PRESIDENT FERNANDEZ ANNOUCES HE WILL ATTEND LOBO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SANTO DOMINGO 000023 SIPDIS AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN PASS TO AMEMBASSY GRENADA AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PASS TO AMCONSUL QUEBEC AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PASS TO AMCONSUL RECIFE E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/01/21 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM HO DR SUBJECT: PRESIDENT FERNANDEZ ANNOUCES HE WILL ATTEND LOBO INAUGURATION AFTER PRESIDENT ELECT SIGNS NATIONAL RECONCILIATION ACCORD REF: 12/12 E-MAIL FROM AMB. LLORENS CLASSIFIED BY: Alexander Margulies, Counselor for Political & Economic Affairs, State, ECOPOL; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) SUMMARY ¶1. (C) President Leonel Fernandez and Honduran President-elect Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo, on 01/20/10, signed an "Accord for National Reconciliation and the Strengthening of Democracy in Honduras" during Lobo's visit to the Dominican Republic. Five senior Honduras politicians representing different political parties reportedly signed as witnesses. In the Accord, Lobo commits himself to comply with the San -Jose-Tegucigalpa Agreement, form a government of national unity and reconciliation, respect human rights and civil liberties and grant safe conduct to President Jose Manuel Zelaya. In addition, Lobo, on the basis of this Accord, requests that the international community take steps to fully reincorporate Honduras. Fernandez subsequently announced that he will attend Lobo's inauguration, urged other countries to recognize the Lobo government upon its taking office, and said that afterwards he would accompany Zelaya to the Dominican Republic, adding that Zelaya was in agreement with the Accord. Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso, in a meeting that evening with Charge and Pol-Econ Counselor, said that Fernandez would be contacting Guatemala's Alvaro Colum and El Salvador's Mauricio Funes to encourage them to join him in Tegucigalpa on 01/27; asked if WHA Assistant Secretary Arturo Valenzuela could contact Costa Rica's Oscar Arias, Colombia's Alvaro Uribe and Peru's Alan Garcia to convey the same message; and staged a phone call to OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza, at the conclusion of which he announced that the latter would call an OAS General Council meeting for Friday, 01/22, to discuss Honduran developments. END SUMMARY. LOBO SIGNS ACCORD, FERNANDEZ TO ATTEND INAUGURATION AND ESCORT ZELAYA TO THE DR ¶2. (U) Honduran President-elect Porfirio Lobo, accompanied by Honduran politicians Elvin Santos, Cesar Ham, Felicito Avila, Ricardo Alvarez and Mario Canahuate, travelled to the Dominican Republic (DR) on 01/20/10, to meet with President Leonel Fernandez and sign an "Accord for National Reconciliation and the Strengthening of Democracy in Honduras" (see para 5 for the text of this Accord) . Following the signature of the accord, Fernandez announced that he would be present at Lobo's inauguration and would return to the DR with President Zelaya, adding that Zelaya was in agreement with this arrangement. Fernandez also called on other governments to recognize the Lobo government on the basis of its return to democracy and its acceptance by all other political sectors in Honduras. FOREIGN MINISTER SEEKS OAS AND USG HELP IN CONVINCING OTHERS ¶3. (C) That evening, Charge and Pol-Econ Counselor met with Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso and Vice Minister Juan Manuel Trullols. Morales gave a thumb's up when asked about Lobo's visit, emphasizing that the Honduran President-elect was delighted to sign the commitment to abide by the San Jose-Tegucigalpa Agreement and grant safe conduct out of the country to Zelaya. Morales recalled that Elvin Santos, Felicito Avila, Ricardo Alvarez and Mario Canahuate signed on as witnesses, but thought that Cesar Ham did not, even though he was present (NOTE: The Presidency's website indicates that Ham did sign the Accord, although only the text of the agreement is presented, not a photocopy of the signed document. END NOTE). ¶4. (C) With Emboffs sitting across from him, Morales made a show of calling OAS Secretary General Insulza to ask the latter to move forward on previously discussed measures relating to Honduras (COMMENT: Insulza was in Santo Domingo on 01/18/10 to attend the hemispheric conference on coordinating Haiti relief and reconstruction efforts and presumably met privately with Fernandez/Morales to discuss Fernandez's plans for supporting SANTO DOMI 00000023 002 OF 003 recognition of the Lobo administration. END COMMENT). Morales told Insulza that Fernandez will be calling Colum and Funes to urge them to join him in attending the Lobo inauguration, and, gazing at us said that "friends" will be making