US embassy cable - 05TEGUCIGALPA844

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000844 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR IIP/G/WHA AND IIP/T/ES, 
FOR WHA/PDA, WHA/USOAS, AND WHA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, PREL, KPAO, PGOV, KDEM, HO 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON THE OAS SEC GEN ELECTION, APRIL 
21, 2005 
 
 
1. On 4/16, the San Pedro Sula-based liberal daily "Tiempo" 
carried an op-ed by Tulio Mariano Gonzalez entitled "OAS: 
New Winds."  "The OAS candidate backed by the U.S had to 
resign due to a lack of necessary votes to survive.  The 
attempt to unify the votes of former Salvadoran president 
Francisco Flores with Luis Ernest Derbez didn't succeed in 
defeating Chilean candidate Jose Miguel Insulza.  The five 
ties in the elections showed the loss of U.S. power in the 
OAS." 
 
"The OAS is getting close to being an open space, 
transparent, and taking an initiative to stimulate the 
bilateral and multilateral cooperation that should have 
characterized it since its beginnings.  Those moments of 
blind obedience are tumbling.  No matter who turns out to be 
elected as Secretary General, we will be witnesses to a new 
era." 
 
2. On 4/18, the Tegucigalpa-based liberal daily "La Tribuna" 
published an editorial entitled, "North-South." "After five 
consecutive ties in the OAS election, it is evident that the 
continent is divided." 
 
"The Mexican candidate Derbez has even been pointed to as 
`imposed by the United States,' which we know that his 
candidacy was to fight for the place Francisco Flores was 
taking." 
 
"The OAS election has evidenced the fragmentation of the 
hemisphere.  For the Central American region, the 
unfortunate part of these events is that we lost two 
opportunities to have a Secretary General." 
 
Pierce