Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 12646 / 251,287

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03 2011/04 2011/05
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/10 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07 2011/02/08 2011/02/09 2011/02/10 2011/02/11 2011/02/12 2011/02/13 2011/02/14 2011/02/15 2011/02/16 2011/02/17 2011/02/18 2011/02/19 2011/02/20 2011/02/21 2011/02/22 2011/02/23 2011/02/24 2011/02/25 2011/02/26 2011/02/27 2011/02/28
2011/03/01 2011/03/02 2011/03/03 2011/03/04 2011/03/05 2011/03/06 2011/03/07 2011/03/08 2011/03/09 2011/03/10 2011/03/11 2011/03/13 2011/03/14 2011/03/15 2011/03/16 2011/03/17 2011/03/18 2011/03/19 2011/03/20 2011/03/21 2011/03/22 2011/03/23 2011/03/24 2011/03/25 2011/03/26 2011/03/27 2011/03/28 2011/03/29 2011/03/30 2011/03/31
2011/04/01 2011/04/02 2011/04/03 2011/04/04 2011/04/05 2011/04/06 2011/04/07 2011/04/08 2011/04/09 2011/04/10 2011/04/11 2011/04/12 2011/04/13 2011/04/14 2011/04/15 2011/04/16 2011/04/17 2011/04/18 2011/04/19 2011/04/20 2011/04/21 2011/04/22 2011/04/23 2011/04/24 2011/04/25 2011/04/26 2011/04/27 2011/04/28 2011/04/29 2011/04/30
2011/05/01 2011/05/02 2011/05/03 2011/05/04 2011/05/05 2011/05/06 2011/05/07 2011/05/08 2011/05/09 2011/05/10 2011/05/11 2011/05/12 2011/05/13 2011/05/14 2011/05/15 2011/05/16 2011/05/17

