US embassy cable - 03TEGUCIGALPA1927

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001927 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR WHA/AS NORIEGA, WHA/DAS FISK, AND WHA/CEN TRIVELLI FROM 
CHARGE PIERCE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMGT, PREL, HO, WHA 
SUBJECT: EMBASSY TEGUCIGALPA'S 90-DAY GOAL PLANS 
 
REF: STATE 230096 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  Embassy Tegucigalpa's priority goals for 
the next ninety days include: (a) providing current 
information on Honduran negotiating strategies on measures 
related to CAFTA, to the U.S. delegation to the talks in 
order to support their efforts to narrow the gap in U.S. 
positions on these subjects; (b) negotiating and signing 
either a new Letter of Agreement (LOA) on Narcotics Control 
and Law Enforcement with the GOH, or an amendment to the 
2000 LOA that will permit the expenditure of FY03 counter- 
narcotics assistance money; and (c) negotiating and signing 
four new bilateral agreements with the GOH which will 
directly support USAID's Central America and Mexico (CAM) 
Regional Strategy. End Summary. 
 
2.  (SBU)  Goal  1: Providing information on Honduran  CAFTA 
negotiating strategy. 
Honduran  participation in the CAFTA rounds has  been  badly 
organized and haphazard.  Honduran representatives  appeared 
to  be  unprepared to discuss the major topics of the recent 
rounds.  Our  efforts  will enable the  U.S.  delegation  to 
better   understand  the  positions   taken   by   the   GOH 
representatives to the talks.  Having the ability to predict 
the  position that will be taken by Honduran representatives 
will  enable this Mission to support the U.S. delegation  in 
its  efforts to narrow the gap in U.S./GOH positions on  the 
CAFTA subjects. 
 
3.  (SBU)  Goal  2: Negotiating and signing  a  new  LOA  on 
Narcotics and Law Enforcement or amending the 2000 LOA. 
We  estimate  that in excess of 100 metric tons  of  cocaine 
transits Honduras destined for the U.S. each year.   Cocaine 
seizures  in  recent years have been anemic, although  there 
have been considerable improvements in 2003.  Recent arrests 
of  prominent figures for drug trafficking and  seizures  of 
large   drug  shipments  have  sparked  Honduran  government 
interest  in  the  problems and its desire  to  enhance  its 
counter-narcotics performance.  By channeling our assistance 
properly  and  improving our working relationship  with  the 
elements  responsible  for  fighting  drug  trafficking,  we 
should  continue  to  increase the number  of  seizures  and 
amounts of drugs seized. 
 
4.  (SBU) Goal 3: Negotiating and signing four new bilateral 
agreements  to  support USAID's Central America  and  Mexico 
Regional Strategy. 
Negotiating  and  signing  the  bilateral  agreements   will 
directly support the CAM Regional Strategy by providing  the 
framework for regional and country-specific programs leading 
to  the  achievement of the overarching regional goal  of  a 
more  democratic and prosperous Central America and  Mexico. 
Sharing the benefits of trade-led growth broadly among their 
citizens  is a central part of this strategy.  The  Regional 
Strategy  narrows  the  focus of  USAID's  investment  to  a 
limited   number   of  results  within  performance   arenas 
established by the President's Millennium Challenge  Account 
(MCA)  and  the results selected will prioritize investments 
which  have  the greatest potential for affecting positively 
national  and regional programs, thus assisting Honduras  to 
move  towards meeting MCA criteria.  It also will  help  put 
the region on a faster track towards broad-based prosperity. 
 
PIERCE