THE HEIGHTS OF THE VENEZUELAN ANDES - AMBASSADOR'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 001951

SIPDIS


NSC FOR CBARTON
HQ USSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF VE
SUBJECT: THE HEIGHTS OF THE VENEZUELAN ANDES - AMBASSADOR'S
TRIP TO MERIDA

Classified By: DCM STEPHEN G. MCFARLAND FOR REASON 1.4 D

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) During a visit to the Venezuelan state of Merida on
June 9 and 10, the Ambassador met with the governor, a close
ally of President Hugo Chavez. This was the first time a
pro-GOV governor has agreed to meet with him in 2005. The
conversation was cordial, with the Governor offering to help
provide insight into how Chavez thinks, as well as back-door
communication. The Ambassador also had a frank conversation
with the Archbishop of Merida (the leading church figure in
Venezuela),as well as members of the press, the business
community, opposition politicians, and the acting mayor of
the city (also MVR). Press coverage of the trip was
positive, including two interviews and reports on
commemorating USAID donations to a center for street children
and a Church-supported school for low-income children. END
SUMMARY.

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POLITICS
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2. (C) Governor Florencio Porras (MVR, Fifth Republic
Movement) agreed to meet with the Ambassador on short notice
- after his arrival in Merida June 9. The meeting took place
in his residence (adorned with a portrait of Che Guevara) and
was cordial, with Porras (a former Army Captain) reminiscing
about a pair of military visits to the U.S. several years
prior. The Ambassador emphasized the importance of open
communication and offered to assist the Governor's staff in
finding cultural and work exchanges, through the USG or
universities. Porras acknowledged that he was close to
Chavez, and offered a back-door means of communication with
him, as well as a sounding board to help understand how
Chavez thinks. While discussing the economy, Porras
mentioned the importance of high-tech sectors in the state,
and said the ambassadors of several countries had visited to
explore investment in that area (though apparently, no
investment has yet to materialize). Ruben Avila, Electoral
Policy Director of the MVR, in comments published in "Pico
Bolivar" June 14 called it a "secret meeting." Avila
editorialized that he was certain the Governor had told the
Ambassador not to intervene in Venezuelan internal affairs
(NOTE: he did not),and that the purpose of the trip to
Merida was "to strengthen an opposition that doesn't exist or
to create one."


3. (C) The Ambassador also met with local opposition party
representatives: Ramon Guevara of Accion Democratica (AD),
Carlos Masini of Primero Justicia, and William Davila of
Movimiento Federal. (A COPEI member was invited but did not
attend.) They noted that Merida, though not a border state,
had many of the problems associated with the border, such as
drug trafficking, contraband, and armed groups. Even with
such problems, they observed that Merida tended to be ignored
by the central government. Davila (former Accion Democratica
governor of Merida) said problems had been increasing in
Merida since Porras took office, citing crime (including
kidnappings in the western part of the state) and economic
difficulties. Davila said there has also been harassment,
such as tax authority SENIAT ordering hotels not to rent
space for opposition parties to hold events. Carvajal said
Merida was essentially an opposition town, but they weren't
united enough at present to have a chance against anyone from
the MVR in elections.


4. (SBU) There was also a brief meeting with Manuel Briceno,
acting mayor (MVR) of Merida. The Ambassador floated the
idea of finding a sister city in the U.S., and offered
assistance in finding one, such as Santa Fe, New Mexico,
because of its similarities. (Note: the Mayor, Carlos Leon,
was in Spain, where according to local press he had signed an
agreement with a Spanish university for an educational
exchange.) Briceno, attired in a natty, bright red, MVR
revolutionary T-shirt, presented the Ambassador with a Merida
city pin. A meeting with the local military commander was
requested, but no response was received. (Ambassador's note:
I am now 0 for 14 with the military. End note.)

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CHURCH AND CHARITY
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5. (C) Archbishop Baltazar Porras, the highest-ranking figure
in the Catholic Church in Venezuela, offered some frank
insights to the Ambassador. He compared the current
situation in Venezuela to that of Nicaragua in the early
Sandinista period, and said that members of the Church in
Bolivia had "convincing proof" that the GOV had provided
support to "Evo Morales and his group." Ambassador offered
Embassy assistance to collaborate on charitable projects, not
just in Merida but throughout the country, and asked for help
in identifying worthwhile projects. Porras expressed his
willingness to work with the Embassy.


6. (U) The Ambassador also visited two charitable projects.
The first was an activity center for street children, which
received brand-new kitchen equipment. There was massive
press coverage. One of the staff told Emboff that the
donation would allow them to greatly increase the number of
children the center could handle on a daily basis. The
second donation was to a Catholic school for low-income
children run by the Jesuit NGO Fe Y Alegria. The
contribution was to increase poultry and milk production,
both to aid the school's self-sufficiency and to provide
skill training for its students.

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PRESS AND THE UNIVERSITY
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7. (U) The trip received positive press coverage, with two
dailies providing extensive reports on the donation to the
street children's center. The Ambassador also gave
interviews to "Diario Frontera" (considered an opposition
newspaper) and "Pico Bolivar" (thought to be pro-GOV - a
principal owner was an MVR congressman until his recent
appointment to the Supreme Court) which were published nearly
in their entirety. (NOTE: Frontera was attacked late June 12
by a group of students from the local university. It appears
to have been incited by anger over Frontera's report of a
student's shooting death, which was accompanied by his police
record, and not associated with the Ambassador's visit. END
NOTE.) Pro-Chavez website aporrea.org, however, published an
opinion piece June 16 that linked the violence to the
Ambassador's visit, calling the trip a "bald-faced political
tour."


8. (C) In a meeting with the Vice-Rector of Administration at
the University of the Andes (ULA),Mario Bonucci, the
Ambassador encouraged ULA staff and students to participate
in more educational and cultural exchanges with U.S.
universities. He also expressed a desire to discuss
U.S.-Venezuelan relations with ULA students. Ambassador
noted we had a longstanding relationship with ULA but had to
avoid the violence that greeted former Rep. Klug's visit
early this year if it was to continue. One of the deans
present suggested arranging a DVC for that purpose, which
post will explore. (NOTE: ULA students have a strong
reputation for favoring left-wing ideas. Archbishop Porras
called ULA "a pressure cooker ready to explode" from the
growth of "Marxist thought.")

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DOING BUSINESS IN MERIDA
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9. (U) The Merida Chamber of Commerce and the Merida
FEDECAMARAS (joint association of all business chambers)
co-hosted a lunch for the Ambassador, attended by about 50
members of the business community. Some present expressed
the opinion that Merida was ignored by the central
government, and the need for increased investment in the
region was raised several times. The problems in Merida are
similar to those faced throughout Venezuela, though perhaps
worse due to the geographical isolation.

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COMMENT
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10. (C) The meeting with the Governor was a surprise, given
the reticence of previous pro-Chavez governors to meet the
Ambassador, as was the positive tone. It has, however,


created at least a small stir within the MVR, which may not
be a bad thing. The visit was positive, giving the
Ambassador numerous opportunities to express - publicly and
privately - the themes of increased communication and
exchange between the two countries.
Brownfield


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2005CARACA01951 - CONFIDENTIAL