a similar call to Arias. At the conclusion of the phone conversation, Morales stated that Insulza would call an OAS General Council meeting for this Friday, 01/22/10, to address the positive developments re Honduras. The Foreign Minister then asked if A/S Valenzuela could contact Oscar Arias, Alvaro Uribe and Alan Garcia to encourage them to join in the trip to Tegucigalpa (COMMENT: Septel will report on A/S Valenzuela's 01/18/10 discussions with Fernandez/Morales regarding Honduras. END COMMENT) . Morales opined that he thought Mexico could be persuaded to send at least its Foreign Minister and said that Fernandez may even call Nicaragua's Ortega to see if he can send a rep, though he didn't say this with any confidence. TEXT OF AGREEMENT ¶5. Begin unofficial Embassy translation: ACCORD FOR NATIONAL RECONCILIATION AND THE STRENGTHENING OF DEMOCRACY IN HONDURAS He who signs this, Don Porfirio Lobo Sosa, President-elect of the Republic of Honduras, conscious of the responsibility that history has placed on my shoulders; convinced of the necessity to return my country Honduras to national tranquility, interrupted by unfortunate recent events; desirous to achieve the reconciliation of our people and the full operation of a state of law, giving continuity to the San Jose-Tegucigalpa Accord, carried out under the auspices of President Oscar Arias of Costa Rica, in frank and friendly dialogue with Dr. Leonel Fernandez, President of the Dominican Republic, and through his mediation, before the international community, I make the solemn and formal commitment to: (1) ON THE GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL UNITY AND RECONCILIATION In order to achieve reconciliation and fortify democracy, we will conform a Government of National Unity and Reconciliation, made up of representatives of the diverse political parties, recognized by their capacity, honorability, fitness and willingness to engage in dialogue, who shall occupy the distinct Secretariats and Under Secretariats of State, in conformity with Article 246 and those that follow of the Constitution of the Republic of Honduras. In harmony with the foregoing, I shall proceed, as soon as I assume the functions of Constitutional President of the Republic of Honduras, to dictate an act of safe conduct in favor of President Jose Manuel Zelaya and of his family members, with the purpose that they can exercise the full civil right to enjoy the freedom to travel that corresponds to them, exactly as is consecrated in the Constitution of the Republic. In equal manner, I commit myself to head a government respectful of human rights, where there will be full enjoyment of public freedoms and, consequently, no Honduran citizen will see himself persecuted for his political, religious or other type of convictions. It is agreed that President Jose Manuel Zelaya, his relatives, and the members of his intimate circle shall be able to leave for the Dominican Republic on January 27, 2010 in the character of honored guests of that sister nation. SANTO DOMI 00000023 003 OF 003 (2) ON THE NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS THE REPUBLIC OF HONDURAS WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY By committing ourselves to comply faithfully with the commitments assumed in the present Accord, we respectfully solicit the immediate revocation of those measures and sanctions adopted on a bilateral or multilateral level, the in any manner affects the reinsertion and full participation of the Republic of Honduras in the international community and its access to all forms of cooperation. We make a call to the international community to reactivate as soon as possible the existing cooperation projects with the Republic of Honduras, and to continue the negotiation of future projects. In particular, we ask that, upon the request of the competent authorities, the international cooperation is activated that is deemed necessary and opportune so that the Verification Commission and the Truth Commission assure the faithful compliance with and following of the commitments contained in this Accord. (3) ENTRANCE IN FORCE The commitments assumed in the present Act will acquire formal and total effect from the moment of its signature. For the reconciliation, unity and peace of Honduras we commit ourselves to execute in good faith the present Act of Reconciliation. Signed in Santo Domingo, on the 20th day of January, 2010. Dr. Leonel Fernandez Don Porfirio Lobo President of the Dominican Republic President-elect of Honduras As Witness of Honor of the signing of the present Act of Reconciliation Elvin Santos, Ex-candidate Partido Liberal Cesar Ham, Partido Unificacion Democratica Felicito Avila, Ex-candidate of the Partido Democrata Cristaino Ricardo Alvarez, President of the Partido Nacional Mario Canahuate, Ex-candidate presidential primaries Partido Nacional End Text. Lambert