Cablegate: Cerd Election: Nicaragua Will Favor Prosper;
VZCZCXRO6893
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHMU #2543 3420057
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 080057Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY MANAGUA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1761
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0357
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0107
C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAGUA 002543
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR IO/UNP AND IO/RHS
DEPT FOR WHA/CEN AND INR/AA
USUN FOR GODARD
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2017
TAGS: PHUM PREL UNGA NU
SUBJECT: CERD ELECTION: NICARAGUA WILL FAVOR PROSPER;
REPEATS REQUEST THAT U.S. SUPPORT D'ESCOTO FOR UNGA
PRESIDENT
REF: A. SECSTATE 157655
B. MANAGUA 2008 (NOTAL)
Classified By: CDA Richard Sanders for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d).
1. (C) On December 4, we delivered a copy of the diplomatic
note and of Pierre-Richard Prosper's CV to Orlando Gomez,
Director General for American Affairs; David McField,
Director General for Asia, Africa and Oceana; and Mario
Barquero Baltodano, Acting Director General for International
Organization Affairs, all at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Gomez received the documents and indicated that Nicaragua
did not already have a commitment to support a candidate for
the CERD and said he would recommend that his government
place Prosper "at the top of their list."
2. (C) Turning to another, more-distant UN election, Barquero
noted that Nicaragua had already notified the U.S. of
Managua's nomination of former foreign Minister Miguel
D'Escoto as the GRULAC candidate for the 63rd UN General
Assembly (Ref B). He asked if there might be a way for the
U.S. "to support D'Escoto's candidacy, or, at least, not
actively oppose it." We acknowledged that we had received
and passed along the GON's diplomatic note on D'Escoto, and
explained that the United States has a long-standing policy
not to engage in vote-trading.
3. (C) Baltodano stated that D'Escoto had already secured
support of the Non-Aligned Movement during its September
meeting in Tehran. He said that one of the operative
paragraphs of the final statement obligated NAM members to
support the D'Escoto candidacy. NOTE: Our quick search of
the few documents that were made public following the NAM
event in Tehran did not have any reference to the D'Escoto
candidacy. Our follow-up requests to Baltodano for
clarification have not been answered. END NOTE.
SANDERS