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### Viewing cable 08SANSALVADOR1037, FMLN CANDIDATE FUNES ON WIRETAPS, PARTISANSHIP,

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
08SANSALVADOR1037 | 2008-08-29 18:58 | 2011-06-17 23:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy San Salvador
Appears in these articles: http://www.wikileaks.elfaro.net/es/201106/notas/4414/#

`

    VZCZCXYZ0001
    PP RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHSN #1037/01 2421858
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    P 291858Z AUG 08
    FM AMEMBASSY SAN SALVADOR
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0019
    INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
    RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0151
    RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0345

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L SAN SALVADOR 001037

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2018
    TAGS: PGOV PREL ES
    SUBJECT: FMLN CANDIDATE FUNES ON WIRETAPS, PARTISANSHIP,
    DEBATES, AND MORE

    Classified By: The Ambassador, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

    ¶1. (C) Summary: FMLN Presidential Candidate Mauricio Funes
    told us August 26 the FMLN supported in principle legislation
    to legalize wiretapping for law enforcement, but could not
    support the constitutional amendment currently before the
    Assembly.  He had waffled on this in public earlier in the
    week.  FMLN Deputy Hugo Martinez said the FMLN would propose
    its own amendment that would provide stricter protection of
    civil liberties.  Funes and his wife complained about being
    harassed by the Ministry of Public Security.  Funes charged
    the GOES was seeking to convince military retirees that the
    FMLN intended to disband the armed forces, a charge he said
    was false.  He said CAFTA-DR was the law of the land and
    other trade deals (e.g., with Venezuela) must be compatible
    with it.  Funes said whoever wins the March 2009 election
    will face a difficult governing situation and he had reached
    out to ARENA candidate Avila in order to tone down the
    excessive confrontation of the campaign.  Funes said he had
    agreed to a television debate under the auspices of
    Salvadoran network TCS and CNN en Espanol; Avila has yet to
    agree.  End Summary.

    ¶2. (C) DCM and PolCouns met with (left-wing) FMLN
    Presidential candidate Mauricio Funes, his wife and Brazilian
    Embassy Cultural Attache Vanda Pignato, and FMLN Legislative
    Assembly Deputy Hugo Martinez August 26.  Pignato provided
    this answer to our question about the seeming conflict of
    interest: "I am a political appointee cultural attache until
    5:00 p.m. on work days.  Evenings and weekends I can campaign
    with Mauricio."  The Brazilian Ambassador was uncomfortable
    when he explained this arrangement to Ambassador Glazer
    earlier the same day.

    ¶3. (C) Wiretapping: Funes said he and the FMLN recognized the
    need for wiretapping as a law enforcement tool, but that they
    could not support the proposal pending ratification by this
    assembly because it did not contain sufficient protections
    against abuse.  Martinez said the FMLN bloc was finalizing a
    draft constitutional amendment to present to the Legislative
    Assembly within two weeks.  (Note: A constitutional amendment
    is required to enable legal wiretapping requiring a simple
    majority in one legislature and a two-thirds super majority
    in the subsequent legislature.  End Note.)  Martinez
    reiterated Funes' line that the current proposal does not
    include sufficient controls to ensure wiretaps are used only
    for law enforcement purposes.  Martinez said the FMLN hoped
    to reach a consensus with other parties, including
    (center-right, pro-U.S.) ARENA to pass the proposal by a
    simple majority in the current Assembly and by a super
    majority when the new Assembly meets in May 2009.

    ¶4. (C) Chavez/ALBA: Funes said he had been asked to react to
    media reports of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's comments
    in Honduras on that country's accession to ALBA.  Funes said
    he did not want to be commenting on every statement made by
    Chavez and told the media to redirect their questions to
    Caracas.  Media quoted CENTAM Parliamentarian Nidia Diaz as
    saying the FMLN would bring El Salvador into ALBA if they won
    in 2009.  Diaz, an FMLN hardliner, was in Honduras for the
    ceremony, and was photographed embracing Chavez.  Funes
    commented that El Salvador's existing trade agreements are
    the law of the land; if Venezuela wanted to make a new deal
    with El Salvador, it would have to be compatible with
    CAFTA-DR.

    ¶5. (C) Alleged harassment: Funes said he was resigned to the
    fact that (he believes) his phones are tapped and that his
    movements are being followed by the GOES.  Pignato said she
    had recently denounced, via the Government of Brazil, that
    vehicles later traced back to the Ministry of Public Security
    had followed her in San Salvador, brandishing weapons and
    photographing her.  She said this was part of a campaign to
    paint her as a potentially dangerous first lady, including
    rumors that she is a follower of Santeria, is of questionable
    moral character, etc.  She alleged that her application for
    Salvadoran citizenship is being delayed for political
    purposes.

    ¶6. (C) Cuba: Funes, who has promised to establish relations
    with Cuba if elected, described his visit to Cuba as a
    journalist (during the 1998 Papal visit) to interview Fidel
    Castro.  Responding to Funes' rapture over meeting Castro,
    DCM noted the totalitarian nature of the Cuban regime,
    contrasting it with the political freedoms and relative
    economic prosperity found in l Salvador.  Funes and his wife
    had mentioned tht they were animal lovers; DCM described to
    themhow Cuban state security had broken into their hous and
    poisoned their pet while serving at USINT/Hvana.  DCM also
    urged Funes to see Cuba through he eyes of Cuba's democratic
    opposition.

    ¶7. (C) Military: Funes said the GOES was attempting to
    convince military retirees that the FMLN's platform plank for
    "demilitarization" indicated the FMLN intended to eliminate
    the Salvadoran Armed Forces.  Funes said he was on record as
    opposing excessive "militarism," but that the FMLN would
    support the constitutional role of the Armed Forces.

    ¶8. (C) Polarization: Funes said he had reached out to rival
    candidate Rodrigo Avila with a proposal to tone down the
    confrontation in the campaign, but has received no response.
    He said whoever wins will have to govern beginning June 1,
    and El Salvador will be better served with a less polarized
    atmosphere.  Neither party, he predicted, will win a majority
    in the Assembly and thus will depend on votes from the
    opposition.  Funes agreed Avila is a decent man; he said he
    was much more concerned about those behind Avila.

    ¶9. (C) Debates: Funes said he had accepted an offer from
    Telecorporacion Salvadorena (TCS, one of El Salvador's main
    TV networks) to participate in a debate organized by CNN en
    Espanol.  He said he was not concerned about participating in
    a debate under the auspices of TCS, despite the fact his TV
    career was spent on a competing network.  He said he was
    unaware of a response from the Avila camp.  Funes griped
    about his ongoing feud with El Salvador daily El Diario de
    Hoy, repeating standard complaints that the Salvadoran media
    is heavily controlled by the ruling party.

    ¶10. (C) Comment: As always, Funes' statements were moderate
    and tailored for his audience.  His views on the polarization
    of Salvadoran politics and the difficulties facing the next
    President are on target although we doubt he is concerned
    about polarization if he loses.  The prospects for ARENA and
    the FMLN toning down the rhetoric of the campaign are slim,
    because each has a strong incentive to paint their opponent
    in extreme terms in order to garner the support of undecided
    voters.  On wiretaps, the FMLN only wants them in place after
    they win in 2009, while the ruling party is hesitant to
    approve them now because they fear the FMLN might win.
    Embassy continues to lobby all relevant sectors for passage
    of a wiretap law, as law enforcement is diminished without
    one in place.
    BLAU

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