BOSTON GROUP PLANS DECEMBER MEETING

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 003426 SIPDIS NSC FOR CBARTON HQSOUTHCOM FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2014 TAGS: PREL PHUM KDEM VE SUBJECT: BOSTON GROUP PLANS DECEMBER MEETING Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ABELARDO A. ARIAS FOR 1.4 (D) -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) During a meeting at the Ambassador's residence on October 28, Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-NC) accepted an invitation from Venezuelan National Assembly deputies to return to Venezuela for a plenary Boston Group meeting in early December. The legislators also discussed a potential National Assembly television channel and two new non-governmental associations mimicking the Boston Group. End summary. ¶2. (U) US. Representative Cass Ballenger (R-NC) met with Venezuelan National Assembly members of the Boston Group, a bipartisan exchange initiative of US and Venezuelan legislators, at the Ambassador's Residence on October 28. The Venezuelan deputies invited Rep. Ballenger to return to Caracas later this year for a plenary Boston Group meeting to discuss a proposal for a National Assembly television channel and to meet with two local Boston Group offshoots. Rep. Ballenger agreed to append a trip to his 1-3 December visit to a coffee growers' association in Colombia. Rep. Ballenger accepted the Ambassador's offer to help invite Reps. Bill Delahunt (D-MA) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY) to the December plenary. ¶3. (U) Proyecto Venezuela deputy Pedro Diaz Blum told Rep. Ballenger that the political situation had forced the National Assembly to put aside an initiative to create a "C-Span"-like channel for Venezuelan television until after the October 31 regional elections, but the idea had not been scrapped. Indeed, the National Assembly had made several proposals concerning the project, and the alternate to National Assembly president Francisco Jose Ameliach (MVR) told Diaz Blum he would support it. The administration agreed that the channel should be balanced, representing both the government and the opposition. Rep. Ballenger said he could procure the support of US television stations that would donate used equipment. ¶4. (U) The Venezuelan party briefed Rep. Ballenger on the positive results of a Harvard Conflict Management Center workshop sponsored by USAID aimed at fostering mutual respect among government supporters, opposition supporters, and citizens disillusioned with both sides. The workshop has since flourished, expanding into a "Group Boston-Valencia" and a "Group Boston-Caracas," each of which comprises more than 40 citizens, including journalists from both pro-government and opposition media outlets. In addition to stimulating respectful dialog, the groups have cooperated on issues of mutual concern, such as trash removal, and have created educational and cultural programs. The deputies planned to propagate such groups in the other Boston Group members' home states of Bolivar, Lara, Sucre, and Zulia. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶5. (U) US support for such civil society groups is a small step towards lessening Venezuela's political polarization and combating its culture of relying on government to solve its problems. A National Assembly television station, meanwhile, could begin to help hold Venezuela's legislators accountable to a public that tends to shun political involvement because of its suspicion of politicians. End comment. ¶6. (U) Rep. Ballenger did not review this message before transmittal. Brownfield MISSING CLASSIFIED PARAGRAPH NNNN 2004CARACA03426 - CONFIDENTIAL