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 96 97 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1985/03 1985/05 1985/06
1986/05
1987/06
1988/01 1988/03 1988/07
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08 1990/10
1991/05
1992/01 1992/03 1992/06 1992/09 1992/12
1993/01 1993/10
1994/12
1996/11
1997/06 1997/12
2000/05 2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/06 2001/07 2001/09 2001/10 2001/11
2002/01 2002/02 2002/03 2002/04 2002/07 2002/08 2002/09 2002/11 2002/12
2003/01 2003/02 2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Apia Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Auckland Consulate Amsterdam Consulate Adana American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belmopan Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Ciudad Juarez Consulate Chennai Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dili Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown Consulate Fukuoka
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone Consulate Guayaquil Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Ho Chi Minh City Consulate Hermosillo Consulate Hamilton Consulate Hamburg Consulate Halifax
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kingston Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kathmandu Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Ljubljana Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy La Paz Consulate Lahore Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE Mission USNATO Mission UNESCO Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Mbabane Embassy Maputo Embassy Manila Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Mumbai Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey Consulate Milan Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia Embassy Niamey Embassy New Delhi Embassy Ndjamena Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Naples Consulate Naha
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Of Spain Embassy Port Louis Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito Consulate Quebec
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Suva Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate St Petersburg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sapporo Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn Consulate Toronto Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Office Almaty US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Embassy Valletta Consulate Vladivostok Consulate Vancouver
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AORC AF AU ASEC AMGT AS APER AR AEMR AG ARF AJ AA AINF APECO AODE ABLD AMG ATPDEA AE AMED AGAO AFIN AL ASUP ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG AID ASCH AM AORL ASEAN APEC ADM AFSI AFSN ADCO ABUD AN AY AIT ACOA ASIG AADP AGR ANET ADPM AMCHAMS ATRN ALOW ACS APCS AFFAIRS ADANA AECL ACAO AORG AROC AO ACABQ AGMT AX AMEX AFGHANISTAN AZ AND ARM AQ ATFN AMBASSADOR ACBAQ AC AUC ASEX AER AVERY AGRICULTURE AFU
BR BTIO BY BO BA BU BL BN BM BF BEXP BK BG BB BTIU BBSR BRUSSELS BD BIDEN BE BH BILAT BC BT BP BX BMGT BWC
CS CA CH CD CO CE CU CVIS CASC CJAN CI CPAS CMGT CDG CIC CAC CBW CWC COUNTER CW CT CR CY CNARC CACM CG CB CM CV CIDA CLINTON CHR COE CIS CDC CONS CF CFED CODEL CBSA CEUDA COM CARSON COPUOS CIA CL CN CROS CAPC CTR CACS CONDOLEEZZA CICTE COUNTRY CBE CKGR CVR COUNTERTERRORISM CITEL CLEARANCE CARICOM CSW CITT CDB CJUS CTM CAN CLMT CBC
DA DJ DEA DR DEAX DHS DAO DCM DOD DOMESTIC DO DK DPRK DEPT DISENGAGEMENT DE DOE DTRA DS DEFENSE
