MEETING WITH PRESIDENT MONGE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88B00443R000401950017-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 3, 2011
• Sequence Number: 17
• Publication Date: April 22, 1986
• Content Type: CABLE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/29: CIA-RDP88B00443R000401950017-8
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STU9138
00 RUEHC RUEHLL
DE RUEHBO #5587/01 1112001
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
0 2120002 APR 86
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7667
INFO RUEHLL/CONTADORA COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
BT
E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR
TAGS: PREL, C5, XK
SUBJECT: MEETING WITH PRESIDENT MONDE
2. SUMMARY: PRESIDENT MONDE AND FOREIGN MINISTER
GUTIERREZ TOLD ME THAT COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT BETANCUR HAD
ADVISED THEM THAT NICARAGUA WAS PREPARED TO SIGN THE
CONTADORA ACTA ON JUNE 6. BOTH REMAINED SKEPTICAL,
HOWEVER, AND BELIEVED THAT NICARAGUA WAS JUST PLAYING A
GAME TO BUY TIME. NEGOTIATIONS ON THE TWO REMAINING
ISSUES OF ARMS LEVELS AND MANEUVERS WOULD RESUME
SHORTLY. I STRESSED THAT ANY AGREEMENT MUST BE
COMPREHENSIVE, VERIFIABLE, AND SIMULTANEOUS, AND THAT
CONCESSIONS WHICH WEAKENED THE TREATY MUST NOT BE MADE
IN ORDER TO GET NICARAGUA TO SIGN. THEY FULLY AGREED
AND BELIEVED THAT THE CENTRAL AMERICAN DEMOCRACIES WERE
BECOMING MORE UNIFIED IN THEIR OPPOSITION TO NICARAGUA,
WITH GUATEMALA MOVING CLOSER TO THE CORE 3.
3. MONDE AND GUTIERREZ WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE LEVEL
OF U.S. REPRESENTATION AT THE ARIAS INAUGURATION. THEY
NOTED THAT VICE PRESIDENT BUSH HAD ATTENDED THE
INAUGURATIONS IN GUATEMALA AND HONDURAS. AND THAT THE
LEVEL OF OUR DELEGATION WOULD BE INTERPRETED AS AN
INDICATION OF U.S. COMMITMENT TO DEMOCRACY IN COSTA
RICA. THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE DISCOURAGING DANIEL
ORTEGA FROM ATTENDING THE INAUGURATION. ARIAS INTENDED
TO HOLD A MEETING OF THE PRESIDENTS ATTENDING THE
INAUGURATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF PUTTING PRESSURE ON
NICARAGUA. WITHOUT COMMENTING ON THE NATURE OF U.S.
REPRESENTATION I UNDERSCORED THE IMPORTANCE THAT NOTHING
OCCUR WHICH WOULD EMBARRASS OR CRITICIZE THE U.S.. AND
THEY READILY CONCURRED.
4. THEY EXPECTED A CONFRONTATION AT ESOUIPULAS OVER THE
CENTRAL AMERICAN PARLIAMENT, WITH NICARAGUA REFUSING
DIRECT ELECTIONS. THEY BELIEVED THAT BOTH POLITICALLY
AND ECONOMICALLY, THE CENTRAL AMERICAN DEMOCRACIES WERE
MOVING TO ISOLATE NICARAGUA. END SUMMARY
~ Cn ~ CT
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5. ON APRIL 20, AMBASSADOR TAMBS ANO I MET WITH
PRESIDENT MONDE AND FOREIGN MINISTER GUITERREZ. MONDE
SAID THAT EETANCUR HAD NOTIFIED HIM ON APRIL 18 THAT THE
SANDINISTAS WOULD BE PREPARED TO SIGN THE ACTA ON
JUNE 6. MONDE AND GUITERREZ WERE NOT CONVINCED,
HOWEVER, AND THEY BELIEVED T, HAT THE SANOINISTAS WERE
SIMPLY PLAYING A GAME TO BUY TIME. THEY EXPECTED THAT
WHEN JUNE 6 CAME, NICARAGUA WOULD NOT SIGN THE
AGREEMENT. I SUGGESTED THAT NICARAGUA'S SUPPOSED
WILLINGNESS TO SIGN MIGHT BE LINKED TO ITS DEMAND THAT
THE U.S. MAKE FORMAL COMMITMENTS AND THUS MIGHT BE
NOTHING NEW AT ALL. MONDE ADDED THAT HE WAS MORE
CONCERNED ABOUT NICARAGUA SIGNING THAN REFUSING TO SIGN,
SINCE THE SANDINISTAS WOULD NOT LIVE UP TO THE AGREEMENT.
