VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSN #1037/01 2421858
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 291858Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY SAN SALVADOR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0019
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0151
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0345

C O N F I D E N T I A L SAN SALVADOR 001037 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2018 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ES
SUBJECT: FMLN CANDIDATE FUNES ON WIRETAPS, PARTISANSHIP, 
DEBATES, AND MORE 
 
Classified By: The Ambassador, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: FMLN Presidential Candidate Mauricio Funes 
told us August 26 the FMLN supported in principle legislation 
to legalize wiretapping for law enforcement, but could not 
support the constitutional amendment currently before the 
Assembly.  He had waffled on this in public earlier in the 
week.  FMLN Deputy Hugo Martinez said the FMLN would propose 
its own amendment that would provide stricter protection of 
civil liberties.  Funes and his wife complained about being 
harassed by the Ministry of Public Security.  Funes charged 
the GOES was seeking to convince military retirees that the 
FMLN intended to disband the armed forces, a charge he said 
was false.  He said CAFTA-DR was the law of the land and 
other trade deals (e.g., with Venezuela) must be compatible 
with it.  Funes said whoever wins the March 2009 election 
will face a difficult governing situation and he had reached 
out to ARENA candidate Avila in order to tone down the 
excessive confrontation of the campaign.  Funes said he had 
agreed to a television debate under the auspices of 
Salvadoran network TCS and CNN en Espanol; Avila has yet to 
agree.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) DCM and PolCouns met with (left-wing) FMLN 
Presidential candidate Mauricio Funes, his wife and Brazilian 
Embassy Cultural Attache Vanda Pignato, and FMLN Legislative 
Assembly Deputy Hugo Martinez August 26.  Pignato provided 
this answer to our question about the seeming conflict of 
interest: "I am a political appointee cultural attache until 
5:00 p.m. on work days.  Evenings and weekends I can campaign 
with Mauricio."  The Brazilian Ambassador was uncomfortable 
when he explained this arrangement to Ambassador Glazer 
earlier the same day. 
 
¶3. (C) Wiretapping: Funes said he and the FMLN recognized the 
need for wiretapping as a law enforcement tool, but that they 
could not support the proposal pending ratification by this 
assembly because it did not contain sufficient protections 
against abuse.  Martinez said the FMLN bloc was finalizing a 
draft constitutional amendment to present to the Legislative 
Assembly within two weeks.  (Note: A constitutional amendment 
is required to enable legal wiretapping requiring a simple 
majority in one legislature and a two-thirds super majority 
in the subsequent legislature.  End Note.)  Martinez 
reiterated Funes' line that the current proposal does not 
include sufficient controls to ensure wiretaps are used only 
for law enforcement purposes.  Martinez said the FMLN hoped 
to reach a consensus with other parties, including 
(center-right, pro-U.S.) ARENA to pass the proposal by a 
simple majority in the current Assembly and by a super 
majority when the new Assembly meets in May 2009. 
 
¶4. (C) Chavez/ALBA: Funes said he had been asked to react to 
media reports of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's comments 
in Honduras on that country's accession to ALBA.  Funes said 
he did not want to be commenting on every statement made by 
Chavez and told the media to redirect their questions to 
Caracas.  Media quoted CENTAM Parliamentarian Nidia Diaz as 
saying the FMLN would bring El Salvador into ALBA if they won 
in 2009.  Diaz, an FMLN hardliner, was in Honduras for the 
ceremony, and was photographed embracing Chavez.  Funes 
commented that El Salvador's existing trade agreements are 
the law of the land; if Venezuela wanted to make a new deal 
with El Salvador, it would have to be compatible with 
CAFTA-DR. 
 
¶5. (C) Alleged harassment: Funes said he was resigned to the 
fact that (he believes) his phones are tapped and that his 
movements are being followed by the GOES.  Pignato said she 
had recently denounced, via the Government of Brazil, that 
vehicles later traced back to the Ministry of Public Security 
had followed her in San Salvador, brandishing weapons and 
photographing her.  She said this was part of a campaign to 
paint her as a potentially dangerous first lady, including 
rumors that she is a follower of Santeria, is of questionable 
moral character, etc.  She alleged that her application for 
Salvadoran citizenship is being delayed for political 
purposes. 
 
¶6. (C) Cuba: Funes, who has promised to establish relations 
with Cuba if elected, described his visit to Cuba as a 
journalist (during the 1998 Papal visit) to interview Fidel 
Castro.  Responding to Funes' rapture over meeting Castro, 
DCM noted the totalitarian nature of the Cuban regime, 
contrasting it with the political freedoms and relative 
economic prosperity found in l Salvador.  Funes and his wife 
had mentioned tht they were animal lovers; DCM described to 
themhow Cuban state security had broken into their hous and 
poisoned their pet while serving at USINT/Hvana.  DCM also 
urged Funes to see Cuba through he eyes of Cuba's democratic 
opposition. 
 
¶7. (C) Military: Funes said the GOES was attempting to 
convince military retirees that the FMLN's platform plank for 
"demilitarization" indicated the FMLN intended to eliminate 
the Salvadoran Armed Forces.  Funes said he was on record as 
opposing excessive "militarism," but that the FMLN would 
support the constitutional role of the Armed Forces. 
 
¶8. (C) Polarization: Funes said he had reached out to rival 
candidate Rodrigo Avila with a proposal to tone down the 
confrontation in the campaign, but has received no response. 
He said whoever wins will have to govern beginning June 1, 
and El Salvador will be better served with a less polarized 
atmosphere.  Neither party, he predicted, will win a majority 
in the Assembly and thus will depend on votes from the 
opposition.  Funes agreed Avila is a decent man; he said he 
was much more concerned about those behind Avila. 
 
¶9. (C) Debates: Funes said he had accepted an offer from 
Telecorporacion Salvadorena (TCS, one of El Salvador's main 
TV networks) to participate in a debate organized by CNN en 
Espanol.  He said he was not concerned about participating in 
a debate under the auspices of TCS, despite the fact his TV 
career was spent on a competing network.  He said he was 
unaware of a response from the Avila camp.  Funes griped 
about his ongoing feud with El Salvador daily El Diario de 
Hoy, repeating standard complaints that the Salvadoran media 
is heavily controlled by the ruling party. 
 
¶10. (C) Comment: As always, Funes' statements were moderate 
and tailored for his audience.  His views on the polarization 
of Salvadoran politics and the difficulties facing the next 
President are on target although we doubt he is concerned 
about polarization if he loses.  The prospects for ARENA and 
the FMLN toning down the rhetoric of the campaign are slim, 
because each has a strong incentive to paint their opponent 
in extreme terms in order to garner the support of undecided 
voters.  On wiretaps, the FMLN only wants them in place after 
they win in 2009, while the ruling party is hesitant to 
approve them now because they fear the FMLN might win. 
Embassy continues to lobby all relevant sectors for passage 
of a wiretap law, as law enforcement is diminished without 
one in place. 
BLAU