COPEI PRESIDENT FAVORS US/GOV RAPPROCHEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 003220

SIPDIS


NSC FOR CBARTON
HQSOUTHCOM FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/14/2014
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR VE
SUBJECT: COPEI PRESIDENT FAVORS US/GOV RAPPROCHEMENT

REF: CARACAS 03167

Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ABELARDO A. ARIAS FOR 1.4 (D)

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Summary
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1. (C) Summary: Christian Democratic Party (COPEI)
president Eduardo Fernandez offered the Ambassador on October
14 his views on US policy in Venezuela and on best strategies
to implement it. Fernandez supported current efforts to
improve the bilateral relationship and urged respect for
Venezuelan sovereignty. He struck a moderate tone on
President Hugo Chavez, criticizing his antidemocratic
practices while conceding that he would recognize him as a
democratically elected President. Fernandez's "counsel"
accords with the USG approach, although he urged perhaps too
much caution in the face of Venezuelan sovereignty concerns.
Fernandez's moderation, nonetheless, will not ingratiate his
party with the GOV. End summary.

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An Opposition Opinion of US Policy...
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2. (C) Christian Democratic Party (COPEI) president Eduardo
"El Tigre" Fernandez told the Ambassador during a courtesy
call October 14 that the Embassy's job in Venezuela was to
procure the best possible relationship with both the GOV and
the Venezuelan people. He submitted that the Embassy had
influence in supporting Venezuelan democracy, human rights,
and government institutions. The USG, he said, should speak
in defense of principles--such as democratic and press
freedoms--with "pugnacity."


3. (U) According to Fernandez, the Embassy could bolster
its image by respecting Venezuelan sovereignty and by not
becoming a "political actor" or an opposition party.
Fernandez recommended couching US discourse in terms of an
esteem for Venezuelan political experience and a refusal to
intervene in its internal processes. In a later aside, he
mentioned having told every US ambassador he had met that
baseball was a "secret weapon" that the US could use to
influence Venezuelan public opinion. Calling himself a
"fanatic of dialog," Fernandez valued the Boston Group, a
bipartisan exchange effort of Venezuelan and US legislators.

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...And the GOV
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4. (C) Fernandez said improving the bilateral relationship
would be complicated because the GOV's words and actions were
often different. The GOV, he said, presented a bellicose
image, but it had been an exemplary debtor and a trustworthy
energy supplier. He added that investors in the petroleum
sector have had no complaints. Prompted by the Ambassador,
Fernandez conceded that the GOV decision on October 10 to
increase royalty payments on heavy crude projects (REFTEL)
was an exception.


5. (U) Fernandez warned that many radical opposition
elements wanted Chavez overthrown, but he recognized that
Chavez was elected by majority vote. He acknowledged that
his party could not disavow the referendum after the OAS and
the Carter Center had legitimized it. According to
Fernandez, the outcome of the referendum was his party's
problem, not that of the United States; multilateral accords
obligated both Washington and the Venezuelan public to accept
the results.


6. (U) Turning to criticism, Fernandez said President Hugo
Chavez's administration had roots in military culture rather
than in democratic, juridical tradition. He noted that the
National Assembly and the judiciary were controlled by a
government accustomed to issuing orders rather than engaging
in dialog. Referring to the proposed Media Law, he lamented
that the judicial system was in dangerous straits.

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Comment
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7. (C) Although Fernandez resists Chavez-bashing, his
moderation will not save COPEI from drawing fire from the
GOV, which brands opposition groups as traitors to the
revolution. Accordingly, any high-profile US encounters with
such parties will afford Chavez anti-US fodder. True to his
non-confrontational nature, Fernandez had relatively
innocuous suggestions for packaging US policy. His counsel
about honoring Venezuelan sovereignty is prudent, but we
would not translate respect for sovereignty into silence and
inaction on controversial issues. Otherwise, Fernandez's
"advice" sounds much like the USG's current operating
strategy. End Comment.

8.(U) Bio Note: Fernandez spoke fondly of American culture
and his two years at Georgetown University, where he received
a master's degree in political science, according to the
official COPEI website. He jokingly mentioned having trouble
receiving a US visa for 20 years after he wrote to advise
former President Nixon against visiting Venezuela because of
political instability. He said US Immigration had mistakenly
identified him as a communist.


McFarland


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