VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHMU #0915/01 1011533
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 111533Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY MANAGUA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9770
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAGUA 000915
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR WHA/CEN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/10/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR NU
SUBJECT: FSLN CAUCUS CHIEF DEFENSIVE ON SENSITIVE ISSUES
Classified By: Ambassador Paul Trivelli for reasons 1.4 (b and d)
1. (C) Summary and Comment: Embassy officials and INR
analysts met with Edwin Castro, head of the FSLN
Congressional caucus on 21 March. Castro was defensive,
almost to the point of being hostile, and dodged a number of
questions on FSLN policy issues regarding constitutional
reforms and trade, although he has spoken with authority in
the past on such matters. His demeanor could be the result
of agitation over the recent criticism in the press for GON
policies, or may have been because he is uninformed or
potentially sidelined in the decision-making process. End
Summary and Comment.
Vague on Constitutional Reforms
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2. (C) FSLN members recently met with constitutional analysts
from Colombia and Mexico to discuss possible reforms. Castro
declined to answer a question on why the FSLN has not issued
a formal proposal as the other parties had, but commented
that the goal is to encourage "participatory democracy," and
everything else is "secondary."
3. (C) Regarding the FSLN's position on presidential
re-election, Castro would not give a straight answer, but
implied that he would support unlimited re-election. He
responded, "I am a professor of constitutional law. In a
democracy, the people must decide who leads them."
4. (C) Castro became agitated when asked about the role of
the "citizens' councils" established by the Ortega
administration. He said that the press and opposition have
"demonized" the councils, even though past governments have
made similar efforts to incorporate civil society into the
policy process. According to Castro, the councils will
incorporate existing NGOs, guilds, associations, etc., and
will not exclude anyone who wishes to participate. The
councils will have no budget and will be run on a voluntary
basis by the citizens. Local organizations will work with
local governments and national organizations will work with
the ministries. In all cases, the elected officials will be
in charge of implementing policy. Castro could not conceive
of a situation in which the councils and the elected
officials would disagree on policy, stating, "If the citizens
do not approve of the actions of the officials, they will
vote them out."
5. (C) Castro claimed that the FSLN had an "excellent"
meeting with the bishops regarding the citizens' councils and
agreed to "open lines of communication" with the Episcopal
Conference. They "worked out the details" of the Cardinal's
participation in the Peace and Reconciliation Council. The
Cardinal was present, he noted.
Pro-ALBA, Anti-CAFTA
- - - - - - - - - - -
6. (C) Castro commented that Nicaragua is a poor country that
will benefit from ALBA, an agreement that is about "brotherly
cooperation," not just trade. He predicted CAFTA will fail
because it does not address the free movement of labor.
Castro stated the U.S. should follow the EU model that
brought Spain and Portugal out of poverty to help Latin
America. At the very least, Castro believed the U.S. should
"indemnify" small producers negatively affected by CAFTA to
address the "asymmetries" in our economies. Castro claimed
that the Finance Ministry (under the Bolanos administration)
released a report in 2005 indicating that CAFTA will generate
more poverty in Nicaragua. (Note: The study actually reports
that CAFTA will not decrease poverty in rural areas and uses
projections that do not incorporate all relevant data. End
Note.)
Defensive on Murillo, Aleman
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
7. (C) When asked if Ortega spouse Rosario Murillo was active
in government, Castro stated that she is a strong first lady
"along the lines of Hillary Clinton" and has not done
anything inappropriate. He offered no comment on convicted
ex-President Arnoldo Aleman's new-found freedom, granted by a
Sandinista official, to move about the country at will.
Castro replied, "What has that to do with me? He's not our
problem."
Upcoming Visit and Ties to the U.S.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
8. (U) Castro stated he would soon travel to Alaska for a
whaling conference, as an NGO rep, not a GON official. He
mentioned that he frequently travels to the U.S. and has a
brother that has lived in Orlando for 40 years and currently
works as a senior executive for Oracle.
TRIVELLI