PARAGUAYAN FM TRYING TO TURN OFF VENEZUELAN STATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASUNCION 000161

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/BSC AND WHA/AND
NSC FOR TOM SHANNON/KIM BREIER
SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD DAN JOHNSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR PA
SUBJECT: PARAGUAYAN FM TRYING TO TURN OFF VENEZUELAN STATE
VISIT

REF: ASUNCION 00152

Classified By: Charge Kevin M. Johnson for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (U) On January 28, just prior to a meeting with FM Leila
Rachid on other matters, MFA Bilateral Affairs Director
Ceferino Valdez advised Charge that Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez was going to visit Paraguay February 27-28. Valdez
said that the visit was being planned in conjunction with
Chavez's trip to Uruguay for the upcoming presidential
inauguration.


2. (C) During the meeting that followed, Rachid reiterated
President Duarte's support for Colombian President Alvaro
Uribe in the Colombian-Venezuelan dispute (reftel),and told
Charge that she had been in touch with the Paraguayan Embassy
in Caracas to try to turn off the Chavez visit. Rachid went
on to voice rather harsh criticism of Chavez, calling him
"vulgar," "a thorn in the side," and "Fidel Castro's envoy in
Latin America." She added that she rejects Chavez's
"messianic" ambition to "lead the Latin American community."
JOHNSON