6. GUTIERREZ BELIEVED THAT THE SANDINISTAS WOULD TAKE
PART IN THE NEGOTIATIONS BUT WOULD THEN REFUSE TO SIGN.
HE SAID THAT NICARAGUAN FOREIGN MINISTER D'ESCOTO'S
PERFORMANCE AT THE APRIL PANAMA MEETING REVEALED CLEARLY
THE SANDINISTAS' INTENTION NOT TO SIGN. HE REFERRED TO
D'ESCOTO'S REMARKS ABOUT THE SAN ANDRES ISLAND DISPUTE
AS ONE INDICATION. HE ALSO CITED THE INTENSIVE EFFORT
BY THE OTHER 12 FOREIGN MINISTERS TO PERSUADE D'ESCOTO
TO SIGN A DRAFT STATEMENT. THE OTHER 12 EXTENDED THE
MEETING UNTIL MONDAY AND WROTE A SECOND DRAFT JUST TO
SATISFY NICARAGUA, BUT THEN D'ESCOTO REJECTED THE SECOND
DRAFT AS WORSE THAN THE FIRST. IT WAS AT THIS POINT
THAT THE CONTADORA AND SUPPORT GROUPS DECIDED TO ISSUE A
STATEMENT IN THEIR OWN NAMES THAT CALLED UPON THE FIVE
CENTRAL AMERICAN STATES TO RESPOND. THEY SAW THIS AS A
WAY OF PUTTING PRESSURE ON NICARAGUA.
7. GUTIERREZ SAID THAT NEGOTIATIONS ON THE REMAINING
TWO ISSUES, ARMS LEVELS AND MANEUVERS, HAD BEEN DELAYED
BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF OTHER MEETINGS IN THE PAST
WEEKS. HE EXPECTED THE NEGOTIATIONS TO RESUME SHORTLY,
WITH EITHER A SERIES OF SHORT MEETINGS OR POSSIBLY ONE
LONG MEETING. HE STATED THAT THE JUNE 6 DATE WAS FIRM
AND THAT THE CREDIBILITY OF THE CONTADORA PROCESS WOULD
BE DAMAGED IF IT WERE NOT MET. I STRESSED THAT THE U.S.
COULD ONLY SUPPORT A TREATY WHICH WAS COMPREHENSIVE,
VERIFIABLE, AND SIMULTANEOUS. I ADDED THAT THE
S E C R E T SECTION 02 OF 03 BOGOTA 05587
E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR
TAGS: PREL, CS, XK
SUBJECT: MEETING WITH PRESIDENT MONDE
AGREEMENT MUST FULLY INCORPORATE ALL OF THE 21 CONTADURA
OBJECTIVES AND MUST CONTAIN PRECISE LANGUAGE DEFINING
THE COMMITMENTS MADE. IN THE POLITICAL AREA,. FOR
EXAMPLE, NICARAGUA'S OBLIGATIONS MUST BE SPELLED OUT SO
THAT THE SANDINISTAS CANNOT CLAIM THAT THEIR 1984
ELECTION AND THEIR CONSTITUTION CURRENTLY BEING DRAFTED
SATISFY THEIR COMMITMENT TO DEMOCRATIZATION. I FURTHER
? WARNED ABOUT THE DANGERS OF PARTIAL AGREEMENTS AND THOSE
WHICH MIGHT LET THE SANDINISTAS ESCAPE IN THE FUTURE.
WE BELIEVED THAT NO TREATY WAS BETTER THAN A BAD
TREATY. GUTIERREZ GAVE ASSURANCES THAT THE DEMOCRACIES
WOULD NEVER GIVE NICARAGUA THE CHANCE TO WEAKEN THE
ACTA, AND THAT THEY WtlULD NOT FALL INTO A SANDINISTA
TRAP. HE SUGGESTED THAT 'dE KEEP IN CLOSE CONTACT AS THE
FINAL LANGUAGE WAS PREPARED. I TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD
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SOON SEND DOWN A TEAM OF EXPERTS TO CONSULT WITH HI5
NEGOTIATORS.
