US embassy cable - 03SANTODOMINGO7304

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 SANTO DOMINGO 007304 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR WHA, WHA/CAR, WHA/EPSC, WHA/PA, G/TIP, PM, EB, 
EB/OMA; TREASURY FOR UNDER SECRETARY TAYLOR, DO:NLEE, 
RTOLOUI, LLAMONICA; NSC FOR SHANNON, CRUZ; WHITE HOUSE PASS 
USTR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, OVIP, PREL, PHUM, MARR, DR 
SUBJECT: ASSISTANT SECRETARY NORIEGA ADDRESSES DOMINICAN 
CONGRESS 
 
 
 1.  Summary.  Assistant Secretary of State for Western 
Hemisphere Affairs (WHA) Roger Noriega addressed a joint 
meeting of the Dominican Congress on December 10 in the 
Senate chamber.  He urged congressional representatives to 
act quickly on a 2004 budget and he laid out U.S. views on 
the pending Article 98 agreement, on trafficking in persons, 
and on free trade agreements.  Noriega concluded his historic 
address with a call for Dominican institutions to protect the 
public and to prosecute bank fraud.  Press commentary and 
English text of speech are given below. End summary. 
 
2.  On December 10 during a 24-hour visit to Santo Domingo, 
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs 
(WHA) Roger Noriega addressed a joint meeting of the 
Dominican Senate and House of Representatives. He called on 
the elected representatives to assume their responsibilities 
by considering and quickly passing a 2004 budget to be 
presented by the GODR in connection with IMF negotiations. 
He praised and thanked Dominican troops supporting Operation 
Iraqi Freedom, asked congress to ratify the Article 98 
agreement as soon as it is presented by the Executive, and 
advised them of sanctions in U.S. law for countries which do 
not enforce legislation against trafficking in persons.  He 
stressed that the United States shares the Dominican people's 
interest in free and fair elections and he outlined 
advantages of free trade agreements, both bilateral and in 
the Free Trade Area of the Americas. 
 
2.  Noriega expressed the sympathy of the United States for 
Dominicans in their current economic difficulty, commenting, 
"There are no easy solutions for deep-rooted problems and 
there are no shortcuts to lasting recovery."  He called upon 
all sectors of public opinion and economic activity to share 
the responsibility of finding a sustainable economic program, 
which "will require sacrifice and tough decisions."  He 
reminded congressional representatives, "There is no greater 
honor for any elected leader than putting the national 
interest above his own." 
 
3.  The Assistant Secretary rejected pessimism and cynicism, 
reminding listeners that although finances of the Dominican 
economy are in "profound disorder," the country's productive 
capacity is intact, Dominicans are hard working, and they 
want to see laws and regulations respected.  He called 
explicitly for full prosecution of bank fraud cases now in 
the Dominican justice system. "These cases are too important. 
 All of us who respect and admire the Dominican people are 
watching -- and expecting to see the people well served and 
protected by their institutions and by their elected 
officials." 
 
COMMENT 
 
4.  This was a memorable and vivid event.  Noriega spoke in 
Spanish, standing at a long table on the dais of the Senate 
chamber, accompanied by the presidents of both houses and by 
the Ambassador.  The live wall of press cameras caught the 
drama of his stance before the golden mural dominating the 
Senate chamber.  The chamber was full.  Images carried in the 
broadcast media that evening played up the drama of the 
setting. 
 
5.  Some print journalists later tried to elicit complaints 
from various political leaders about "U.S. interference" in 
this event and the Noriega visit, but no one was buying that 
line.  President of the House of Represenatives rejected the 
word and commented that the United States had asked for the 
venue as a way to speak directly to the Dominican people 
through its representatives, "the authentic voices of the 
people."  Speaking separately, spokesmen of all three major 
parties flatly objected to the journalists' characterizations 
and replied that Noriega was demonstrating the non-partisan 
stance of the U.S. in favor of democracy.  "Man in the 
street" interviews by one paper found three passers-by 
willing to agree that U.S. action was, in fact, interference 
-- and that it was a good thing, because Dominican politicans 
needed to hear the messages. 
 
