US embassy cable - 05SANJOSE1785

UNCLAS SAN JOSE 001785 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR S/WCI PROSPER, WHA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, KPAO, CS 
SUBJECT: SPEAKING OUT IN COSTA RICA ON GITMO AND DETAINEES 
 
REF: STATE 142348 
 
1.  (SBU) Per reftel instructions, Charge and A/DCM discussed 
reftel points at length with Foreign Minster Tovar on August 
1, and left a copy with him as a non-paper.  We will follow 
up with other officials at the Foreign Ministry as well as 
with the Ministry of Public Security where our common 
interests in preventing terrorists from operating in Costa 
Rica provide a great deal of understanding for our detainee 
policy. 
 
2. (SBU) Charge also convened select members of the country 
team to review our efforts to ensure that Costa Rican policy 
and opinion makers have an accurate understanding of the 
military necessity and security rationale for U.S. detainee 
operations.  Costa Rica's traditional neutrality and 
perception of itself as a strong defender of human rights on 
the international stage, combined with a deep-seated 
suspicion of all things military, make it a difficult target 
for generating broad public support for operations such as 
those at Guantanamo.  Policy makers  on the other hand, are 
much more open to our explanations.  This dynamic was 
dramatically displayed last year when President Pacheco 
readily agreed to politically support the Iraq Coalition only 
to be forced to withdraw that "support" when overwhelming 
public opposition resulted in a ruling by the Constitutional 
Court that the President's policy was inconsistent with Costa 
Rican neutrality. 
 
3.  (SBU) The Guantanamo detainee issue has largely remained 
out of the spotlight in Costa Rica.  Costa Rican newspaper 
coverage of allegations of Koran abuse at Guantanamo, for 
example, was minor and usually included our information on 
measures in place to prevent any such abuse.  Another 
positive sign is the relative lack of editorial commentary in 
the wake of such allegations.  The editorial tone at the 
leading daily "La Nacion" has remained quite balanced: 
acknowledging that the Global War on Terror is necessary and 
gently reminding the U.S. that it is also a human rights 
leader.  Post will continue to press our points on national 
leaders and opinion makers in order to ensure positive or 
benign coverage of the Guantanamo detainee issue. 
KAPLAN