8. MONDE ASKED ABOUT THE U.S. POSITION ON ORTEGA'S
DEMAND FOR SPECIFIC U.S. COMMITMENTS AS PART OF THE
FINAL AGREEMENT. I RESPONDED THAT NICARAGUA HAD NOT
MADE ANY FORMAL PROPOSAL TO US ABOUT THIS. IT APPEARED
TO BE ANOTHER SANDINISTA EFFORT TO RETURN TO
BILATERALISM. I ADDED THAT THE SANDINISTAS SHOULD LOOK
TO CONTADORA FOR SOLUTIONS, NOT BILATERAL DEALS WITH THE
U.S. MONDE SUGGESTED THAT ORTEGA'S DEMANDS WERE REALLY
DIRECTED AT AFFECTING THE U.S. CONGRESS.
9. MONDE AND GUTIERREZ EXPRESSED CONFIDENCE THAT THE
CORE 4 WERE COOPERATING EFFECTIVELY. THEY WERE PLEASED
THAT GUATEMALA WAS DRAWING CLOSER TO THE OTHER
DEMOCRACIES. GUTIERREZ REMARKED THAT THE PANAMA MEETING
HAD BEEN GUATEMALAN FOREIGN MINISTER QUINONEZ' FIRST
EXPERIENCE WITH THE SANDINISTAS, AND IT HAD BEEN A REAL
EYE-OPENER.
10. GUTIERREZ EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LEVEL OF
THE U.S. DELEGATION WHICH WILL ATTEND THE ARIAS
INAUGURATION. HE RECALLED THAT VICE PRESIDENT BUSH HAD
ATTENDED THE INAUGURATIONS OF BOTH CEREZO IN GUATEMALA
AND AZCONA IN HONDURAS. HE INSISTED THAT THE LEVEL OF
THE DELEGATION WOULD BE WIDELY INTERPRETED AS AN
INDICATION OF THE U.S. COMMITMENT TO COSTA RICAN
DEMOCRACY, CLEARLY IMPLYING THAT A DELEGATION LED BY
ANYONE BELOW THE VICE PRESIDENT WOULD BE PERCEIVED :'S A
LACK OF COMMITMENT TO COSTA RICA. HE NOTED THAT SOMi S:F
THE PRESS HAD ALREADY BEGUN TO SPECULATE ABOUT THIS.
REPLIED THAT THE LIBYAN CRISIS HAD BEEN THE DOMINANT
FOCUS IN WASHINGTON IN RECENT WEEKS, BUT THA7 A DECISION
ON THE DELEGATION WOULD BE MADE SHORTLY. I STRESSED
THAT IT WOULD BE VERY BAD IF ANYTHING EMBARRASSING OR
CRITICAL OF THE iJ.S. WERE TO OCCUR DURING THE
INAUGURATION. THEY FULLY AGREED.
11. MONDE SAID THAT WHILE COSTA RICA HAD GENERALLY SENT
OUT INVITATIONS TO HEADS OF STATE BY NAME, THEY DID NOT
SPECIFICALLY INVITE NICARAGUA'S DANIEL ORTEGA. FOR
MONGE'S OWN INAUGURATION SEVERAL YEARS AGO, COSTA RICA
SENT OUT AN INVITATION SIMPLY TO THE NICARAGUAN
GOVERNMENT AND NOT SPECIFICALLY TO THEN JUNTA
COORDINATOR ORTEGA WITH THE RESULT THAT ORTEGA FELT
SLIGHTED AND REFUSED TO ATTEND. THE COSTA RICANS SENT
THE CURRENT INVITATION IN THE SAME WAY IN HOPE OF
ACHEIVING THE SAME RESULT. IN ADDITION, THEY SENT
ORTEGA A MESSAGE SUGGESTING THAT HE NOT COME ON THE
GROUNDS THAT THE INAUGURATION WILL TAKE PLACE IN A
STADIUM HOLDING TENS OF THOUSANDS PEOPLE. SINCE ORTEGA
WAS VERY UNPOPULAR IN COSTA RICA, HE MIGHT WELL BE
JEERED AT BY THE CROWD, AND THERE WOULD BE NOTHING THE
GOCR COULD DO TO PREVENT IT. MONDE ADDED THAT COSTA
RICA STILL DID NOT KNOW WHO WOULD LEAD THE DELEGATION
FROM MANAGUA.
12. MONDE SAID THAT ARIAS WOULD HOLD A SPECIAL MEETING
ON MAY 8 FOR THE PRESIDENTS WHO ATTENDED THE
INAUGURATION. THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETING WOULD BE TO
PUT PRESSURE ON NICARAGUA. HE ANTICIPATED THAT THE
PRESENCE OF PEOPLE SUCH AS PERU'S ALAN GARCIA COULD
LIMIT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS PRESSURE, HOWEVER.
