US embassy cable - 03TEGUCIGALPA2154

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 002154 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CEN, WHA/PPC, IO, AND INR/B 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/11/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINS, PINR, ECON, HO 
SUBJECT: LEONIDAS ROSA BAUTISTA TO BE NAMED NEW HONDURAN 
FOREIGN MINISTER 
 
REF: TEGUCIGALPA 1863 (NOTAL) 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Larry L. Palmer; 
Reasons 1.5 (B) and (D) 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY: The Honduran Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
(MFA) confirmed with PolOff September 5 that President Maduro 
would be naming Leonidas Rosa Bautista as the new Honduran 
Foreign Minister.  The MFA had originally indicated that Rosa 
Bautista would be sworn in on September 12, but is it 
possible that the actual date could slip into the following 
week due to some disarray within the ranks of the Government 
of Honduras (GOH). Rosa Bautista will be replacing Guillermo 
Perez-Cadalso Arias who resigned July 22 to become president 
of the National Autonomous University of Honduras 
(UNAH)(reftel).  Rosa Bautista was not a name that had been 
circulated widely as a possible replacement to Perez-Cadalso 
and some two weeks before the announcement, Rosa Bautista had 
told the Honduran press that he was not interested in the 
job.  Rosa Bautista is an activist in the National Party (PN) 
who currently holds a seat in the National Congress.  He is 
associated with the more traditional, entrenched wing of the 
PN known as the "dark side" who have repeatedly clashed with 
President Maduro over necessary government reforms.  Rosa 
Bautista,s appointment should help ease some of the tensions 
between the Congress and the government.  END SUMMARY 
 
2. (U) Leonidas Rosa Bautista, born February 4, 1947 in the 
Department of Lempira, is a lawyer by profession and a career 
"traditional" Honduran politician.  He is a key member of the 
more traditional side of the PN known as the "dark side." 
Currently, Rosa Bautista represents the Department of 
Francisco Morazan in the National Congress.  He is a 
conservative, long-time activist PN member who at one time 
(1993) considered a bid for the presidency, although his 
candidacy did not make it that far and he did not win his 
party's nomination.  He also participated in the 1982 
National Constituent Assembly, which drafted Honduras, 
current democratic constitution.  Rosa Bautista was not a 
name that had been circulated as a possible replacement to 
Perez-Cadalso (reftel) and some two weeks before the 
announcement he had told the Honduran press that he was not 
interested in the job. 
 
3. (C) Key Embassy contacts in Congress describe Rosa 
Bautista in the following ways.  He prefers to negotiate 
rather than confront political opponents.  He is considered a 
very astute and difficult negotiator who does not easily cede 
his positions and is extremely effective at using 
parliamentary maneuvers to advance his agenda.  However, he 
will yield to a consensus on issues about which he has not 
yet developed a position. 
 
4. (C) Embassy bio files hold a reference to a May, 1993, 
AmEmbassy Oslo cable (reftel not available) that linked Rosa 
Bautista to a case of corruption/fraud involving $700,000 of 
Norwegian aid funds.  Rosa Bautista was the Chairman of the 
Board of an agricultural equipment company, INVERSA, that 
failed to deliver any equipment purchased with Norwegian aid 
funds.  INVERSA did subsequently deliver a few broken down 
pieces of equipment after the Norwegian aid agency protested. 
 
5. (C) More disturbing information relates to the actions of 
Rosa Bautista,s wife, Irma Violeta Suazo de Rosa.  She is a 
former Supreme Court Justice (1997-2001) who actively sought 
appointment to the current Honduran Supreme Court.  However, 
the selection committee rejected her after a U.S. NGO, 
International Justice Mission, which lists Rep. Frank Wolf 
(R- VA) and Ambassador Tony Hall on its letterhead, led an 
international effort that exposed her involvement in the 
obstruction of justice, intimidation of lower court judges, 
and the fixing of a court decision in a drunk-driving case 
involving the boyfriend of her daughter.  The boyfriend 
killed a seven-year old child while driving drunk.  Suazo de 
Rosa intervened to prevent police from investigating the 
accident, interceded with a lower court judge to obtain a 
dismissal of the case, and then used her position as a 
Supreme Court justice to try to prevent appellate judges from 
hearing the case on appeal. 
 
6. (U) Some of Rosa Bautista,s declared priorities include: 
attracting increased international investment; finalizing 
border demarcations with El Salvador and Nicaragua; and 
persuading the U.S. to grant Hondurans residing in the United 
States under Temporary Protected Status permanent residency. 
 
7. (U) Prior to joining the national legislature, Rosa 
Bautista worked as a lawyer and professor of law, at one time 
(early 1990,s) serving as the head of the Honduran 
equivalent of the National Bar Association.  Included among 
Rosa Bautista,s Honduran clients are various high profile 
businesses and individuals, including ex President Carlos 
Flores. 
 
8. (U) Rosa Bautista graduated with a law degree from the 
National Autonomous University of Honduras in 1970 and, in 
1963, received a Bachelor of Science and Letters degree from 
a local college in the Department of Lempira.  Rosa Bautista 
is married to Irma Violeta Suazo de Rosa  (also an attorney) 
and they have three children. 
 
9.(U) Rosa Bautista speaks some English. 
 
10. (C) COMMENT: Rosa Bautista is an influential member of 
Congress and well liked by the old school politicians in that 
body.  He is aligned with the leader of the "dark side" 
faction of the PN congressional delegation Rodolfo Irias 
Navas, who has repeatedly clashed with President Maduro over 
necessary government reforms.  Rosa Bautista,s appointment 
should help ease some of the tensions between the Congress 
and the government.  Maduro,s decision to choose Rosa 
Bautista, rather than a private sector businessman who could 
promote investment and trade in Honduras, is evidence of the 
President's effort to build better relations with the more 
traditional elements within the National Congress.  It will 
also remove a key "dark side" member from Congress and should 
ease somewhat Maduro,s negotiations with his own 
congressional delegation, as Rosa Bautista,s replacement 
will be closely aligned with the Maduro faction in Congress. 
END COMMENT 
PALMER