Charles Ford: Manuel Zelaya "is not a friend"

Caricatura de Allan McDonal

Diario El País ha publicado un cable secreto de la embajada de Estados Unidos en Honduras, a partir del cual dicho medio ha redactado el artículo periodístico Manuel Zelaya: "La caricatura del caudillo terrateniente". El cable aparece con fecha 15 de mayo de 2008 con la firma de Charles Ford, ex embajador de USA en Honduras. En el cable Ford hace algunas reflexiones personales acerca de la figura de Manuel Zelaya. Las opiniones sobre el carácter de Manuel Zelaya es apenas la parte amarillista del cable. La carne está en la descripción de los puntos de vista de Mel acerca de EUA: 

"...his views of the United States, and on what his presidency means for our interest in the region with the objective of informing future policy choices".

Dejemos entonces un poco al margen los detalles que publica El País acerca del perfil redactado por Charles Ford. Veamos algunos fragmentos del documento donde Ford describe a Mel con "ansia de mostrar su falta de respeto por las figuras de autoridad" (anxious to show his lack of respect for authority figures.)

¿Falta de respeto hacia qué figuras de autoridad? Charles Ford (Estados Unidos de América), Cardenal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez (Iglesia Católica), Roberto Micheletti (Congreso Nacional), Luis Alberto Ávila Rubí (Fiscal General), Jorge Rivera Avilez (Corte Suprema). Y seguro que irrespeto hacia otras figuras de autoridad que actúan desde la oscuridad. 

Cada fragmento muestra lo que no es secreto, la injerencia de EUA en los asuntos vitales de Honduras. La necesidad de la casta política del país por obtener siempre el beneplácito del embajador estadounidense, la elección de funcionarios por parte de la embajada para conformar el engranaje gubernamental de estas honduras o los riesgos que corre quien ose ir en dirección contraria a la definida por USA.

1. Manuel Zelaya no hace caso a Bush ni a Charles Ford en relación a Petrocaribe.

¶4. (S) In the period May-June 2006, Zelaya pressed me hard to obtain President Bush,s approval of his plan to join PetroCaribe. When he met in early June with President Bush who confirmed our strong opposition to his intention, Zelaya later told me that he was surprised that this item had been on our agenda. In short, over an almost three year period it has become crystal clear to me that Zelaya,s views change by the day or in some cases by the hour, depending on his mood and who he has seen last.

2. "En una palabra, él no es un amigo", dice Charles Ford. El ex embajador define a Manuel Zelaya como un enemigo (not a friend, en mayo de 2008) por sus opiniones y posiciones. Un enemigo para los intereses de Estados Unidos en la región.

¶10. (S) I have found Zelaya,s real views of the United States hidden not too very deeply below the surface. In a word, he is not a friend. His views are shaped not by ideology or personal ambitions but by an old-fashioned nationalism where he holds the United States accountable for Honduras, current state of poverty and dependency. Zelaya,s public position against the Contra War and against the establishment of Joint Task Force Bravo at Soto Cano Air TEGUCIGALP 00000459 003 OF 004 Force Base are manifestations of this underlying viewpoint.

3. Al ex embajador Charles Ford no le agrada que Mel nombre a Jorge Arturo Reina como embajador de Honduras ante las Naciones Unidas. Finaliza el párrafo 11 diciendo que la votación de Honduras en la ONU, en términos de coincidencia con las posiciones de EUA, es la más baja en décadas. Problema que ya está resuelto con Lizzy Flores como embajadora de Honduras ante la ONU. Un ejemplo de que nuestro país de nuevo coincide plenamente con los intereses de EUA es la formalización de relaciones diplomáticas entre Honduras y Kosovo. Estados Unidos está alineando a todos sus aliados para que voten a favor de la independencia de Kosovo. Independencia que la ONU todavía no acepta.

¶11. (S) Other behavior by the President confirms, in my view, the depth of his feeling. While Zelaya was open to our point of view of the selection of key members of his Cabinet, he was absolutely closed to listening to us on his appointment of his Ambassador to the OAS and to his appointment of Jorge Arturo Reina as Ambassador to the UN. The Honduran voting record in the UN in terms of coincidence with US positions is at the lowest point in decades.

4. Zelaya no es amigo de Estados Unidos porque en público y privado critica la injerencia de esa nación en la política hondureña:

¶12. (S) More revealing, at public events with key officials present, Zelaya will make clear that anyone interested in becoming President of the country needs first to get the blessing of the American Ambassador. Personally, in private conversations at the Residence, Zelaya has recounted to me, multiple times how a previous American Ambassador had ordered the President of the Honduran Congress to accept the Presidential candidacy of Ricardo Maduro, even though in Zelaya,s view Maduro was Panamanian-born and thus ineligible. Other sources have documented Zelaya,s views on this point where his anger and resentment are more apparent than in his exchanges with me. It is clear by the way he recounts the story that on one level he resents very much this perceived dependency yet accepts it exists and looks to me to define for him the rules of the game. He becomes frustrated at times when he believes I am not carrying out this responsibility.

5. Para reír un poco (nunca debemos perder el sentido del humor). Zelaya no es amigo de EUA porque no aprovecha las oportunidades para publicar sus fotos con Bush y otros funcionarios del gobierno estadounidense. Pero sí lo hace cuando las personalidades son de Venezuela, Cuba o Nicaragua:

¶13. (S) Most noticeable to me has been his avoidance of public meetings with visiting US officials. Whether Cabinet officials or CODELs, Zelaya always is a gracious host, but never comes out of the meeting to have his picture taken publicly with our visitors, as he is so anxious to do with other visitors from Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela. Almost all of our meetings take place at my Residence rather than at the more public setting of the Presidential Palace. He made no attempt to disseminate his may photo ops with President Bush after the June 2006 meeting in Washington. The fact is that the President of the country prefers to meet quite often in the privacy of my Residence but not to be seen in public with American visitors.

EL NUDO GIORGIANO:

"For Zelaya, communicating means agreeing unquestionably with his point of view". (Para Zelaya, la comunicación significa estar de acuerdo, sin duda, con su punto de vista).

Las palabras anteriores son de uno de los párrafos finales del cable escrito por Charles Ford:

Zelaya recently is fond of saying that we need to improve our communication, which I interpret to mean that we need to agree with him more often. A similar fate has befallen Cardinal Rodriguez who used to meet, as I do, regularly with the President. As the Cardinal in recent months has found himself in disagreement with Zelaya and is not participating publicly in his projects, Zelaya is working increasingly with pastors in the evangelical community. The Cardinal recently told me that he and the President hardly speak now as the President is unhappy that he doesn't agree with the direction Zelaya is taking the country. For Zelaya, communicating means agreeing unquestionably with his point of view.

La cuestión es que lo mismo se puede aplicar a Ford y al Cardenal Rodríguez Maradiaga. Tanto para el ex embajador como para el ex papable comunicación significa estar de acuerdo con sus puntos de vista. Y si no estás de acuerdo con sus puntos de vista entonces sos enemigo (not a friend).

MORALEJA DEL CABLE 08TEGUCIGALPA459:

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