AMBASSADOR'S PRESENTATION OF CREDENTIALS

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 003203

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/18/2014
TAGS: PREL VE
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S PRESENTATION OF CREDENTIALS

REF: 10/15 BROWNFIELD/NORIEGA E-MAIL

Classified By: A/DCM Abelardo A. Arias for reason 1.4 (D)


1. (C) I presented my credentials to President Hugo Chavez
October 15. We were a package of four ambassadors (Barbados,
US, Norway, South Korea) handled in assembly line fashion.
The President devoted roughly 15 minutes per country
separately. Each ambassador took DCM plus four. In my case,
the four were POL, DATT, FCS, and MGT. Chavez was
accompanied by Foreign Minister Jesus Perez plus two others.
We all remained together for the entire meeting. Chavez and
I did all the talking.


2. (C) Chavez offered a few pleasantries to start the
meeting, informing me that he likes the Cincinnati Reds and
inviting me to La Orchila island to go fishing. The
President then told me he wants better bilateral relations
with the US. He noted my comments to FM Perez from my
meeting with the Foreign Minister two weeks earlier, and said
they were a good starting point. Not all bilateral issues
had to be politicized, Chavez said. He recalled that when he
was denied a US visa from 1992-98 he never tried to
politicize that fact in Venezuela. Chavez told me he was
watching the US election and he was ready to work with
whoever won. The President acknowledged that there are areas
and issues on which we inevitably would not agree, but he
reiterated that he wanted to improve the relationship.


3. (C) I told Chavez that, as the Secretary had stated, we
also wanted better relations. I noted, however, that the
process had to be step by step, starting with current reality
and small steps at that. We would maintain our positions on
democratic institutions and human rights, I emphasized, and
we would maintain positions on regional and security issues.
These would be issues on which we might continue to disagree,
in public and in private, I told the President, but there
should be areas where we could engage in pragmatic
cooperation.


4. (C) Suggesting our approach, I said the first step would
be to change the tone and volume of the bilateral dialogue;
also to avoid gratuitous provocation as well. We could not
resolve problems, I told the President, if we did not have
good communication and access. If the optics of the
relationship improved, I said, I could explore with his
ministers more cooperation on drugs, terrorism and energy. I
cautioned again that we had to do this one step at a time,
and tone down the rhetoric. Chavez agreed with that
approach, and offered his presidential staff to address and
resolve problems. He told me he would also be available to
meet with me.
Brownfield


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2004CARACA03203 - CONFIDENTIAL