6.  The first editorial comment has been favorable. 
 
- - The lead editorial in the GODR-owned Listin Diario of 
December 12 highlighted its key sentence, "If right now the 
North Americans are interested in getting to know our 
difficulties in depth, there is nothing bad about that, 
especially since not a few critics of White House policy 
accuse it of neglecting U.S. neighbors in Latin America in 
favor of events in the Middle East." 
 
- -In "El Caribe,"  commentator Flavio Dario Espinal noted 
that the Republic has not received such high-level attention 
from U.S. administrations since 1994, and he stressed the 
political message: "It is no coincidence that Assistant 
Secretary Noriega placed such emphasis not only in free and 
 
SIPDIS 
transparent elections but also in the need for election 
observers, for which he pledged U.S. support. . . (the 
message) shows that even though the Bush administration 
values the support of the Dominican administration, it places 
equal importance on political stability and a regular 
electoral process, especially in the context of a region 
already suffering from too many political conflicts and 
crises of governability." 
 
- - PLD-inclined "Hoy" has not yet published a substantive 
op-ed piece on the Noriega visit, although on the first day 
of the visit it carried praise of the Ambassador for his 
impartial handling of the political parties regarding the 
elections.  "Hoy" counterweighted that stance the next day 
with one cranky paragraph on Noriega subtitled "How Times 
Have Changed!" in a column of political tidbits.  The writer 
noted the positions of the three parties on the visit as "an 
unusual convergence of views" about the Assistant Secretary's 
appearance in Congress, "unprecedented, as far as we know, in 
our legislative history.  But so goes the world, so think our 
politicians, and some people say that it is all the fault of 
globalization.  And it probably is, who knows, but it would 
have been preferable, and much less embarrassing, to offer 
Mr. Noriega another setting in which to take the liberty of 
pushing his imperial reprimand into our faces." 
 
- - The same page of "Hoy" featured "Cocktail Talk," a 
satirical series written in pseudo-popular jargon.  Excerpts: 
 
"So, Joe, we want the United States to save us, help us out, 
either directly or through those international credit 
organisms, from this hole we got ourselves into. Okay, so if 
we are looking for that, we can't complain if they, with all 
the good reasons in the world, try to tell us what to do. 
And all that before the next explosion of the European 
National Bomb (note: European Union Ambassador Miguel Amado), 
hotter than hell, who won't give us a nickle unless we cut 
ourselves in two. . . Noriega's position about that dirty 
work on bank fraud isn't new.  When somebody tried 
unofficially to get some contingency funds out of the Yankee 
Treasury to deal with the hole, they told us straight out 
that the U.S. taxpayers weren't going to pay the bill for 
anybody's larceny. . . .We can't exactly get huffy if Noriega 
is telling us that our economy is in a profound disorder. 
You think maybe it ain't so?  Or that the economy, the way it 
stands, is a healthy little thing?  That's no news, either. 
And with the business about electoral transparency, the North 
Americans aren't getting their powder wet, either.  That's 
what Dr. Joaquin Balaguer thought, that they were bluffing 
back in 1978 after they sent down their best fast-ball 
pitchers back then, Andrew Young and Terence Todman. And we 
all know what happened then, even if that slippery ole 
Doctor, no dummy himself,  hijacked the Senate for his 
project (note: Balaguer lost the presidency in a free and 
fair election). And so the Yankees are gonna maintain their 
relations with whoever wins clean elections next year -- why 
shouldn't they?  Ain't the three big boys in the major 
parties all about the same kind of pool hall layabouts?  Sure 
would like to hear what Noriega would say if there was some 
kind of chance in the elections for (hard-line leftists) 
Narciso Isa Conde or Fernando Pena. . . ." 
 
