US embassy cable - 03TEGUCIGALPA555

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 000555 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR PD/WHA (MBUCKLEY); IIP/G/WHA DIPASQUALE; EB/EPPD DCLUNE; 
USTR AGASH 
INFO IIP/T/ES 
EMBASSIES FOR PAOS, IOs, 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KPAO, HO, PA, ETRD, USTR 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ 
 
 
1. "La Prensa"2/22 San Pedro Sula-based liberal paper, 
carried a full-page story: "Effects of a War against Iraq 
will be Less Dramatic for Honduras": 
 
The Honduran Private Council for Business, the Tegucigalpa 
Industry Chamber of Commerce and the Forum for the 
Strengthening of Democracy hosted a conference with Giovanni 
Reyes, economist and Director of Development and Regional 
Cooperation for the Latin American System. He was invited to 
speak on "Economic Capacity for Central America to prosper 
by liberalized trade during a possible war". 
 
"I don't think that the same economic problems will arise 
because of a war as occurred after September 11, because the 
circumstances are different.  And it will also benefit the 
regional economy, if, as estimated, the war is not drawn 
out, but rather as the U.S. intends, the conflict ends as 
soon as possible". 
 
"I do not discount that this conflict could have an impact 
on the commercial value of Central American products -- that 
is why farmers and governments should plan to export less 
bulk coffee and switch the industry to processed coffee 
because it offers added value. 
 
 
2. Also in daily "La Prensa"- 2/18, an op-ed by regular 
columnist Gloria Leticia Pineda:  "War and Peace": After 
receiving a lot of e-mails, my conclusion is that pacifists 
wouldn't be as fanatically opposed as they are now if a 
country other than the U.S. was the one calling for war- Why 
do they have such sympathy and consideration for Saddam 
Hussein?  There are sincere people that seek peace to avoid 
harm to people, but at the present, there are a lot of 
hypocrites pretending that they are neutral.  There are many 
people in America and Europe who are opposed for acceptable 
reasons, but there are also a lot of countries that envy the 
United States and would like to see it on its knees.  But 
what do Honduras and the world gain with a United States on 
its knees?  History has not taught us anything: there were 
no seriously coordinated efforts to stop Hitler and the 
world paid a high price in blood. 
 
"The dream of peace is not an easy thing to achieve.  A 
Syrian runs the presidency of the United Nations Council. 
Libyan has a high position as the leader of the committee on 
"Defense of Human Rights."  These nations do not view the 
U.S neutrally; both Syria and Libya are under suspicion of 
being terrorist countries.  Besides, Hussein is not an 
educated man such as Alejandro I (King), and the United 
States won't leave its military forces to die of illness as 
Napoleon did to his eighty thousands soldiers.  Already U.S. 
medical doctors have been sent to the war zone.  Only a 
miracle can stop this war. Pray for it. 
 
3. TV talk show "Frente a Frente" 2/25 - Renato Alvarez, 
director and anchor, at the beginning of an interview with 
Narcis Serra, a European socialist leader and a former 
Minister of Defense and the former Vice President of Spain 
during the administration of Felipe Gonzales, quoted 
Secretary of State Powell as saying made recently during his 
 
SIPDIS 
trip to Asia that with or without the United Nation's 
blessing, the U.S. will go to war against Iraq.  Serra 
commented: "The Spanish government's recent decision to 
support the U.S. in an invasion of Iraq is only the 
government's position not that of the Spanish people.  They 
have held strikes, because they do not want a war. 
 
"Without any doubt Saddam Hussein has to be disarmed - 
because we cannot allow a country that invaded Kuwait and 
prosecuted a bloody war with Iran resulting in thousands and 
thousands of victims.  This country must not have 
destructive and dangerous weapons, but during the Gulf War a 
great number of Iraq's military weapons were destroyed, and 
since then more weapons have been deactivated and destroyed. 
Why not continue with an inspection system that guarantees 
the international world that this problem is under control 
without declaring a war, because a war means thousands of 
civilian and military casualties, and it will provoke the 
feeling of humiliation that the Islam world feels toward the 
U.S.  Why not continue with a method that maintains this 
country under control without a war. 
 
4. Another "Frente a Frente" talk show invited Ambassador 
Rafael Leiva Vivas, Director of the Diplomatic Academy of 
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Dr. Jose Maria Leiva, a 
university professor of International Relations, to analyze 
and evaluate a possible U.S. and Iraqi conflict. 
 
After both commentators discussed historical issues of past 
wars and conflict, they discussed the possibility of war 
between the U.S. and Iraq based in many respects on articles 
provided by PAS to both the invitees and the journalist. 
Rafael Leiva Vivas commented that the U.S has the right of 
self-defense as it is established under the rules of the 
United Nations because they were attacked by terrorists. 
 
5. Many other TV and Radio stations also have used the 
Washington File as supporting documents when they have 
commented on the conflict or when they have invited experts 
to talk about the U.S. and its allies. 
Palmer