

Currently released so far... 12404 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
ASEC
AE
AF
AM
AR
AJ
AU
AORC
AG
AEMR
AMGT
APER
AGMT
AL
AFIN
AO
AMED
ADCO
AS
ABUD
ABLD
ASUP
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
APECO
AID
AND
AMBASSADOR
AN
ARM
AY
AODE
AMG
ASCH
AMCHAMS
ARF
APCS
APEC
ASEAN
AGAO
ANET
ADPM
ACOA
ACABQ
AORL
AFFAIRS
ATRN
ACS
AFSI
AFSN
ADANA
ASIG
AA
AX
AUC
AC
AECL
AADP
AGRICULTURE
AMEX
ACAO
ACBAQ
AQ
AORG
ADM
AINF
AIT
ASEX
AGR
AROC
ATFN
AFGHANISTAN
AFU
AER
ALOW
AZ
AVERY
BA
BY
BU
BR
BE
BL
BO
BK
BM
BILAT
BH
BEXP
BF
BTIO
BC
BBSR
BMGT
BTIU
BG
BWC
BB
BD
BX
BP
BRUSSELS
BN
BIDEN
BT
CW
CH
CF
CD
CV
CVIS
CM
CE
CA
CJAN
CLINTON
CIA
CU
CASC
CI
CO
CACM
CDB
CN
CMGT
CS
CG
CBW
CIS
CR
CONDOLEEZZA
CPAS
CAN
CWC
CY
COUNTER
CDG
CL
CT
CIC
CIDA
CSW
CHR
CB
CODEL
COUNTERTERRORISM
CTR
COM
CICTE
CFED
CJUS
CKGR
CBSA
CEUDA
CARSON
CONS
CITEL
CLMT
CROS
CITT
CAC
CVR
CDC
CAPC
COPUOS
CBC
CBE
CARICOM
COE
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
CACS
CTM
CNARC
ECON
EFIN
ETRD
EUN
EFIS
EG
ETTC
EZ
EPET
EAID
EAGR
ENRG
ECUN
EU
ELAB
ECPS
EAIR
EINV
ELTN
EWWT
EIND
EMIN
EI
ECIN
ENVR
ELECTIONS
EINVEFIN
EN
ES
ER
EC
EUC
EINT
EINVETC
ENGR
ET
EK
ENIV
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ECONOMY
EAP
EFTA
EUR
EUMEM
EXIM
ERD
ENERG
EUREM
ESA
ERNG
EXTERNAL
EPA
EINVECONSENVCSJA
ECONOMICS
ELN
EINN
EFINECONCS
ENNP
EEPET
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ENVI
ETRO
ESENV
ECINECONCS
ECONOMIC
EAIDS
EDU
ETRA
ETRN
EFIM
EIAR
ETRC
EAIG
EXBS
EURN
ECIP
EREL
ECA
ENGY
ECONCS
ECONEFIN
ETC
ETRDECONWTOCS
EUNCH
EINDETRD
IR
IZ
IS
IAEA
INRB
IRAJ
IQ
IN
IT
IMO
INTERPOL
ICAO
IO
IC
ITALY
ITALIAN
IRAQI
ICTY
ID
IPR
IWC
ILC
INTELSAT
IL
IBRD
IMF
IA
IRC
ICRC
ILO
ITU
ITRA
IV
IDA
IAHRC
ICJ
ISRAELI
IRS
INMARSAT
ISRAEL
ISLAMISTS
INDO
IZPREL
ITPHUM
ITPGOV
ITF
IBET
IEFIN
INR
IACI
INTERNAL
IDP
IGAD
IEA
ICTR
IIP
INRA
INRO
IF
KJUS
KSCA
KNNP
KU
KCOR
KCRM
KDEM
KTFN
KHLS
KPAL
KWBG
KACT
KGHG
KPAO
KTIA
KIRF
KWMN
KS
KG
KZ
KN
KMDR
KISL
KSPR
KHIV
KPRP
KAWK
KR
KUNR
KDRG
KCIP
KGCC
KTIP
KSUM
KPKO
KVIR
KAWC
KPIN
KGIC
KRAD
KIPR
KOLY
KCFE
KMCA
KE
KV
KICC
KNPP
KBCT
KSEP
KFRD
KFLU
KVPR
KOCI
KBIO
KSTH
KMPI
KCRS
KOMC
KTBT
KPLS
KIRC
KREL
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFLO
KBTS
KSTC
KTDB
KFSC
KX
KFTFN
KNEI
KIDE
KREC
KMRS
KICA
KPAONZ
KCGC
KSAF
KRGY
KCMR
KRVC
KVRP
KSEO
