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C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 000125 
 
NOFORN 
 
SIPDIS 
 
WHA FOR ASSISTANT SECRETARY VALENZUELA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/29/2020 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM CO HO
SUBJECT: SANTOS MEETING AT HONDURAN INAUGURATION 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Hugo Llorens, reason 1.4 (B and D) 
 
¶1.  (C/NOFORN)  Summary:  Assistant Secretary of State (A/S) for 
Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA) Arturo Valenzuela, Assistant 
Secretary of State for Economics, Energy and Business Affairs 
(EEB) Jose Fernandez, and Principal Deputy Assistant 
Secretary (PDAS) for Western Hemisphere Affairs Craig Kelly 
met with Colombian Vice-President Francisco Santos on January 
26 in conjunction with the U.S. and Colombian attendance at 
the inauguration events for President Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo. 
Vice President Santos told the U.S. delegation that the 
Government of Colombia (GOC) wanted to show its support for 
Honduras and the Lobo government in the wake of the election 
process.  Santos said Colombia could draw from its own 
experience in confronting narco-trafficking and crime to 
assist Honduras' new government in addressing these 
challenges.  WHA A/S Valenzuela thanked Colombia for its 
contributions to the Haiti relief effort.  Santos responded 
that Colombia's commitment to the Haitian relief effort 
underscored Colombia's solidarity with its hemispheric 
neighbors and proved that Colombia can provide valuable 
expertise and assistance.  WHA A/S Valenzuela highlighted the 
importance of bolstering electoral processes through 
strengthening institutions, which can only be viable if they 
are responsive to the people.  Vice President Santos, who 
generally described the Colombian economy in positive terms, 
expressed concern about the adverse effect on the Colombian 
economy if the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is 
not ratified.  WHA A/S Valenzuela responded that it would be 
difficult to achieve passage of an FTA in an election year, 
but that the U.S. would continue its efforts to do so. 
Santos also expressed concern that U.S. discussions with the 
Union of South American nations (UNASUR) would reopen the 
debate on Colombia's Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA); WHA 
A/S Valenzuela assured Santos that no meetings are currently 
planned and any future ones would be kept at a low level and 
would not endanger the DCA.  End summary. 
SUPPORT FOR THE NEW GOH 
----------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C/NOFORN)  The U.S. delegation to the inauguration of President 
Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo, which was led by WHA A/S Dr. Arturo 
Valenzuela and included EEB A/S Jose Fernandez, WHA PDAS 
Craig Kelly, Executive Assistant to the WHA A/S  Juan 
Gonzalez, and Protocol Officer Tanya Turner, met at the 
Ambassador's Residence with the Colombian delegation, which 
was led by Colombian Vice-President Francisco Santos, and 
included Chief of Cabinet German Manga.  The Ambassador and 
Colombian Ambassador to Honduras Sonia Marina Pereira 
Portilla also attended the meeting. 
 
¶3.  (C/NOFORN)  Vice President Santos explained that the GOC very 
much wanted to show its support for Honduras and the new Lobo 
government.  Vice President Santos had already visited 
Honduras after the November elections to congratulate the 
then president-elect and the GOC had been quick to return 
Ambassador Sonia Marina Pereira Portilla to her post in 
Honduras.  President Uribe himself had originally been 
scheduled to attend the inauguration, but had had to defer 
due to his commitments at the World Economic Forum in Davos, 
Switzerland.  Instead, he would visit and pay his respects to 
the new President on Saturday, January 30. 
 
¶4.  (C/NOFORN)  Vice President Santos described some of the economic 
and security challenges that Honduras faces and the ways in 
which Colombia could draw from its own experience in 
confronting narco-trafficking and crime, particularly 
kidnapping, to assist Honduras' new government in this time 
of transition.  He said that Colombia had developed good 
capability in surmounting similar challenges and thought that 
his country could add value by contributing law enforcement 
and judicial training assistance to aid in Honduras' fight 
against crime and narco-trafficking. 
 
