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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 001115 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA, INL AND EEB 
TREASURY FOR ANNA JEWELL AND SARAH SENICH 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2018 
TAGS: EFIN ECON PGOV KINL PREL SOCI SNAR PBTS PNAT
KDEM, HO 
SUBJECT: SICA ANNOUNCES STRATEGY TO DEAL WITH GLOBAL 
ECONOMIC CRISIS 
 
TEGUCIGALP 00001115  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Hugo Llorens for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1.    1. (SBU) Summary: Central American leaders announced a 
59-point regional strategy at the 33rd summit of the Central 
American Integrated System (SICA) in San Pedro Sula December 
5 covering a range of topics from security and financial 
cooperation, to tourism, environment and migration.  In 
response to predicted impact of the global financial crisis, 
the countries agreed to study the feasibility of adopting of 
a common Central American currency and creating a regional 
monetary fund.  Honduran President Manuel "Mel" Zelaya passed 
the SICA presidency to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega 
during the summit. The strategy was announced against a 
backdrop of division within the Honduran government on its 
IMF standby agreement.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Central American Integrated System (SICA) summit 
in San Pedro Sula December 4 and 5 concluded with the 
announcement of a 59-point strategic plan that covered a 
range of political, security and economic issues.  The public 
statement by SICA said the plan was designed to stave off 
economic downturn in Central America in the face of the 
global financial crisis.  Leaders of the SICA member states 
jointly agreed to promote fiscal stability through prudent 
monetary measures and to create a joint credit fund, the 
parameters of which are undefined.  The leaders also agreed 
to create a Central American common currency and a common 
passport.  However, a senior official at the Honduran Central 
Bank told econoff the measures were unrealistic and that he 
believed SICA is unlikely to follow through with 
implementation, especially on the common currency. 
 
¶3. (U) The SICA plan covered a number of security issues, 
highlighting the need for a combined security strategy for 
Central America and Mexico.  SICA members reiterated the 
importance of prompt ratification of the Central American 
Treaty on Detentions and Extradition, referenced activities 
to combat youth violence, and encouraged further cooperation 
within the Police Directors, Commission of Central America. 
Appreciation for USG assistance in the security area was 
mentioned, as was a desire to continue a dialogue with both 
Mexico and the United States on the Merida Initiative and 
security issues in general. 
¶4. (SBU) The financial elements of the SICA strategy were 
announced against the backdrop of increasing divisions 
between the Honduran Finance Ministry and the Central Bank 
over the future of the IMF Standby Agreement Honduras signed 
in April 2008. Central Bank President Edwin Araque has taken 
a hard-line position and publicly criticized the IMF. 
Nevertheless, Finance Minister Rebecca Santos wants to 
re-engage the Fund and told the Ambassador she intends to be 
in Washington December 19 for IMF staff talks.  In the 
private sector, there are also divisions between those who 
believe an IMF agreement is the only way to ensure 
macroeconomic stability and others who believe an 
IMF-mandated devaluation of the exchange rate could ignite 
inflation and lower living standards for Hondurans. 
 
¶5. (U) The summit marked the end of President Zelaya's 
six-month term as SICA President pro tempore.  He was 
succeeded by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. 
 
¶6. (C) Comment: The 59-point plan contains an extremely broad 
range of goals, most with little specifics on how they will 
be accomplished.  Though many of the statements serve as 
appropriate reminders of the potential for increased regional 
cooperation, we expect only minimal progress in the short 
term.  The security agreements may be more serious, 
especially if the countries can use the opportunities 
presented by the Merida Initiative to increase regional 
cooperation.  The idea of a common currency is not new, and 
 
TEGUCIGALP 00001115  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
there are many barriers to suggest the Central American 
commitment to this idea is low.  In the case of Honduras, at 
the recent ALBA meeting, President Zelaya did not object to 
the proposal to create a common currency for members of that 
organization.   Beyond the statement of good intentions, we 
doubt Honduras has a serious commitment any time soon to 
either plan.  However, the U.S. economic crisis could have a 
major negative impact on Central American economies.  In this 
regard, hard economic reality hopefully will force the 
Central Americans to adopt prudent monetary and fiscal 
policies and to seek to coordinate these polices. End Comment. 
LLORENS