KCOM
KAID
KTEX
KNUC
KNAR
KNUP
KNNPMNUC
KLIG
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KCRCM
KHDP
KGIT
KNSD
KOMS
KWMM
KPAI
KHSA
KTLA
KO
KMFO
KRCM
KCSY
KSAC
KTRD
KPWR
KID
KWNM
KRIM
KPOA
KCHG
KOM
KSCI
KFIN
KMOC
KESS
KWAC
KMIG
KSEC
KIFR
KDEMAF
KPRV
KBTR
KERG
KTER
KDDG
KPAK
KRFD
KHUM
KDEV
KCFC
KWWMN
KWMNCS
KJUST
MARR
MOPS
MU
MTCRE
MNUC
MY
MASS
MCAP
MOPPS
MAR
MPOS
MO
ML
MR
MASC
MX
MD
MP
MA
MTRE
MIL
MCC
MZ
MK
MDC
MRCRE
MAPS
MV
MI
MEPN
MAPP
MEETINGS
MAS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MTCR
MG
MC
MARAD
MIK
MILITARY
MEDIA
MEPI
MUCN
MEPP
MT
MERCOSUR
MW
MASSMNUC
MQADHAFI
NZ
NATO
NG
NI
NO
NATIONAL
NU
NPT
NIPP
NL
NPG
NS
NA
NGO
NP
NSG
NDP
NAFTA
NR
NC
NH
NE
NSF
NPA
NK
NSSP
NRR
NATOPREL
NSC
NT
NW
NORAD
NEW
NV
NSFO
NAR
NASA
NZUS
OTRA
OVIP
OPRC
OPDC
OSCE
OAS
ODIP
OIIP
OFDP
OVP
OREP
OFFICIALS
OSAC
OEXC
OPCW
OIE
OIC
OFDA
OSCI
OPIC
OBSP
OECD
ON
OCII
OHUM
OES
OCS
OMIG
OPAD
OTR
PGOV
PREL
PHUM
PINR
PTER
PSOE
PINS
PARM
PK
PBTS
PEPR
PM
POLITICAL
PARTIES
PREF
PBIO
PROP
PA
PSI
PINT
PO
PKFK
PL
PAK
PE
POLITICS
PINL
POL
PHSA
PU
PF
POV
PFOR
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PARMS
PRGOV
PNAT
POLINT
PRAM
PMAR
PG
PAO
PROG
PRELP
PPA
PCUL
PSEPC
PSA
PREO
PAHO
PGIV
PREFA
PALESTINIAN
PAIGH
POSTS
PTBS
PGOVLO
PORG
PGOVE
PLN
PINF
PAS
PUNE
POLICY
PDEM
PDOV
PCI
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PBT
PHUMPGOV
PMIL
PNG
PP
PS
PHUH
PECON
POGOV
PY
PHUMPREL
PHUS
PRL
PGOC
PNR
PGGV
PROV
PTERE
PGOF
PHUMBA
PEL
RS
RU
RW
REGION
RP
RICE
ROBERT
RSP
RUPREL
RM
RO
RCMP
RSO
RELATIONS
REACTION
REPORT
RIGHTS
ROOD
RF
RFE
RIGHTSPOLMIL
SP
SA
SY
SF
SYR
SENV
SCUL
SOCI
SNAR
SO
SU
SG
STEINBERG
SHUM
SW
SMIG
SR
SZ
SIPRS
SI
SAARC
SPCE
SARS
SN
SYRIA
SANC
SL
SCRS
SC
SENVKGHG
SAN
SNARCS
SHI
SWE
SNARIZ
SIPDIS
SEN
SNARN
SPCVIS
SEVN
SSA
SH
SOFA
SK
ST
TPHY
TU
TRGY
TI
TX
TS
TW
TC
TFIN
TD
TSPA
TH
TT
TIP
TBIO
TSPL
TZ
TERRORISM
TRSY
TN
THPY
TINT
TF
TL
TV
TK
TO
TP
TURKEY
TNGD
TBID
TAGS
TR
UP
US
UNSC
UK
UZ
UE
UNESCO
UV
UNGA
UN
UNMIK
UNO
UY
UAE
UNEP
UG
UNHCR
UNHRC
USUN
UNAUS
USTR
USNC
USOAS
UNCHR
UNCSD
UNDP
USEU
USPS
UNDC
UNDESCO
UNCHC
UNFICYP
UNC
UNODC
UNPUOS
UNCND
UNICEF
UNCHS
UNVIE
USAID
UNIDROIT
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 08SANJOSE868, COSTA RICA APPRECIATIVE OF MERIDA PLAN, DESPITE
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08SANJOSE868.
VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHSJ #0868/01 3082302
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 032302Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0240
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUMIAGH/COMJTF-B SIMS SOTO CANO HO PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/DIRJIATF SOUTH PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUEABND/DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMIN HQ WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SAN JOSE 000868
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR WHA/CEN, WHA/PPC AND INL/LP;
PANAMA ALSO FOR LEGATT
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2018
TAGS: CS PGOV PHUM PINR PREL SNAR
SUBJECT: COSTA RICA APPRECIATIVE OF MERIDA PLAN, DESPITE
PRESIDENT'S COMPLAINTS
REF: A. SAN JOSE 389
¶B. SAN JOSE 586
¶C. SAN JOSE 596
Classified By: DCM Peter M. Brennan for reason 1.4(d).
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In our detailed briefings since October 1,
senior members of the GOCR in all three branches of
government, plus some opposition legislators, have reacted
positively and appreciatively to the Merida Initiative. This
positive private reaction has contrasted sharply to President
Arias' repeated public complaints about the paucity of USG
assistance, including Merida (septel). However, most of our
interlocutors politely suggested that far more assistance is
needed to deal with the deteriorating domestic security
environment here. As in other prospective Merida recipient
countries, they also wanted to know when the assistance would
actually start flowing. Our briefees included, among others,
former Vice-President/Minister of Justice Laura Chinchilla;
Minister of Public Security Janina Del Vecchio; President of
the Supreme Court Luis Paulino Mora; and key members of the
national legislature from the committees most interested in
Merida issues. END SUMMARY.
====================================
MERIDA BRIEFINGS WELL RECEIVED . . .
====================================
¶2. (U) While waiting for the Merida funding details to be
hammered out in Washington, we used the month of October to
brief all three branches of government. From the executive
branch, we briefed the Ministry of the Presidency, Ministry
of Public Security, Ministry of Justice, the Costa Rican Drug
Institute (ICD, roughly equivalent to the U.S. ONDCP), and
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From the judicial branch,
we briefed the President of the Supreme Court and the
Director of the Judicial Police. From the national
parliament, our audience was four members from the key
counternarcotics and domestic security committees.
¶3. (SBU) All were grateful for the assistance that Merida
would bring, but emphasized that much more was needed to
truly put domestic security on the right path in Costa Rica.
None complained about the 15 percent reporting requirement
related to human rights issues. We made a point of
assembling an inter-agency team (State, DoD or USCG and DEA)
to conduct these briefings, to underscore Merida's holistic
approach.
¶4. (SBU) Due to the decentralized manner in which Costa Rica
approaches law enforcement issues, we will have to sign
Letters of Agreement (LOA) with four separate ministries to
implement Merida. The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) will
receive the lion's share of funding, and will sign the
biggest LOA, covering four of the seven specific programs for
Costa Rica from FY 2008-appropriated Merida funds: Regional
Maritime Interdiction, Improved Policing/Police Equipment,
Improved Border Inspection, and OAS Stockpile Management and
Destruction. The other three LOAs will be signed with the
Supreme Court, the Ministry of the Presidency/ICD, and the
Ministry of Justice (see details below).
=======================
BY THE MINISTRIES . . .
=======================
¶5. (SBU) Minister Del Vecchio appreciated the briefing and
instructed her operational commanders to work with us to
develop the best spending plans possible, particularly with
the police assistance funds. We plan to concentrate that
funding on improving police communications, purchasing
vehicles with off-road capabilities, police
professionalization training, and improvement of the K-9
units. The spending plans for maritime activities are well
known and covered in Refs and the Merida documents.
¶6. (SBU) The Ministry of the Presidency, via the ICD, will
direct the Center for Drug Crime Intelligence (CDI). VM for
Security Issues Jose Torres told us he had received a
regional-level briefing on the Merida Initiative in Honduras
recently and thanked us for our focus on the bilateral
aspects of the plan. Torres believed the plan was "just what
Costa Rica needed," though he agreed that more assistance was
necessary. ICD will manage the CDI in coordination with the
two other major entities that will be connected to the
Center, the Drug Control Police (PCD) and the Narcotics
Section of the Judicial Police (OIJ).