LATIN AMERICA AND ISSUES OF DEMOCRACY 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C/NOFORN)  A/S Valenzuela thanked Colombia for its 
contributions to the Haiti relief effort.  Vice President 
Santos said he was pleased that his government had been able 
to move quickly to make significant contributions, including 
sending a military field hospital, search-and-rescue and 
emergency-reaction teams to Haiti, as well as hundreds of 
tons of relief supplies.  Vice President Santos said that 
Colombia's commitment to the Haitian relief effort 
underscored Colombia's solidarity with other nations in the 
hemisphere and had proven that Colombia has the ability to 
provide expertise and assistance that could be valuable to 
its neighbors. 
 
¶6.  (C/NOFORN)  Vice President Santos discussed Jose Miguel 
Insulza's bid for re-election as President of the 
Organization of American States (OAS).  Santos said that 
although Insulza had been targeted as being Chavez-friendly 
and a supporter of the Bolivarian Alliance for the People of 
the Americas (ALBA), Insulza had actually been helpful to 
Colombia and the Uribe administration.  Vice President Santos 
revealed that Insulza had supported Uribe's democratic 
security strategy and been supportive in the process of 
disarming the right-wing paramilitary.  Vice President Santos 
felt that Insulza had also been constructive in working with 
Colombia on strengthening democratic institutions and human 
rights.  According to Santos, Colombia is inclined to support 
Insulza's bid for a second term. 
 
¶7.  (C/NOFORN)  A/S Valenzuela highlighted the importance of 
democracy and the evolution of elections in Latin America in 
general, saying that there were lessons to be learned for all 
nations.  He emphasized the critical importance of bolstering 
electoral processes through strengthening institutions, and 
highlighted that the only way for those institutions to be 
viable was by ensuring that they responded to the real wants 
and needs of the people.  A/S Valenzuela stated that the key 
to consolidating democracy in Latin America was to ensure 
that institutions be transparent, responsive and relevant to 
political life.  He observed that populists, in trying to 
forge direct connections between the leader and the people, 
weaken and eventually destroy democratic institutions.  A/S 
Valenzuela criticized the notion that any one person is 
indispensable to the success of a country.  He said that a 
good leader fortifies institutions so that he or she can 
depart office knowing that democratic processes and 
principles will continue to thrive.  Vice President Santos 
joked that the message had hit its mark and that he 
understood Valenzuela's comments in reference to Colombia. 
A/S Valenzuela replied that his comments were not targeted at 
Colombia but were rather a comment about Latin America in 
general, and were equally true and applicable to the United 
States. 
 
ECONOMICS AND TRADE 
------------------- 
 
¶8.  (C/NOFORN)  Vice President Santos inquired about the status of 
the U.S. Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and expressed 
concern that the lack of a ratified FTA would adversely 
affect the Colombian economy and investment in Colombia.  A/S 
Valenzuela agreed that it would be difficult to get a clear 
vote on the FTA during an election year because of the 
sensitivity regarding trade issues in the U.S.  However, he 
reassured Santos that the U.S. administration would continue 
to work towards approval and that he hoped there would be 
opportunities beyond the elections. 
 
¶9.  (C/NOFORN)  Vice President Santos also conveyed the GOC's 
apprehension that U.S. discussions with the Union of South 
American Nations (UNASUR) would result in reopening of the 
debate on Colombia's Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA). 
A/S Valenzuela responded that there are currently no meetings 
scheduled with UNASUR at this time and that any discussions 
in the future would happen at a low level and would not 
endanger the DCA. 
 
¶10.  (C/NOFORN)  Vice President Santos discussed Colombia's economy 
in positive terms, stating that the GOC has recently 
uncovered huge deposits of oil and finds itself in a 
favorable situation in terms of electricity.  Santos 
mentioned that Colombia exports significant amounts of 
electricity to Ecuador, which is currently facing a drought. 
Furthermore, he explained that the GOC is interested in 
situating itself to sell power to Caribbean countries, 
including the Dominican Republic and Haiti, by completing an 
underground/underwater pipeline network. 
 
LLORENS