US embassy cable - 04GUATEMALA360

C O N F I D E N T I A L GUATEMALA 000360 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2014 
TAGS: MOPS, MARR, SNAR, PREL, PGOV, GT 
SUBJECT: GUATEMALA EXTENDS AUTHORIZATION FOR US MILITARY CD 
OPERATIONS 
 
REF: GUATEMALA 317 
 
Classified By: PolMilOff Rob Copley for reason 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (SBU) Summary: With more than a two-thirds majority and 
as a matter of national urgency, on February 12 the 
Guatemalan Congress approved a two-year extension of Central 
Skies/Mayan Jaguar authority to conduct joint 
counternarcotics exercises.  Extensive lobbying on the part 
of WHA A/S Noriega, the Ambassador, and other members of the 
country team was crucial to the new administration's efforts 
to get the authorization through a divided congress.  This 
positive first step demonstrates that the Berger 
Administration takes its counter-narcotics obligations 
seriously.  End Summary. 
 
2. (U) Mayan Jaguar is the Guatemalan component of Central 
Skies, a joint regional counter drug (CD) military operation. 
 The renewed authorization, Decree 5-2004, will expire on 
December 31, 2005.  The bill passed with 120 votes in favor - 
15 more than necessary to form a two-thirds majority.  Only 
the far-left URNG and ANN parties opposed the measure. 
 
3. (C) A/S Noriega pressed President Berger and his security 
cabinet for renewed Mayan Jaguar authorization during his 
February 3-5 visit (reftel), and received a commitment from 
President of Congress Morales to give the measure "emergency 
treatment." Ambassador Hamilton had previously met with key 
Ministers and with the new congressional leaders to explain 
the benefits of Mayan Jaguar.  The Embassy lobbied all 
political parties and counseled the new administration on the 
mechanics of preparing the bill and submitting it to the 
legislature. 
 
4. (C) Despite all the preparatory efforts, on the day of the 
vote the ANN and URNG parties twice attempted to scuttle the 
measure on procedural grounds, once it was clear that the GOG 
had the necessary votes to pass it.  They nearly succeeded in 
forcing a compromise that would have reduced the 
authorization to one year vice two, but close, last-minute 
Embassy coordination with key FRG members Zury Rios and 
Antonio Arenales, who sought and fed our arguments directly 
onto the floor of the Congress, saved the day and convinced 
the plenary to adopt approval for two years. 
 
5. (C) Comment:  Although the new administration's 
inexperience in processing legislative proposals required 
extra time and some effort on our part to identify logjams, 
the political will of the Berger Administration to secure 
this important legislation was never in doubt.  Passage of 
this important tool in the fight against narcotics, through 
the divided Congress, is a concrete indication that the 
Berger government places a high value on counternarcotics 
cooperation with us. 
WHARTON