US embassy cable - 03TEGUCIGALPA2022

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 002022 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SECDEF FOR SECRETARY RUMSFELD 
STATE FOR PM, INL, WHA, WHA/CEN, AND WHA/PPC 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2013 
TAGS: OVIP, MARR, MASS, MOPS, PREL, PGOV, SNAR, HO 
SUBJECT: SECRETARY RUMSFELD'S MEETING WITH PRESIDENT MADURO 
AND MOD BREVE IN HONDURAS 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Larry Palmer; 
Reasons 1.5 (B) and (D). 
 
1. (C)  Summary:  Secretary Rumsfeld met on 20 August with 
President Maduro and MOD Breve.  SECDEF made the following 
points:  (a)  the U.S. appreciated Honduras' steadfast 
support and friendship as demonstrated by the Article 98 
agreement and the deployment of a battalion to Iraq.  (b) 
the U.S. supports Central American regional cooperation in 
the security field, including maritime interdiction.  (c) 
inviting USSOUTHCOM to be an observer at the Conference of 
Central American Armed Forces (CFAC) could be helpful.  (d) 
SECDEF agreed with MOD Breve that Nicaragua's  SA-7's are a 
serious problem, but that eliminating them should not be 
linked to reducing Honduras' Air Force.  (e)  the USG would 
carefully consider bilateral issues raised by Honduras, e.g., 
the purchase of UH-1H helicopters and a solution to the Cerro 
la Mole radar issue.    President Maduro and MOD Breve made 
the following points:  (a)  deployment of forces to Iraq is 
for Honduras a matter of both friendship and principle.  (b) 
Central American regional cooperation is important to 
Honduras to reduce tensions and to promote regional offensive 
arms reductions.  (c)  MOD Breve argued for more generous 
U.S. financial terms for the UH-1H helicopters and for 
maintaining/repairing the Cerro la Mole radar.  (d) he 
announced that USSOUTHCOM would be invited into CFAC as an 
observer by the end of the year.  End summary. 
 
2. (C)  U.S.-Honduran Solidarity:  Secretary of Defense 
Rumsfeld had a meeting and luncheon with Honduran President 
Ricardo Maduro, accompanied by MOD Federico Breve, in 
Tegucigalpa on 20 August.  SECDEF expressed appreciation for 
Honduras' early signature and ratification (first in the 
hemisphere) of an Article 98 Agreement, an important issue of 
U.S. sovereignty.  He also thanked Maduro for the Honduran 
deployment of a battalion of infantry and military police to 
Iraq.  President Maduro said the latter is a matter of both 
traditional friendship and principle.  The U.S., he said, has 
always been a friend to Honduras in support of its social 
progress, reforms, and democracy.  SECDEF described the 
situation in Iraq as difficult but improving. 
 
3. (C)  Regional Cooperation:  President Maduro stressed the 
importance to Honduras of Central American regional 
cooperation.  Especially for a small country, regional 
economic integration and participation in the global 
community are essential to Honduras' future.  Honduras is 
promoting regional security cooperation especially with El 
Salvador and Nicaragua, both to reduce tensions and to 
further opportunities for disarmament.  SECDEF supported 
this, pointing to the likely synergy from, e.g., cooperation 
in interdicting drugs along the coasts.   He cited the 
Hemispheric Maritime Cooperation Initiative he had announced 
at the November Ministerial in Chile.  SECDEF also noted that 
USSOUTHCOM participation as an observer in CFAC could be 
helpful substantively and as a catalyst.  MOD Breve replied 
that USSOUTHCOM would be invited by the end of the year. 
 
4. (C)  Domestic Issues.  President Maduro emphasized his 
domestic fight against crime.  He had championed campaign 
finance reform in order to limit drug-related money in 
politics.  "We don't want to end up like Colombia," he said 
(though he had nothing but praise for President Uribe).  He 
spoke at length about the new law outlawing gangs.  There are 
something like 25-40,000 gang members in Honduras committing 
murder, extortion, and other crimes. 
 
5. (C)  Bilateral Issues.  The future of the Cerro la Mole 
radar was discussed.  MOD Breve said it is needed to combat 
drug trafficking.  SECDEF replied that we need to know better 
whether, given the air picture and information-sharing we 
have from JIATF-South, this radar is really worth the cost. 
It was agreed that the question needed to be examined, 
together, on a comprehensive basis.  On a second issue, the 
six UH-1H helicopters whose cost had soared because of U.S. 
regulations, it was agreed to continue to discuss it. 
 
6. (U) OSD staff drafted this message; SECDEF has read and 
cleared. 
PALMER