CODEL DAVIS VISITS CARACAS

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 001706

SIPDIS


CODEL


E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM VE
SUBJECT: CODEL DAVIS VISITS CARACAS

Classified By: AMBASSADOR WILLIAM R. BROWNFIELD FOR REASON 1.4 D

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Summary
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1. (U) Representative Tom Davis (R-VA),Chairman of the
House Government Reform Committee, led a Congressional
delegation to Venezuela on May 31 and June 1. The delegation
which included Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI),Rep. Dutch
Ruppersberger (D-MD),Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA),and Rep.
Carolyn Maloney D-NY) focused on regional and bilateral
cooperation in fighting narcotics trafficking and terrorism.
The delegation met with Minister of Interior and Justice
Jesse Chacon, Vice-President Jose Vicente Rangel, and members
of Venezuela's National Assembly. The Delegation also took
part in the dedication of a joint U.S.-Venezuelan X-ray
operator training center at Caracas' Maiquetia Airport. End
Summary.

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Minister of Interior and Justice
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2. (C) On May 31, the delegation met with Venezuelan Interior
and Justice Minister Jesse Chacon for about an hour. The
Ambassador was excluded from the meeting, but the delegation
did share elements of the conversation. They said that the
meeting was generally positive if not particularly
productive. According to Rep. Maloney, the delegation felt
there was common ground between the two countries for
cooperation on fighting drugs, terrorism, and trafficking in
persons. Rep. Davis told Emboffs that Chacon had confirmed
that he was aware that the GOV had not yet completed the
necessary paperwork for the request to extradite alleged
terrorist Luis Posada Carriles.

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Vice President Rangel
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3. (C) On June 1, in a last-minute meeting called by the GOV,
the delegation met with Venezuelan Vice President Jose
Vicente Rangel in his office. Reps. Davis, Maloney, Miller,
and Ruppersberger attended. (Note: At the same time Rep. Wolf
attended a previously scheduled meeting at the National
Assembly). The Ambassador was initially invited to the
meeting but was informed en-route to the Vice President's
office that he would not be included. Emboff attended the
meeting which lasted for about 45 minutes.


4. (C) Rep. Davis presented Rangel with some of the gifts
that he had originally brought to present to President Hugo
Chavez. Rep. Davis talked about lowering the level of
rhetoric in the bilateral relationship, and Rangel insisted
that he was very interested in working with the U.S. on
improving relations since the two countries have historically
had good relations. Rangel insisted that "we have no hostile
attitude towards the U.S." and that he was not anti-U.S. but
instead was an admirer of the U.S.


5. (C) Rangel identified the petroleum trade, drug
trafficking, and fighting terrorism as areas where the U.S.
and Venezuela can work together. Rangel highlighted the 2002
strike as the only interruption in Venezuelan oil supply to
the U.S., referring to the strike as "sabotage" and
"terrorism." The Vice President complained to the delegation
about President Bush's meeting with Maria Corina Machado of
Sumate, a leading Venezuelan civil society NGO, a day
earlier. Rangel asked why President Bush had received her
when he would not receive GOV figures, saying that "she
doesn't represent anyone in Venezuela" and that the meeting
was "an affront to President Chavez." He added that Bush
probably met with her "because she has a pretty face and
pretty legs." Rangel said Machado had been part of the coup
attempt against Chavez, had signed the decree promulgated by
the short-lived government of Pedro Carmona in April 2002,
and was an indicted criminal.


6. (C) Regarding GOV interest in extraditing alleged
terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, Rangel claimed that Venezuela
had no interest in magnifying the case or using it for
anti-American politics. He said extradition would guarantee
a fair trial with due process, and that if he comes to
Venezuela, Posada "won't be sent to Cuba- absolutely not!"
He also said that since Posada is over 70 years old, he
wouldn't be subject to prison, but would only be subject to
house arrest.
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Ambush at the National Assembly
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7. (U) While other members of the delegation were meeting
with Vice President Rangel, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and
delegation staff faced a room full of reporters in what the
Embassy had scheduled as a private discussion of Venezuela's
proposed Organized Crime Law at the National Assembly. After
exchanging formalities with Boston Group deputies and members
of the Internal Policy Committee, Rep. Wolf said he was
concerned that undemocratic actions by the GOV were
threatening the historically friendly ties between the United
States and Venezuela. Warning that Sumate leader Maria
Corina Machado was becoming a "folk hero," he said his
subcommittee would commit additional funds to Sumate in
response to GOV actions against the organization.


8. (U) MVR deputy Calixto Ortega responded that the Sumate
issue was too complicated to resolve in such a meeting but
invited Rep. Wolf to investigate the facts, which Ortega said
would show Machado had been involved in the attempted coup
against President Chavez in 2002. MVR deputy Iris Varela
entered the chamber, demanded the microphone, and began
loudly denouncing U.S. foreign policy. Varela called
President Bush's meeting with Machado the preceding day a
"smokescreen" aimed at distracting the Venezuelan public from
Washington's "protection" of Luis Posada Carriles. She
called Machado a fugitive, a coup-plotter, and a CIA agent
who had participated in electoral fraud. She criticized the
delegation for sending only one member of Congress to the
meeting. Rep. Wolf responded to Varela by inviting those
present to the House-Senate prayer breakfast and apologizing
that the other members were unable to attend because of their
last-minute meeting with VP Rangel.

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NAS Facility Dedication
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9. (U) The delegation wrapped up its visit at a ceremony at
Caracas' Maiquetia Airport to dedicate a new X-Ray Operator
Training Facility that is being funded by the Embassy's
Narcotics Affairs Section. At a brief ceremony, Ambassador
Brownfield, Rep. Davis, and Jorge Gonzalez, head of Maiquetia
airport security each gave brief remarks followed by a ribbon
cutting and a short tour of the facility. Non-official press
was banned from the ceremony by the GOV, though Ambassador
Brownfield and Rep. Davis were able to speak to the press in
another location at the airport shortly before the delegation
departed.


10. (U) Codel Davis was unable to clear this cable before
departure.
Brownfield


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2005CARACA01706 - CONFIDENTIAL