Cablegate: Media Reaction On Drug Trafficking, July 12, 2003

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001666

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/PDA (JGREENBLATT); WHA/CEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP PREL KPAO PGOV IZ HO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON DRUG TRAFFICKING, JULY 12, 2003

1. Op-ed by Guillermo Castellanos Enamorado on Tegucigalpa-based
moderate daily "El Heraldo" on 7/12 entitled "Narco trafficking
and Congressmen". "The cases of the member of the Central
American Parliament detained in Nicaragua and the Honduran
Congressman arrested in Olancho have brought forward once again
the declarations made by the US Ambassador Larry Palmer, who
stated that he hasn't seen any `powerful figure' being prosecuted
for any crime and that it is the duty of the proper authorities
to investigate the authenticity of any report on drug
trafficking".

"Among the `powerful' Mr. Palmer refers to, besides Congressmen,
we can find ministers, high-ranking public officials, executive
directors of decentralized institutions and other big fish that I
have no idea of who can also be drug carriers for narco
traffickers."

"How is it possible that such people can become members of
National Congress or of that white elephant called the Central
American Parliament? Even though we already knew that this
institution has become the safe haven for the debris of the
Central American political elites".

"Anyway, I still wonder, how do these people sneak in? Is it
possible that the political parties don't check and re-check the
kind of people they include in their electoral ballots?"

"For these and many more other reasons, it is urgent to approve
the political reforms promised by the political parties during
the last electoral campaign, to create effective mechanisms to
avoid these scandals in the future."

Palmer

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