US embassy cable - 04TEGUCIGALPA810

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000810 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA, WHA/PD, WHA/CCA, WHA/PPC, AND WHA/CEN 
STATE FOR DRL, DRL/MLA, IO, INR, AND IIP/G/WHA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KPAO, PHUM, PREL, KDEM, CU, HO, CHR-1 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON UNCHR RESOLUTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS 
IN CUBA, APRIL 6, 2004 
 
1. Op-Ed by regular columnist Juan Ramon Martinez in 
Tegucigalpa-based liberal daily "La Tribuna" on 4/6 entitled 
"Why do you offend us Presi Maduro?"  I'm more surprised 
than Oswaldo Ramos Soto (National Party ) and more indignant 
than Omar Cerna (Liberal) because of the position of 
subordination that Honduras has shown toward the U.S. 
objectives in Cuba. 
 
"It is not a matter of principles nor a fight in favor of 
democracy, neither, a matter of defending Cuba's style or of 
government not to celebrate inclination of Castro to 
maintain power". 
 
"If Honduras has decided as a sovereign power to obligate 
Cuba to respect the human rights of its citizens - by now, 
all us would be supporting the government's decision, but 
things are different.  According to the information, not a 
single country of the hemisphere accepted President Bush's 
order" 
 
"Presi' Maduro was urgently called by Powell who ordered him 
to do it so - neither the President of El Salvador who was 
Bush's nominee for the OAS wanted to take such an 
embarrassing position. `The Presi' of Honduras, as expected, 
agreed in tabling the resolution with enough knowledge of 
the risks of opinions that he has to undertake; but for 
sure, this task would let him have access to the millennium 
account" 
 
 
2. Op-ed by regular collaborator Victor Manuel Ramos in San 
Pedro Sula-based liberal "Tiempo" on 4/6 entitled: "Oil 
street lamp" Our governments again, are protagonist in an 
action that is hundred percent against the thought and 
feelings of the Hondurans" 
 
"It is interesting to know that this resolution tabled to 
the UNCHR has been written in Washington, and not precisely 
in the Honduran Embassy in that country but in the offices 
of the North American government.  The Honduran Foreign 
Affairs Minister looks more as a north American employee 
than Honduran- according to his statements and his 
perception, he thinks we all are stupid and do not know the 
truth" 
 
3. National Television news program Telenoticias on April 
5th carried an interview with former Foreign Minister Carlos 
Lopez Contreras who is now an advisor of the current Foreign 
Minister in which he said: "The United Nations Commission on 
Human rights has had this issue on its agenda for two years. 
The commission asks for an investigation commission be sent 
to Cuba to examine human rights abuses. No one should be 
surprised that the United States is interested in this issue 
of human rights and that the Cubans have set up obstacles to 
the investigation of the United Nations." 
 
4. Note:  Today's dailies ran a wire service article "United 
Stated trusts that Latin American countries would support 
the resolution against Cuba in Geneva. End note. 
 
Palmer