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