FOLLOW UP TO PDAS CRAIG KELLY'S VISIT

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 000006 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/07/2020 TAGS: PGOV KDEM PREL PHUM HO SUBJECT: FOLLOW UP TO PDAS CRAIG KELLY'S VISIT REF: TEGUCIGALPA 00005 TEGUCIGALP 00000006 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador Hugo Llorens, reason 1.4 (b & d) ¶1. (S) Summary: In the wake of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Craig Kelly's (January 5-6) visit, we've been reaching out to key players to follow-up and press home U.S. objectives in Honduras. The Ambassador spoke to President-elect Pepe Lobo, regime Minister of Defense Sevilla, regime Foreign Minister Marta Lorena Alvarado, Verification Commissioner Arturo Corrales and Chief of Defense General Romeo Vasquez. The Ambassador urged all of them to press Micheletti to step down soonest -- only days remained to make this decision -- or there would be a tough U.S. response. General Vasquez confirmed that Attorney General Rubi had filed legal charges against the military for its role in the June 28 coup d'etat. He said senior officers respected Rubi's decision and had hired a law firm to defend themselves. End Summary. -------------- Pepe Lobo -------------- ¶2. (S) The Ambassador spoke early on the morning of January 7 with President-elect Pepe Lobo to brief him on the results of PDAS Kelly's visit, including the key meeting with regime leader Roberto Micheletti and members of his inner circle. Both agreed that Micheletti's reaction and antics in the meeting and his public statements prior to and subsequent to the meeting were unhelpful. The Ambassador told Lobo that we would continue to work closely with him on common efforts to get Micheletti to step down and open the field for him to be able to successfully reach out to the international community prior to his inauguration and beyond. The Ambassador told Lobo that while Micheletti might accept stepping down and/or separating himself in some way from his office, he had insisted that any such decision be consistent with the law and the constitution. Micheletti had insisted that under the constitution he needed to attend the opening session of the new Congress and deliver a closing state of the union. Lobo confirmed that this was a requirement, but noted that he did not believe that anything in the Constitution required the sitting president to attend the ceremony. Lobo agreed that we should continue to work on getting Micheletti to step down; however, he noted that if this effort was not successful, he was considering limiting the inaugural activities to the barest necessity of taking the oath and might minimize the public aspect of the ceremony. Lobo said he was mulling over the idea of inviting the international community to meet with him in Tegucigalpa after the swearing-in and allowing him and his government to reengage friendly governments. The Ambassador and Lobo agreed to stay in close touch in the coming days. -------------- Regime Minister of Defense Sevilla -------------- ¶3. (S) On the evening of January 6, the Ambassador reached out and spoke to regime Minister of Defense Sevilla, the regime official most open to Micheletti stepping down. Sevilla reiterated points made in the meeting at the Casa Presidencial with Micheletti, PDAS Kelly and the Ambassador that the regime would closely consider the U.S. request and encourage Micheletti to do the right thing. Sevilla stressed that there was still the possibility of Micheletti stepping down soon, but that he would insist above all else that whatever was done be fully legal and constitutional. We discussed the timing -- 10-14 days prior to the inauguration. The Ambassador asked about the legal requirement for the sitting head of state to attend the inaugural session of Congress. Sevilla agreed to consult with legal and constitutional experts. The Ambassador stressed that whatever action was taken needed to happen very quickly and noted the potential for negative consequences if the issue was not successfully resolved. TEGUCIGALP 00000006 002.2 OF 002 -------------- -- Regime Vice Foreign Minister Marta Lorena Casco -------------- -- ¶4. (S) The Ambassador also spoke to regime Vice Foreign Minister Marta Lorena Casco. The Ambassador noted that Micheletti's behavior at the meeting and his subsequent public statements were extremely unhelpful in getting a solution that would work for the U.S., Honduras, Lobo, Micheletti, and all involved. The Ambassador pointed out that a failure to deal with this issue in a constructive way would result in negative consequences (in terms of visas and other potential actions). Casco apologized for Micheletti's outburst during the meeting, and for his rudeness. He said that Micheletti was not angry with U.S. officials, but was offended by Lobo's public efforts to force him to step down. She suggested that the best way to make this happen and convince Micheletti to do the right thing was for things to be handled quietly and with full respect for his dignity. Casco stated that following our meeting with Micheletti, the latter had been calmer and had begun to consider options for him to absent himself from the presidency. Casco stressed that key staff from both sides were attempting to schedule a meeting with Lobo and Micheletti to try to restore communication between the two and find a way to resolve the issue. The Ambassador stressed that the U.S. was not seeking winners and losers, but that a solution along the lines of what was discussed by PDAS Kelly with Micheletti needed to be found soonest. -------------- Verification Commissioner Arturo Corrales -------------- ¶5. (S) The Ambassador and Corrales spoke on the morning of January 7. Corrales noted that he had heard that PDAS Kelly's meeting with Micheletti had not gone well. The Ambassador briefed him on the results and noted that there remained a window for this to get resolved quickly. Corrales said he was committed to helping out and confirmed that he was attempting to set up a meeting between Micheletti and Lobo to see if an agreement could be found for Micheletti to step aside and provide Lobo the space he needed to engage the international community. -------------- General Romeo Vasquez Velasquez -------------- ¶6. (S) General Vasquez told the Ambassador of his growing frustration with Micheletti. He noted that Micheletti was a bitter and angry man, who felt besieged by the international community, and particularly by the U.S. He said that he and the military believed Micheletti stepping down was important to Honduran interests and represent a gesture that would be extremely helpful to the new Lobo Administration. Vasquez confirmed that Attorney General Rubi had filed charges against the military for their role in the coup. Vasquez said that Attorney General Rubi was the most ardent civilian seeking to find legal liability with the military actions of June 28. He said the institution respected the Attorney General's views and actions and had hired a law firm to defend themselves against these charges. Vasquez again noted that the military as an institution hoped that Congress would approve a general amnesty for all involved in the Honduran crisis. LLORENS