New Minister of Defense - corrected cable

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 000185 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/26 TAGS: PGOV PREL HO MOPS SUBJECT: New Minister of Defense - corrected cable REF: TEGUCIGALPA 177 CLASSIFIED BY: Hugo Llorens, Ambassador, executive; REASON: 1.4(B), (D) ¶1. (C) Summary: President Porfirio Lobo appointed on February 24 fellow National Party member and former legislator Marlon Pascua Cerrato as Minister of Defense. Initial impressions suggest Cerrato, who is known as a skillful manager, is a good choice. President Lobo also appointed Carlos Roberto Funez, who belongs to the Liberal Party, as Vice Minister of Defense. We expect that President Lobo will soon name a new Chief of the Joint Staff. President Lobo told the Ambassador on February 24 that he is likely to name Armed Forces Inspector General Carlos Cuellar. We plan to reach out to Pascua and begin a dialogue aimed at restoring a working agenda based on civilian control of the military, full respect for human rights, and reform of the Honduran Armed Forces as a modern, apolitical institution. End Summary. ¶2. (U) President Porfirio Lobo announced at approximately 17:00 (local) on February 24 the appointment of Marlon Pascua Cerrato as the new Minister of Defense. Pascua, who belongs to President Lobo's National Party and was a former member of congress, is a civilian who never served in the Armed Forces. He served as President Lobo's foreign affairs spokesperson during the presidential campaign and, in that capacity, had extensive contact with many of the diplomatic missions that have not yet recognized the Lobo government. President Lobo also appointed Carlos Roberto Funez as Vice Minister of Defense. Funez, who belongs to the Liberal Party, is a close advisor to Elvin Santos, the Liberal Party's presidential candidate in the 2009 election. ¶3. (C) President Lobo had told the Ambassador earlier in the day on February 24 that he would announce Cerrato's appointment. Lobo told the Ambassador that he believed Cerrato would carry out his instructions and would be acceptable to the military. Pascua is known for his strong management ability and initial consultations with Embassy contacts indicate that he is a good choice. We will provide further information on Cerrato septel. ¶4. (C) We expect that President Lobo will nominate a new Chief of the Joint Staff soon. President Lobo also told the Ambassador on February 24 that he plans to replace Chief of the Joint Staff General Romeo Orlando Vasquez with either Armed Forces Inspector General General Carlos Cuellar or Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff General Venancio Cervantes. Cuellar would retire from the military in December 2011 and is expected to be replaced by Army Chief General Miguel Angel Garcia Padget. President Lobo told the Ambassador that he would not appoint Army Chief General Miguel Angel Garcia Padget in response to U.S. concerns about Garcia Padget's links to the June 28 coup d'etat. President Lobo said he panned to nominate General Vasquez as Director of the state telecommunications company, Hondutel. President Lobo explained that this would give Vasquez the opportunity to restore his image by giving him the opportunity to clean up Hondutel. ¶5. (C) Comment: Initial indications are that Cerrato is a strong choice. From our point of view, he will provide a break from those involved in the coup and his lack of a military background makes a strong statement on civilian control. Funez' appointment sends a good signal on bipartisanship. We will engage Pascua in a frank dialogue soon and begin a gradual process of carefully restoring a working agenda based on civilian control of the military, full respect for human rights, and reform of the Honduran Armed Forces as a modern, apolitical institution. LLORENS