EAID ECON EFIS ETRD EC ENRG EINV EFIN EAGR ETTC ECPS EINT EPET ES EIND EAIR EU EUN EG ELAB EWWT EMIN ECIN ESA ER ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS EAIG ET ETRO ELTN EI EN EUR EK EUMEM ENIV EPA ENGR EXTERNAL EUREM ELN EUC ENERG EZ ERD EFTA ETRC ETRN EINVECONSENVCSJA EEPET EUNCH ENVR ESENV ENNP ERNG ENVI ETRDECONWTOCS ECINECONCS EFINECONCS EXIM ELECTIONS ECA EINVEFIN ETC EAP ECONOMY EINN ECONOMIC EXBS ECUN ENGY ECONOMICS EIAR EINDETRD ECONEFIN EURN EDU ETRDEINVTINTCS ECIP EFIM EAIDS EREL EINVETC ECONCS ETRA
FI FJ FR FDA FBI FTAA FAO FAC FARC FTA FMLN FO FAS FOREIGN FM FREEDOM FISO FOR FINR FINANCE FOI
GG GM GOI GT GR GH GTIP GV GA GAERC GE GCC GOV GZ GY GANGS GERARD GTMO GL GF GAZA GLOBAL
HR HA HU HO HURI HILLARY HYMPSK HSTC HK HEBRON HUMOR HI HUMAN
IC IV IAEA IR IT IO IN IS IZ IMO IPR IWC ICAO ILO ID ICTY ICJ INMARSAT INDO IL IMF IRS IQ IA ICRC IDA IAHRC IBRD ISLAMISTS IDP IGAD ILC ITRA ICTR ITU IBET ITF INRA INRO INTELSAT IEFIN IRC IRAQI ITALY ISRAELI IIP ITPGOV ITALIAN INTERNAL INTERPOL IEA INRB INR IZPREL IRAJ IF ITPHUM ISRAEL IACI
JA JO JM JOSEPH JP JUS JOHNNIE JAMES JOHN
KBTR KPAO KOMC KCRM KDEM KHIV KBIO KTIA KMDR KNNP KSCA KTIP KWMN KIPR KCOR KRVC KFRD KPAL KWBG KE KTDB KUNR KSPR KJUS KGHG KAWC KCFE KGCC KOLY KSUM KACT KISL KTFN KFLU KSTH KMPI KHDP KS KHLS KSEP KMRS KID KN KU KAWK KSAC KCOM KAID KIRC KWMNCS KMCA KNEI KCRS KPKO KICC KIRF KPOA KV KDRG KSEO KVPR KTER KBCT KFIN KGIC KCIP KZ KG KWAC KRAD KPRP KTEX KNAR KPLS KPAK KSTC KFLO KSCI KIDE KO KOMS KHSA KSAF KPWR KVRP KENV KNSD KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KCGC KVIR KFSC KDDG KPRV KTBT KWMM KX KMFO KR KMOC KRIM KCRCM KBTS KOCI KGIT KNUP KPAONZ KNUC KNNPMNUC KERG KTLA KCSY KTRD KNPP KJUST KCMR KRCM KCFC KCHG KREL KFTFN KLIG KDEMAF KPAI KICA KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KHUM KREC KSEC KPIN KESS KDEV KWWMN KOM KWNM KRFD KMIG KRGY KIFR
LH LY LE LI LG LO LA LU LTTE LAB LOG LT LABOR
MARR MOPS MASS MX MNUC MCAP MO MR MEPP MTCRE MAPP MEPN MZ MT ML MA MY MIL MD MASSMNUC MU MK MTCR MUCN MAS MEDIA MAR MC MI MQADHAFI MPOS MARAD MG MTRE MASC MW MRCRE MP MOPPS MTS MLS MILI MEPI MEETINGS MERCOSUR MCC MIK MAPS MV MILITARY MDC
NATO NZ NL NO NK NU NPT NI NG NEW NSF NA NPG NSG NE NSSP NS NDP NSC NAFTA NH NV NP NPA NSFO NT NW NASA NORAD NGO NR NATIONAL NIPP NZUS NC NRR NAR NATOPREL
OEXC OTRA OPRC OVIP OAS OECD OIIP OSCE OREP OPIC OFDP OMIG ODIP OVP OSCI OIC OIE OPDC ON OCII OPAD OBSP OFFICIALS OPCW OHUM OES OCS OTR OSAC OFDA
PGOV PREL PM PHUM PTER PINR PINS PREF PARM PL PK PU PBTS PBIO PHSA PE PO PROP PA PNAT POL PLN POLITICAL PARTIES PCUL PAK PGGV PAO PSA PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA PAS PGIV PHUMPREL PDOV PHUMPGOV PCI PTBS PEL PG POLITICS POLICY PINL POGOV POV PRAM PP PREO PAHO PBT PREFA PSI PAIGH POSTS PMIL PALESTINIAN PARMS PROG PTERE PRGOV PORG PS PGOF PKFK PSOE PEPR PPA PINT PMAR PRELP PINF PNG PFOR PUNE PGOVLO PHUMBA PSEPC PNR POLINT PGOVE PHALANAGE PARTY PDEM PECON PROV PGOC PY PHUH PF PRL PHUS
QA
RU RS RO RW RP RFE REGION REACTION REPORT RCMP RM RSO ROBERT RICE RSP RF ROOD RIGHTS RIGHTSPOLMIL RUPREL RELATIONS
SENV SU SCUL SOCI SNAR SL SW SMIG SP SY SA SHUM SZ SYRIA SF SR SO SPCE SARS SN SC SIPRS SI SYR SEVN SNARCS SH SAARC STEINBERG SG SCRS SENVKGHG SAN ST SIPDIS SNARIZ SNARN SSA SK SPCVIS SOFA SANC SWE SHI SEN
TW TU TBIO TSPL TPHY TRGY TC TT TSPA TINT TERRORISM TX TR TS TN TD TH TIP TNGD TI TZ TF THPY TP TBID TL TV TK TO TRSY TURKEY TFIN TAGS
UN UK UNSC UNGA US UNESCO UP UNHRC UNAUS USTR UNDP UNEP UNMIK UY UNCHR UNO UG UZ UNPUOS USEU UNDC UNICEF UV UNHCR UNCND UNCHC UNCSD USUN USOAS UNFCYP USNC UNIDROIT USPS USAID UE UNVIE UAE UNODC UNCHS UNFICYP UNDESCO UNC
VE VAT VZ VN VC VT VM VI VTPREL VTIZ VTEG
WMO WHO WHA WA WI WWARD WHTI WTRO WS WTO WTRQ WBG WMD WIPO WFP WZ WB WITH WEU
XK XF XY XG XB XV XR XA XZ XM XL XW XS XD XX XU XI XT XH XQ XE XTAG XC
YI YE YM YMCS
ZB ZI ZEALAND ZP ZR ZF ZK ZU ZO ZL ZOELLICK ZJ ZN ZA ZANU