7.  Embassy's informal translation of the Assistant 
Secretary's speech follows. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
(begin text) 
 
Distinguished President of the Senate Dr. Jesus Vasquez; 
Distinguished President of the House of Representatives Dr. 
Alfredo Pacheco; 
Distinguished Senators and Representatives, 
Members of the Press, 
To All of You, My Friends, 
 
It is a great honor to be allowed to speak to you today. 
 
I will use this opportunity to speak about the policy of 
President Bush,s administration toward the Americas. 
President Bush believes that the American nations are of 
critical importance for the security and well being of our 
country.  He has demonstrated his commitment to the region 
from the first days of his administration and has articulated 
a clear policy that we are carrying out. 
 
Our goal is to build an inter-American community, united by 
the shared values of freedom supported by the rule of law and 
by solid democratic institutions, driven by free trade and 
free investment. 
 
Your responsibility as representatives of the Dominican 
people is great.  Making the law is a high honor and a solemn 
obligation.  I know, because I was for a number of years an 
advisor to your counterparts in the United States Congress in 
Washington, concentrating on strategies to improve our 
relations with the countries of the Americas.  Our two 
countries work closely together in the UN, in the OAS, and in 
the WTO, as well as in other institutions.   And soon you 
will be asked to ratify a bilateral Free Trade Agreement with 
the United States that we hope will provide lasting benefits 
to our two countries and to all our people. 
 
More than just a neighbor and a friend, I come here as a 
brother.  Although my family comes from Mexico, it is in the 
United States that millions of Dominicans and Mexicans have 
found a common home. 
 
Yes, we share baseball, of course.  But we share much more 
than that.  Ties of blood unite us.  There are more than a 
million Dominicans living in the United States.  Even so, a 
piece of their heart will always remain in their native land. 
 
And more than sixty thousand U.S. citizens live here.  And 
many thousands of U.S. tourists come here to enjoy the warm 
hospitality of this beautiful country. 
 
Let me discuss with you some of the principal aspects of our 
relationship. 
 
Security 
 
One of the principal aims we share is to make the world a 
safer place for our citizens and for the international 
community. 
 
When terrorists attacked on September 11, there were 
Dominicans among the citizens of more than 80 countries who 
were victims.  The economic effects of terrorism were felt 
almost immediately in the Dominican Republic. 
 
In their actions and replies, Dominicans looked outward, 
taking part in subjects with global reach, pledging 
themselves to the openness and freedom that those terrorists 
attacked. 
 
In Iraq elite Dominican troops are working with international 
forces. 
 
Allow me to pay tribute to the contribution that your country 
has made in sending your sons to serve beside ours.  To their 
fathers and mothers, their families and friends, on behalf of 
my country, I wish to say,  &Thank you.  Your demonstration 
of friendship, your sacrifice and your courage will not be 
forgotten.8 
 
Acknowledging the role of military forces engaged in 
supporting the peace, our countries signed an agreement 
concerning Article 98 of the treaty creating the 
International Criminal Court.  We mutually recognize the 
sovereign responsibility of our governments for the actions 
of their respective military forces.  I respectfully request 
that you ratify this agreement as soon as it is presented to 
you. 
 
Considering another aspect of security, narcotics traffickers 
threaten our societies and create an environment ripe for 
other crimes and criminals.  The United States are pleased to 
cooperate with the Dominican Republic to make our communities 
safer and more secure. 
 
Also fundamental for security is the respect for the 
principles of human rights.  We are deeply concerned about 
the trafficking of persons, including across international 
boundaries, and especially by the completely unacceptable 
practice of sexual exploitation of women and children. 
 
For our part, the United States Congress has mandated the 
suspension of many forms of our government assistance to 
countries which do not take action against trafficking in 
persons, and it has instructed U.S. executive directors of 
the international financial institutions to vote against 
loans to those countries. 
 
