US embassy cable - 04GUATEMALA538

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUATEMALA 000538 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS NASA/ID - 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, TSPA, GT 
SUBJECT: SUCCESSFUL VISIT OF NASA ADMINISTRATOR SEAN 
O'KEEFE FEBRUARY 28-29 TO GUATEMALA 
 
REF: SECSTATE 22983 
 
1.  Summary.  NASA Administrator Sean O,Keefe had a very 
successful visit to Guatemala during his brief six-country 
trip to Latin America.  In Guatemala he met with GOG 
officials in the Peten where NASA briefed on 
environmental/climate change and archeological programs 
carried out through a Memorandum of Understanding with the 
Central American Commission on Environment and Development 
(CCAD), toured Tikal, hosted a dinner for GOG officials, and 
departed early Sunday, 2/29, for Manaus, Brazil.  End Summary. 
 
2.  Administrator Sean O,Keefe of NASA, met by the Hamilton, 
stopped February 28 in Guatemala,s Peten department, which 
includes the entire Maya Biosphere, during his brief 
six-country visit to the Mesoamerica Biological Corridor. 
The NASA party gave presentations to the new Guatemalan 
government on the work they are doing under an MOU with the 
Central American Commission on Environment and Development 
(CCAD)(Spanish acronym).  Minister of Environment Mario Dary, 
who is also the President Pro Tempore of the CCAD; Minister 
of Agriculture Alvaro Aguilar; Executive Secretary to the 
President Eduardo Gonzalez; head of CONAP (the protected 
areas council that oversees the Maya Biosphere) Ana Luisa 
Noguera; Governor of Peten Manuel Barquin; Vice Minister of 
Agriculture for Peten Erasmo Sanchez; head of the National 
Commission on Science and Technology Hector Centeno, among 
others, participated in the briefing, held in the Jungle 
Lodge at the Tikal archeological site. 
 
3.  The NASA briefings covered the NASA/CCAD SERVIR project 
(partially funded by USAID and the World Bank), that will 
help policy makers, scientists, educators, etc., through data 
and computer models monitor and forecast ecological changes, 
respond to natural disasters, and better understand both 
natural and human induced effects on the regional climate. 
The briefing also reviewed the use of satellite imaging to 
locate probable Mayan archeological sites and reveal facts 
about the Mayan civilization,s land use that could be 
applicable to today,s climate change issues.  They explained 
the aerial survey mission (AirSAR), which is taking place 
March 2-9 over selected environmentally important areas of 
Mexico through Panama.  Its data will have higher resolution 
than the current satellite images. 
 
4.  Presentation highlights:  (1) The announcement that a 
website with SERVIR data will be online within a few months. 
The website will offer real-time satellite images of Central 
America for use by government decision makers, scientists, 
schools, etc.  (2) Project imagery also revealed a close 
correlation between a particular color variation and 
archaeological sites that were previously undiscovered, 
suggesting that there are probably many Mayan archeological 
sites still to be located and studied.  The data suggests the 
Mayans sustained a high density of population in what are 
currently inhospitable areas.  (3) Perhaps most stunning was 
the discovery by American archeologist Bill Saturno of the 
first Mayan mural found since 1946 and one which pre-dates by 
800 years the previous best estimates of the height of Mayan 
civilization and art, moving the estimates from 800 A.D. to 0 
A.D. 
 
5.  After the briefing, the NASA party and some GOG officials 
toured Tikal led by Guatemalan Archeologist Roxy Ortiz, who 
works at the San Bartolo site.  The President's Executive 
Secretary Eduardo Gonzalez left with his party.  They 
 
SIPDIS 
scheduled NASA's briefing into a fact-finding day trip to 
Peten to learn more about competing plans for managing the 
area of the Mirador archeological site (Cuenca Mirador or 
Mirador Basin), which hosts the largest Mayan pyramid yet 
discovered and an extensive area of archeological interest. 
 
6.  The visit was rounded off by a dinner at the Camino Real 
Tikal Hotel hosted by Administrator O,Keefe and attended by 
the Hamilton, the Ministers of Agriculture and Environment, 
head of CONAP, Vice Minister of Agriculture, Executive 
Secretary of CCAD, and others.  Administrator O'Keefe left 
 
SIPDIS 
Sunday morning for Manaus, Brazil. 
 
7.  Comment:  The visit was very productive and deeply 
impressed the GOG.  It was a superb opportunity for the new 
government to see what cooperation with the USG on science 
and environmental issues can offer.  The briefings, dinner 
and informal chats at Tikal and at breakfast helped clarify a 
number of key issues for both the GOG and USG.  For instance, 
the Minister of Agriculture wanted to know why his ministry 
was financing part of AirSAR (funds approved by the 
discredited Portillo administration).  NASA officials 
explained the project's agricultural applications and also 
allayed GOG concerns that data to be provided on the SERVIR 
website would help the illegal antiquities trade find sites. 
Embassy and AID staff were able to get valuable information 
on the Cuenca Mirador project, which is a highly visible, 
highly controversial project for both the U.S. and Guatemala. 
 
HAMILTON