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 08SANJOSE5, ANOTHER CAFTA REFERENDUM GAMBIT

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08SANJOSE5.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
08SANJOSE5 | 2008-01-03 22:12 | 2011-03-02 16:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy San Jose
Appears in these articles: http://www.nacion.com/2011-03-02/Investigacion.aspx

`

    VZCZCXYZ0000
    PP RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHSJ #0005/01 0032212
    ZNR UUUUU ZZH
    P 032212Z JAN 08
    FM AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9317
    INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
    RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO PRIORITY 1575
    RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

` `

    UNCLAS SAN JOSE 000005

    SIPDIS

    SENSITIVE
    SIPDIS

    DEPT FOR WHA, WHA/CEN, WHA/EPSC AND EEB; PASS TO
    USTR:AMALITO, DOLIVER

    E.O. 12958: N/A
    TAGS: CS ETRD PGOV PINR PREL SENV
    SUBJECT: ANOTHER CAFTA REFERENDUM GAMBIT

    REF: A. A) 2007 SAN JOSE 2070 AND PREVIOUS

         ¶B. B) SAN JOSE-WHA/CEN EMAIL OF 12/31/07

    ¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:   The Supreme Election Tribunal (TSE)
    accepted a petition to collect signatures for another
    CAFTA-related referendum, this one to ratify the UPOV (Union
    for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants) Convention and
    to approve related legislation.  The Convention and
    legislation must be approved as part of the GOCR,s overall
    CAFTA implementation package.  GOCR officials criticized the
    move as a politically-motivated delaying tactic, and
    reiterated the GOCR,s commitment to complete the full slate
    of implementing legislation by the March 1 EIF deadline.  The
    three environmental NGOs which filed the petition plan to
    collect the required 133,545 signatures as quickly as
    possible, but their efforts may be moot.  The TSE also
    announced that the next referendum cannot be convoked before
    July 7, 2008, which should give the GOCR more than enough
    time to complete the implementing legislation before then.
    Broader anti-CAFTA groups see the UPOV referendum as one more
    way to kill CAFTA, and the opposition PAC party may use the
    TSE ruling to justify further delaying tactics.  With

    SIPDIS
    sufficient discipline and focus in the legislature, the UPOV
    maneuver should not be more than a distraction for the GOCR.
     However, even without a new referendum, the legislature
    returns to work today facing considerable challenges to
    completing its CAFTA-related work on time.  END SUMMARY.

    ====================================
    ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER REFERENDUM?
    ====================================

    ¶2.  (U) On December 28, the TSE announced that it had
    accepted a petition filed by three local environmental NGOs
    to collect signatures for another CAFTA referendum, this one
    to ratify the UPOV (Union for the Protection of New Varieties
    of Plants) Convention and to approve related implementing
    legislation.  (The TSE actually ruled on December 21, but the
    story did not surface for one week.)  The UPOV Convention and
    related legislation must be approved as part of the GOCR,s
    overall CAFTA implementation package.

    ¶3.  (U) The few GOCR officials available for comment during
    the year-end holidays were critical.  Legislature President
    Francisco Pacheco told the media that the move was clearly a
    "delaying tactic designed to derail" CAFTA implementation,
    and a "discredit" to the October 7 overall CAFTA referendum.
    Vacationing in Guanacaste, Minister of the Presidency Rodrigo
    Arias told reporters the move was an "abuse" of the electoral
    system, adding that the UPOV issue was too technical to be
    dealt with in a referendum.

    ¶4.  (U) Both Pacheco and Arias reiterated the GOCR,s
    commitment to complete the full slate of implementing
    legislation, including the two UPOV-related items, by the
    March 1 EIF deadline and certainly before sufficient
    signatures are collected to launch a referendum.  Arias
    expressed hope that the GOCR would complete the legislation
    "in January or the first two weeks of February," a slip from
    the GOCR,s previous (and publicly-stated) internal deadline
    of 15 January.
    =============================
    NGOs ANXIOUS TO GET GOING . . .
    =============================

    ¶5.  (U) The NGOs which filed the referendum petition in
    November, led by the Costa Rican Federation for Environmental
    Conservation (FECON in Spanish), welcomed the TSE ruling.
    The text was posted on their websites and blogs long before
    the TSE released it officially.  The NGOs have vowed to
    collect the required signatures as rapidly as possible.  The
    Referendum Law allows up to nine months to do so, and at
    least 5 percent of the national voter registry, or 133,545,
    must be collected and validated before a referendum could be
    held.  (Referenda may be held by collection of signatures, by
    legislative action, or by a combination of executive and
    legislative action.  The latter mechanism was used to convoke
    the October 2007 CAFTA plebiscite.)