This year you approved an excellent law against trafficking 
in persons and the administration has set up entities to deal 
with these problems.  We will do everything in our power to 
cooperate with the Dominican authorities to help them put and 
end to this trafficking and to organized illegal migration, 
once and for all. 
 
Democracy 
 
Further, some words about another priority: supporting a 
strong, functioning democracy.  I have followed with interest 
the preparations and debates concerning the presidential 
election.  I see a vigorous debate about the candidates, 
politics, and process.  This is good.  It is a sign that the 
democratic process is working. 
 
During my brief visit here I seek to contact all of the 
leading political parties to tell them that we look forward 
to working with the winner of the May 2004 presidential 
elections.  Dominicans are expecting a clean, transparent 
election ) and the country is fully capable of carrying one 
out.  The United States shares this interest with you. 
 
Trade 
 
Another of our principal bilateral concerns ) we are 
emphasizing to our partners in the region the need to 
conclude the negotiations on a Free Trade Area of the 
Americas by January, 2005. 
 
We expect that all leaders of the region will consider the 
FTAA an indispensable tool for the economic and social 
development of their own countries.  We have a moral 
obligation, as leaders, to make the promise of the FTAA a 
reality. 
 
Free trade agreements provide greater confidence for 
investment and foreign direct investment accelerates economic 
growth.  In addition, they establish transparent, 
well-defined rules for trade, thereby strengthening 
institutions and the rule of law. 
 
The Economy 
 
Another key point of our bilateral relationship is the 
participation of citizens in the making of their 
government,s policy.  You yourselves are now involved in a 
far reaching undertaking of this kind. 
 
As your good friends and partners, we are all aware of the 
concerns your people feel: inflation, the falling value of the 
peso*in sum, the worries about your economic future. 
 
One important point: the United States is not indifferent to 
the problems of the Dominican Republic. 
 
There are no easy solutions for deep-rooted problems and 
there are no shortcuts to lasting recovery.  Nevertheless, I 
am convinced that all the different parties in these 
negotiations are dedicated to developing a sustainable, 
healthy plan that will help the Dominican people to help 
themselves. 
 
All responsible sectors of public opinion and of economic 
activity share the responsibility of finding a sustainable 
economic program. 
 
Debate is healthy, but never-ending debate can only be 
harmful.  The international community wants to help, and will 
do so.  But we can do so, only once the Dominican people take 
the necessary agreed steps. 
 
This program will require sacrifice and tough decisions. 
Your responsibility to the Dominican people is to examine 
immediately the proposals of the government and to vote 
promptly for the common good of the country. 
 
There is no greater honor for any elected leader than putting 
the national interest above his own.  We trust that you will 
carry out the responsibilities you have taken on behalf of 
the country, for, after all, that is why you are here. 
 
Many Dominicans are pessimistic about the future.  Many doubt 
that there will be any prosecution of those responsible for 
the banking frauds that led to the present dilemma. 
 
It is necessary to reject this pessimism and cynicism.  Yes, 
certainly, the finances of the Dominican economy are in great 
disarray.  But the productive capacity of the country is 
healthy.  Dominicans are very hard working people who love 
their country and want to see their laws and regulations 
respected. 
 
It is here and now that Dominicans must act.  And now is the 
time for justice to be done.  The Dominican justice system 
must prosecute bank fraud cases all the way to their outcome, 
with the rigorous, transparent application of Dominican law. 
These cases are too important.  All of us who respect and 
admire the Dominican people are watching ) and expecting to 
see the people well served and protected by their 
institutions and by their elected officials. 
 
Conclusion 
 
Distinguished friends, we share a hemisphere and a future; 
and none of us is ready to accept failure.  What,s at stake 
for our people is too important ) the promise of democracy, 
economic freedom, and eradication of poverty. 
 
I look forward with great interest to working with our 
friends in the hemisphere to face the challenges we have 
before us. 
 
I thank you for the honor of allowing me to speak to you in 
this historic institution. 
 
(end) 
HERTELL