This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SAN JOSE 000617 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN JASON MACK 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2016 
TAGS: PGOV ETRD CS
SUBJECT: IN LETTER TO SOLIS, ARIAS CALLS FOR NATIONAL DIALOG 
 
REF: SAN JOSE 525 
 
Classified By: Classified by CDA Ruessell Frisbie, for reasons 1.4(b) a 
nd (d) 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  On March 17, daily newspaper La Nacion 
published in its entirety a letter from President-elect Oscar 
Arias to election runner-up Otton Solis, in which Arias calls 
upon Solis and his supporters to act in a manner befitting a 
mature democracy, and to work with Arias during the next 
"decisive" four years.  The letter also included a straw man 
offer to consider raising the question of renegotiating the 
U.S.-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement 
(CAFTA-DR), which, given the tentative response from the 
Solis camp, may have fulfilled its purpose in cornering 
Solis.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) President-elect Oscar Arias published on March 17 a 
letter that he sent to election runner-up Otton Solis, in 
response to Solis's March 3 concession letter (see reftel). 
Discarding entirely the bitter tone of Solis's communication, 
Arias cannily uses his letter as a forum to praise Solis's 
commitment to the people of Costa Rica, and to equate Solis's 
goals with his own.  After discussing mutual concerns for the 
first half of the letter, he refers Solis to the National 
Liberation Party's (PLN) "Plan of Government," which contains 
Arias's detailed agenda.  The plan, which Arias characterizes 
as a "sacred promise to Costa Ricans," (a favorite phrase of 
Solis's) addresses a number of these areas of mutual concern, 
including electoral reforms, poverty reduction, public 
spending and education reform.  Calling the coming four years 
"decisive" for Costa Rica, Arias appeals to Solis and his 
followers in the Citizens' Action Party (PAC) to behave 
responsibly and to work with the PLN to achieve their mutual 
goals. 
 
¶3. (U) During a March 13 meeting with the leadership of the 
National Bishops' Conference, Arias famously quipped that it 
would be "easier to change the Ten Commandments than to 
renegotiate CAFTA."  In an apparently conciliatory gesture to 
Solis, however, Arias offers in his letter to send his two 
Vice Presidents with Solis to Washington to explore the 
possibility of renegotiating CAFTA-DR with USG officials. 
Solis was unavailable to respond directly to this invitation 
on March 17, but Elizabeth Fonseca, the designated head of 
the PAC's incoming legislative faction, expressed her belief 
that the offer was a "trap."  While Fonseca gave herself 
political cover by expressing her hope that Arias had indeed 
changed his estimation of renegotiation, she said it was more 
likely an effort to make Solis look foolish in Washington. 
 
¶4. (U) Because Arias and Solis have yet to have a meeting 
following the elections, their war of veiled words and 
insinuations continues to be waged very publicly via open 
correspondence.  Despite Arias's repeated requests for a 
meeting in his home, Solis has so far not accepted. 
 
¶5. (C) Comment: Arias's brother and chief adviser, Rodrigo, 
acknowledged to the Ambassador that there was less to the 
invitation to Solis than meets the eye.  Calculating that 
Solis would not subject himself to the humiliation that would 
follow any failed attempt to secure an agreement to 
renegotiate CAFTA-DR, Arias's invitation exposes the weakness 
of Solis's position.  While Solis's camp appears to have 
spotted this, Solis may yet find some way to resurrect the 
notion. 
FRISBIE