VENEZUELA: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH NEW VICE

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 000299 SIPDIS NSC FOR SHANNON/BARTON USCINCSO ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/30/2014 TAGS: PREL KDEM VE SUBJECT: VENEZUELA: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH NEW VICE FOREIGN MINISTER Classified By: Ambassador William R. Brownfield for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) The Ambassador and DCM met with Vice Foreign Minister for North America, Maria Pilar (Mari Pili) Hernandez, January 26 at the Foreign Ministry. It was the Ambassador's first meeting with Hernandez, and the DCM's first meeting with her since being appointed Vice Minister. ¶2. (C) Noting that he had a request pending for an appointment with Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez, the Ambassador expressed to Hernandez our serious concern about President Hugo Chavez's extremely personal attack on the Secretary-designate January 23. The Ambassador also SIPDIS reiterated the Department spokesman's comments regarding our concern about the dispute over the capture of FARC leader Rodrigo Granda, the need for the GOV to clarify its position on the FARC, and our hope for a positive response from the GoV to the GOC's request for assistance on other FARC believed to be in Venezuela. The Ambassador added that we hoped the GoV would cooperate with GOC as well as the USG on counter terrorism issues in general. ¶3. (C) Hernandez responded that President Chavez's comments answered our own public comments and "provocation" the week before during the Secretary-designate's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings. As a Venezuelan woman, Hernandez said, she might not agree with Chavez's use of words, but she did not agree with the Secretary-designate either. She offered no response on Granda, FARC, or CT cooperation, but said she would ensure that Foreign Minister Rodriguez was aware of our concerns. She added that Rodriguez was busy resolving the Venezuela-Colombia crisis, and might not be available for awhile. ¶4. (C) The Ambassador noted that he, and the USG, would continue to say things in public that were clear, frank, and critical on matters of principle. Similarly, the Ambassador added, he expected that Hernandez and the GoV would continue to make anti-US pronouncements. Speaking of maintaining communication between our two governments, the Ambassador told Hernandez that since, after 5 months in country he still did not have areliable private channel into the Foreign Ministy, he hoped she could play that role. Hernandez agreed that we should try to serve as a conduit for communication between USG and GOV. The reason the Ambassador did not have ministerial contacts in the GoV, she said, was because Venezuelan Ambassador to the U.S. did not have senior contacts in Washington. Hernandez reiterated the GoV's in maintaining contact and communications with the USG, and she stressed that the channel to the GoV through her was always available. ¶5. (C) Hernandez called the Ambassador January 27 to report she had passed our message to Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez. She said the Foreign Minister was deeply engaged in resolving the Granda crisis with Colombia, and might not be available for some time to come. The Ambassador was stunned. BROWNFIELD NNNN 2005CARACA00299 - CONFIDENTIAL