GUATEMALA ON AUG 28 CHAVEZ SOCIAL CHARTER EVENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L GUATEMALA 002022 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/23/2015 TAGS: PREL SOCI EAID KSUM GT OAS SUBJECT: GUATEMALA ON AUG 28 CHAVEZ SOCIAL CHARTER EVENT REF: STATE 154693 Classified By: CDA Bruce Wharton for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d). ¶1. (C) Guatemalan MFA official told polcouns that FM Briz declined to accept Venezuela's invitation to attend August 28 Social Charter event. MFA instructed Guatemala's ambassador in Caracas, Ivan Espinoza, to attend the GOV-hosted meeting "in a listening mode." ¶2. (C) Polcouns made other reftel points; in response, MFA official noted that Chavez likely would not succeed in hijacking the Social Charter negotiation process, since there already were other proposals on the table, including Chile's, Mexico's and Central America's. WHARTON