US embassy cable - 05LIMA2241

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 002241 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PINS, PREL, PE 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH OPPOSITION LEADERS, RECEIVES 
ASSURANCES THAT CONGRESS WILL NOT/NOT SPARK A 
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS 
 
REF: A. LIMA 2222 
 
     B. LIMA 2054 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Alexander Margulies.  Reason:  1.4(d 
). 
 
1.  (C)  The Ambassador, on 5/18, met separately with APRA 
leader Alan Garcia and Unidad Nacional Legislative Bloc 
leader Xavier Barron (Unidad Nacional leader Lourdes Flores 
had agreed to meet the Ambassador but fell ill).  According 
to both Garcia and Barron, the opposition parties in Congress 
will likely insist that votes be held on 5/19 on the three 
sanctions separately proposed by the three opposition members 
of the congressional Villanueva Committee in their report on 
fraud allegedly committed when President Alejandro Toledo's 
Peru Posible party was registered (Reftels): 
 
--  Committee Chairman Edgar Villanueva's (Peru Ahora) 
proposal to vacate the Presidency; 
 
--  Unidad Nacional's Barron's proposal to disqualify Toledo 
from holding office for ten years following conclusion of his 
term; and 
 
--  APRA's Victor Velarde's proposal to suspend Toledo until 
criminal investigations and proceedings against him have 
concluded (which would effectively run past the end of the 
President's term). 
 
Garcia and Barron, however, were emphatic that these 
proposals would all fail and that Congress would not/not 
spark a constitutional crisis with the Executive Branch. 
 
2.  (C)  A follow-up cable on 5/19 will go into greater 
detail on these discussions, as well as the Ambassador's 
subsequent meeting with Prime Minister Carlos Ferrero. 
STRUBLE