GUTIERREZ ADDED THAT THE FOREIGN MINISTRY WAS CURRENTLY
WORKING ON A DRAFT DECLARATION.
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13. I INOUIREU ABOUT ARIAS' CALENDAR FOR NICARAGUAN
DEMOCRATIZATION. GUTIERREZ RESPONDED THAI" HE HAD NOT
DISCUSSED THE ISSUE WITH FOREIGN MINISTER DESIGNATE
MADRIGAL. I COMMENTED THAT A CALENDAR dI"fH SPECIFIC
S E C R E T SECTION 03 OF 03 BOGOTA 05587
E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR
"TAGS: PREL, CS, XK
SUBJECT: MEETING WITH PRESIDENT MONDE
14. GUTIERREZ SAID THAT HE EXPECTED A CONFRONTATION
OVER THE CENTRAL AMERICAN PARLIAMENT DURING THE
ESQUIPULAS MEETING. HE SAID THAT THE DEMOCRACIES WOULD
DEMAND DIRECT ELECTIONS, AND THAT COSTA RICA EVEN WANTED
A COMMON REGIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION. HE EXPECTED
THAT DIRECT ELECTIONS WOULD BE UNACCEPTABLE TO
NICARAGUA. HE SAID THAT ORIGINALLY, GUATEMALA HAD
PROPOSED HAVING APPOINTED MEMBERS FOR SIX MONTHS. HE
ATTRIBUTED THIS TO VICE PRESIDENT CARPIO, WHO INTENDED
IT TO BE A CONCESSION TO NICARAGUA. GUATEMALAN FOREIGN
MINISTER QUINONEZ HAD BEEN AGAINST THIS POSITION AND
FAVORED DIRECT ELECTIONS.
15. MONDE NOTED THAT THE CENTRAL AMERICAN DEMOCRACIES
WERE DRAWING CLOSER IN ECONOMIC MATTERS JUST AS THEY
WERE IN POLITICAL MATTERS. HE JUDGED THIS TO BE
ESSENTIAL TO THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY OF THE REGION.
NICARAGUA WAS BEING ISOLATED, AS ONLY DEMOCRACIES WERE
ALLOWED IN THIS NEW CLUB. NICARAGUA WAS IRRITATED OVER
ITS GROWING ISOLATION. IT HAD SENT A LETTER TO THE CORE
4 COMPLAINING ABOUT THEIR TIES WITH THE U.S. AND THE
FACT THAT THE U.S. GAVE THEM LARGE SUMS OF AID BUT GAVE
NICARAGUA NOTHING. MONDE HAD RESPONDED THAT THE SOVIETS
WERE PROVIDING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF AID TO NICARAGUA BUT
NONE TO THE REST OF CENTRAL AMERICA.
16. I EXPRESSED OUR GRATITUDE FOR THE COOPERATION MONDE
HAD GIVEN US THROUGHOUT HIS ADMINISTRATION. I WAS
GRATIFIED THAT OUR VIEWS WERE SO SIMILAR. I SUGGESTED
THAT AS HE MOVES INTO RETIREMENT, HE SHOULD BECOME A
MAJOR SPOKESMAN FOR THE CENTRAL AMERICAN DEMOCRACIES,
TRAVELING PARTICULARLY TO WESTERN EUROPE TO EXPLAIN THE
REALITIES OF THE REGION.
17. COMMENT: I BELIEVE MONDE WILL CONTINUE TO BE
HELPFUL TO OUR INTERESTS IN RETIREMENT. HE IS A STRONG
SUPPORTER OF PRESIDENT REAGAN AND OUR POLICY TOWARD
NICARAGUA. I WAS STRUCK BY THE STRENGTH OF MONDE AND
GUTIERREZ' NEWS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF VICE PRESIDENT BUSH
HEADING THE U.S. DELEGATION TO ARIAS' INAUGURATION.
TAMES WILL BE FOLLOWING UP ON THIS. IN THAT REGARD, I
WISH TO RECORD MY VIEW THAT IT WILL BE A GRATUITOUS AND
REGRETTABLE INSULT TO A FRIENDLY, DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY TO
ALTER OUR REPRESENTATION FROM WHAT IT WAS ON THE TWO
RECENT SIMILAR CENTRAL AMERICAN OCCASIONS. IT WOULD
ALSO BE VIEWED CRITICALLY ELSEWHERE IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH
AMERICAN AND WITH GLEE IN MANAGUA. GILLESPIE##
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/29: CIA-RDP88B00443R000401950017-8