    ¶6.  (U) The NGO leaders (including Fabian Pacheco, son of the
    former president) hope to mobilize the grassroots "patriotic
    committees" which were active in the campaign to say "no" to
    CAFTA in October.  All three NGOs oppose UPOV on substantive
    grounds, largely out of concern that ratifying and
    implementing that Convention would "flood" Costa Rica with
    genetically-modified agricultural materials.
    ¶7.  (SBU) However, the broader anti-CAFTA groups (based on
    their web postings) see the UPOV referendum as one more way
    to kill CAFTA.  Signaling a possible opposition tactic in the
    legislature, PAC deputy faction head Madrigal has already
    publicly praised the TSE decision as another indication of
    the "deepening of democracy" in Costa Rica.  The PAC website,
    meanwhile, has regularly warned of the (genetic engineering
    and other) "danger" that might flow from hasty ratification
    of UPOV.  The PAC-led opposition therefore may try to block
    action on the two UPOV-related items, using the call for a
    new referendum as further justification to criticize the
    Arias administration and a &legitimate8 way to delay
    implementation further.

    ============================================= =
    . . . BUT IMPACT ON IMPLEMENTATION MAY BE LIGHT
    ============================================= =

    ¶8.  (U) The UPOV referendum maneuver may not have the impact
    sought by the petitioners (or the anti-CAFTA forces).  TSE
    President Luis Antonio Sobrado and Magistrate Max Esquivel
    have been quick to stress that the collection of signatures
    for a referendum does not impede the regular legislative
    process; both may proceed in parallel.  (According to the
    Referendum Law, the legislative process can only be stopped
    when the TSE actually convokes a referendum on the
    legislation in question; the TSE reiterated this in its
    December 21 decision.)

    ¶9.  (SBU) Going further, Sobrado emphasized that the UPOV
    referendum could not  be convoked before July 7, 2008 or take
    place before October 7, 2008, i.e., one year from the dates
    the CAFTA referendum was convoked and held.  (In other words,
    the TSE is interpreting the Referendum Law, which says only
    that one referendum can be held each year, to mean there must
    be one year between referenda.)   Under this reasoning, no
    matter how quickly the signatures were collected, the UPOV
    referendum could not be convoked before July, which would
    allow the GOCR ample time to complete all the implementing
    agenda, even if an EIF extension were requested, before any
    new referendum becomes relevant.

    ============================================= ====
    COMMENT:  CHALLENGES ENOUGH EVEN WITHOUT UPOV
    ============================================= ====

    ¶10. (SBU) We view another CAFTA-related referendum in Costa
    Rica in 2008 as unlikely, but not totally impossible.  With
    sufficient discipline and focus in the legislature -- the
    same ingredients that have been needed since the beginning of
    the CAFTA debate -- the GOCR should be able to withstand the
    combination of probable PAC opposition and likely NGO
    pressure to hold back the UPOV legislation for approval by
    referendum.  This latest development should light a fire
    under the Asamblea, which ended 2007 sick and tired of
    dealing with CAFTA.  For that matter, the Costa Rican public
    also ended the year under the assumption that their role in
    ratifying/approving CAFTA had been completed.  It may be
    difficult, therefore, for the opposition to drag CAFTA out
    for nine more months, but this doesn,t rule out their
    trying.  And, although we believe the NGOs pressed for the
    new referendum out of genuine (if misplaced)  concerns about
    UPOV, we can easily foresee domestic and international
    anti-globalists and anti-free traders jumping on this
    bandwagon to further their broader agenda.

    ¶11. (SBU) The legislature returns to work today facing
    challenges enough, even without the UPOV referendum maneuver.
     Eight items of implementing legislation are pending plenario
    action (a drop of one from our previous tally, Ref A), a 9th
    is in committee and a 10th has not been introduced.  Most/all
    of these will likely face review by the constitutional court.
     Among these items are the most politically controversial,
    including UPOV, IPR, and telecom and insurance sector reform.
     PLN faction chief Mayi Antillon and the legislature
    leadership has called for a return to the grueling 6 to 7
    days a week, three session per day pre-recess schedule, but
    the Asamblea may be reluctant to resume that pace quickly (if
    at all).  We will have a better sense of the GOCR,s and
    G38,s thinking for the new year once the major players have
    reported back to work.  Minister Arias,s comments while on
    vacation suggest that political and procedural realities may
    be slowing the GOCR,s ambitious legislative timetable.

    BRENNAN

`