Your Excellencies, Ministers of Foreign Affairs:
- Carlos Ramiro Martínez, of the Republic of Guatemala
- Juana Alexandra Hill Tinoco, Republic of El Salvador
- Eduardo Enrique Reina García, Republic of Honduras
- Arnoldo André Tinoco, Republic of Costa Rica
- Javier Eduardo Martínez-Acha Vásquez, Republic of Panama
- Francis William Fonseca, Belize
- Roberto Alvarez, Dominican Republic
We are aware of the interest of the Nicaraguan regime in appointing Mr. Valdrack Ludwig Jaentschke Whitaker as Secretary General of the Central American Integration System (SICA). In this regard, we would like to present to your Excellencies the following considerations.
Mr. Jaentschke has for years been an international spokesperson supporting and justifying the repressive policies and human rights violations of Nicaraguans by the Ortega-Murillo regime; on several occasions he has publicly expressed this support. These violations have been extensively and duly documented by international organizations and groups of experts of the Inter-American system and the United Nations.
In view of these intentions, we refer to the spirit of the Tegucigalpa Protocol and the Framework Treaty on Democratic Security, the latter of which establishes in its recitals:
“That the Central American countries have reaffirmed their commitment to democracy, based on the rule of law and the guarantee of fundamental freedoms, economic freedom and social justice; strengthening a community of democratic values among the States, linked by historical, geographic, brotherhood and cooperation ties”.
The Nicaraguan Democratic Concertation (CDN), warns that Mr. Jaentschke’s candidacy is far from the values on which SICA was founded, and does not conform to the standards established in the constitutive documents of the regional organization he pretends to represent.
In addition, we recommend taking into account the sanctions that the United States and other SICA donors have imposed on Nicaraguan citizens for actions, characteristics and responsibilities similar to those of Mr. Jaentschke, so that, if he is ratified in the position, there is a risk that the Secretary General of SICA will appear on the list of those sanctioned by the global Magnisnsky Act or those particular to Nicaragua.
We consider that granting the post to a representative of the Nicaraguan regime would put the security of the Central American region at risk by involving it in a global conflict, given that this government is aligned with the Sino-Russian bloc in the context of a new cold war. We remind your excellencies of the disastrous consequences of this same alignment in the past during the previous cold war, which resulted in the death of thousands of Central American citizens.
The CRC believes that the best thing for the Central American region is not to align itself with foreign interests and that SICA should look after its legitimate interests, which according to Article 3 of the Tegucigalpa Protocol are: “to consolidate democracy and strengthen its institutions based on the existence of governments elected by universal, free and secret suffrage; and on the unrestricted respect for human rights”.
Without further reference, we thank you for your attention.