Cablegate: Speaking Out in Costa Rica On Gitmo and Detainees

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

UNCLAS SAN JOSE 001785

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT FOR S/WCI PROSPER, WHA/CEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPAO CS
SUBJECT: SPEAKING OUT IN COSTA RICA ON GITMO AND DETAINEES

REF: STATE 142348

1. (SBU) Per reftel instructions, Charge and A/DCM discussed
reftel points at length with Foreign Minster Tovar on August
1, and left a copy with him as a non-paper. We will follow
up with other officials at the Foreign Ministry as well as
with the Ministry of Public Security where our common
interests in preventing terrorists from operating in Costa
Rica provide a great deal of understanding for our detainee
policy.

2. (SBU) Charge also convened select members of the country
team to review our efforts to ensure that Costa Rican policy
and opinion makers have an accurate understanding of the
military necessity and security rationale for U.S. detainee
operations. Costa Rica's traditional neutrality and
perception of itself as a strong defender of human rights on
the international stage, combined with a deep-seated
suspicion of all things military, make it a difficult target
for generating broad public support for operations such as
those at Guantanamo. Policy makers on the other hand, are
much more open to our explanations. This dynamic was
dramatically displayed last year when President Pacheco
readily agreed to politically support the Iraq Coalition only
to be forced to withdraw that "support" when overwhelming
public opposition resulted in a ruling by the Constitutional
Court that the President's policy was inconsistent with Costa
Rican neutrality.

3. (SBU) The Guantanamo detainee issue has largely remained
out of the spotlight in Costa Rica. Costa Rican newspaper
coverage of allegations of Koran abuse at Guantanamo, for
example, was minor and usually included our information on
measures in place to prevent any such abuse. Another
positive sign is the relative lack of editorial commentary in
the wake of such allegations. The editorial tone at the
leading daily "La Nacion" has remained quite balanced:
acknowledging that the Global War on Terror is necessary and
gently reminding the U.S. that it is also a human rights
leader. Post will continue to press our points on national
leaders and opinion makers in order to ensure positive or
benign coverage of the Guantanamo detainee issue.
KAPLAN

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