6. (C) Comment: While they do not speak for the majority of
the demographic groups they claim to represent, these leaders
exert a large degree of influence among the various
pro-Zelaya social movements, and represent the hard left-wing
core of the movement. Many, particularly Rafael Alegria,
have a close relationship with President Zelaya. Local
pundits allege that Alegria has ties to and gets funding from
Chavez. All seemed to agree that time was running short; we
anticipate that they will exert additional pressure on Zelaya
to become more radical if negotiations do not make
significant progress in the coming week. End Comment.
LLORENS