AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRASILIA 000233 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/2015 TAGS: PREL BR SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY MARCOS AURELIO GARCIA, 24 JANUARY 2005 REF: A. BRASILIA 210 ¶B. STATE 11483 ¶C. LA PAZ 193 AND 194 Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN J. DANILOVICH. REASONS: 1.4(B)(D). ¶1. (C) Ambassador, accompanied by PolCounselor, met on 24 January with Marcos Aurelio Garcia, Senior Foreign Affairs Advisor to President Lula da Silva. Garcia had just returned from a weekend meeting in Caracas with President Chavez and provided a briefing on Brazil's efforts to facilitate a resolution to the dispute between Venezuela and Colombia following the rendition to Colombia from Venezuela of a senior FARC official. ¶2. (C) Garcia said Lula's conversations with Presidents Uribe and Chavez last week (ref A) had been positive and the GOB believes both sides want a resolution. Garcia met on Saturday, 22 January in Caracas with President Chavez (a meeting previously scheduled to advance Lula's February official visit). Garcia said that he, speaking for Lula, had suggested "rather insistently" that both sides needed to lower the tone at once. Chavez seemed receptive and, in Garcia's presence, made a phone call directing the leaders of a demonstration planned for that weekend to avoid passing in front of the Colombian embassy (Note: We have no further information on this. End note.) Chavez told Garcia that he does not want to aggravate the crisis, saying a lack of progress in resolving the dispute will result in continued cool relations, but not in a deterioration beyond that. ¶3. (C) Garcia said the GOB has told both sides that they need to work toward "common language" for a communique or statement that will serve as the basis for a face-saving closure to the dispute. The GOB is prepared to serve as the communication channel and informal facilitator to work out that language, although Garcia said the GOB will not draft texts itself for the two sides to consider. Progress toward the common statement needs to occur in the next 10 to 15 days, in the GOB's view, and it is paramount that there be no new incidents that exacerbate tensions between the countries, Garcia said. Once a common statement is agreed, the next step probably should be a meeting between the presidents, Garcia said. ¶4. (C) Ambassador noted Brazilian news stories suggesting that a USG paper sent on 19 January to the GOB regarding the crisis and supporting Peru's mediation was a criticism of Brazil's efforts. He said the articles were unfounded, that the nonpaper reflected general points made to a number of capitals early last week, and that Brazil's efforts are welcome. Garcia dismissed the news reports as erroneous and irrelevant, and indicated he had taken pains to say as much to the media. He claimed not to know when or how the journalist who instigated the story had received access to the U.S. paper. The GOB welcomes Peru's efforts as well, Garcia said, and noted also that both President Lagos of Chile and President Zapatero of Spain (who visited Brasilia on 24 January) had indicated to the GOB their desire to help resolve the dispute. ¶5. (C) Ambassador asked Garcia for his views of Chavez's relationship with opposition leader Evo Morales in Bolivia, and for his assessment of the situation there. Garcia (who has traveled to Bolivia as Lula's envoy) said the GOB is deeply concerned that political dialogue seems to have degenerated to "high-stakes bluffing" and that the country is floating along on this "stream of radical discourse." The GOB will continue to try to positively influence Morales and opposition figures toward staying on the democratic path, Garcia said. Garcia added he does not believe there is particularly strong connection between Morales and Chavez, claiming that Chavez had said to Garcia in the recent past that "Evo is crazy" for his insistence on heavy taxation on hydro-carbon operations. ¶6. (C) Comment. Per above and ref a, the GOB is confident that this dispute can be managed and that both sides want a resolution. Brazil is well-positioned to play a facilitator role and seems committed to doing so in a focused if informal way. We will stay in touch this week with Garcia's deputy, Marcel Biato, to monitor possible further GOB contacts on the issue with Chavez, who will be speaking at the Porto Alegre Social Forum on 30 January (Lula speaks on 27 January). Garcia has met several times with Chavez, and would appear to have established some degree of rapport, so we hope his optimistic assessment of Chavez's willingness to lower the tone of his rhetoric on Colombia will be borne out, especially when Chavez ascends to the pulpit this week in Porto Alegre. We also find Garcia's assertion that there is little meaningful connection between Chavez and Morales to be a curious one, in light of rather different assessments by informed observers, including Brazil's own diplomats in La Paz (ref C). DANILOVICH