¶7. (SBU) Although not directly involved in Merida, we briefed
Alex Solano, Deputy Director for Foreign Policy, and relevant
senior MFA officials. They also welcomed the briefing, in
particular because the other GOCR agencies involved had not
shared Merida details. We stressed to Solano and his team
that President Arias' continued public criticism of Merida
would not work in Costa Rica's favor. Our interlocutors "got
it," and Solano in particular appreciated that Costa Rica
only had limited absorptive capacity to use security
assistance productively.
¶8. (SBU) We also explained the 15 percent reporting
requirement, which was of particular interest to FM Bruno
Stagno (who had earlier asked the Ambassador for details).
Addressing Stagno's specific concerns, we highlighted that
Mexico did not have lighter requirements than the Central
American countries, and noted that Costa Rica, because of its
well-known record on human rights, should be able to meet the
15 percent requirement easily.
¶9. (SBU) We briefed then-Minister of Justice (and then-Vice
President) Chinchilla on the Merida initiative because prison
management falls under the MOJ. Speaking of CAFE, Chinchilla
stressed that Costa Rica's fingerprint network needed to be
digitized to interconnect various domestic security services,
including OIJ, Fuerza Publica (the regular cops), and the
penitentiary system. VM Fernando Ferraro explained that the
GOCR did not even have accurate fingerprints (and therefore
accurate identities) of many of the prisoners in the national
penal system. He hoped that CAFE might help address this
problem.
¶10. (U) NOTE: Chinchilla has since resigned from both jobs as
Minister of Justice and Vice-President to pursue her party's
nomination for President in 2010. We plan to brief the new
Minister of Justice, Viviana Martin, soon. END NOTE.
=====================
BY THE JUDICIARY. . .
=====================
¶11. (SBU) The Supreme Court, via the Judicial Police (OIJ; a
rough equivalent to the FBI), will be responsible for the
integration of the Central American Fingerprint Exchange
(CAFE) system. Supreme Court President Mora appreciated the
brief and instructed the Director of OIJ, Jorge Rojas, to
take the lead for the GOCR on CAFE. Along with our FBI
regional attache in Panama, we will coordinate with OIJ to
get Costa Rica on board.
============================
AND BY THE LEGISLATURE . . .
============================
¶12. (SBU) In a wide-ranging briefing on law enforcement and
counternarcotics issues, legislators Federico Tinoco (PLN,
Chairman of the Counternarcotics Committee), Luis Antonio
Barrantes (ML, Chairman of the Domestic Security Committee);
Marvin Rojas (PAC, ex-Chairman of the CN Committee); and
Olivier Perez (PAC, member of the Domestic Security
Committee) appreciated our transparency on Merida. Perez, a
judge by background, agreed that the 15 percent eporting
requirement was a reasonable mechanism o ensure compliance
with human rights protections in the region. Although from
opposing parties, all four legislators agreed that law
enforcement and security issues should generate multi-party
cooperation, instead of partisan bickering.
=======================
BUT, SHOW US THE MONEY!
=======================
¶13. (SBU) While we anticipated questions on Merida's 15
percent "reporting requirements," all interlocutors were far
more concerned to put the plan into effect as soon as
possible. All entities that would sign LOAs were anxious to
get the process moving and asked us when we could expect to
receive funding. We explained that the process was on-going
and that we expected to receive draft LOAs soon from the
INL-funded programs. Similar letters from DoD, covering the
re-started FMF program in Costa Rica (which will fund
equipment for the coast guard), may take longer to generate
and complete. (NOTE: On October 31 the Costa Rican Chief of
Police, Erick Lacayo, politely asked us again when the Merida
funding would begin. Lacayo, who will be joined by VM
Marcela Chacon and Coast Guard Director Martin Arias, will
travel to El Salvador on November 6-7 for the SICA/Merida
meeting. We expect the Costa Rica delegation to push for
speedy delivery of Merida funding as well as inquire about
future funding amounts for FY2009 and FY2010 from Merida.
END NOTE.)
=======
COMMENT
=======
¶14. (C) We have quietly but firmly pushed back against
President Oscar Arias' continued complaints that Merida is
"stingy". His sentiments have not been strongly endorsed nor
loudly echoed by the ministers and their teams who will make
Merida a reality here. Many acknowledge that the President
is following his own course, and not taking others' council
these days. However, GOCR security officials know they need
help, and for them, more help is always better, and USG help
is preferred. The best way to demonstrate our talking point
that "Merida FY08 is only a down payment," to provide the
tools Costa Rica needs to help itself, and to counter Arias'
complaints, is to start delivering the assistance as promised.
CIANCHETTE