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