PALACIO SNUBS VENEZUELAN FM

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 001804 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/03/2015 TAGS: PGOV PREL EC VE SUBJECT: PALACIO SNUBS VENEZUELAN FM REF: QUITO 1403 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires AI Larry Memmott for reasons 1.4 (b&d) id: 37938 date: 8/3/2005 22:22 refid: 05QUITO1804 origin: Embassy Quito classification: CONFIDENTIAL destination: 05QUITO1403 header: This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. 032222Z Aug 05 -------------- header ends -------------- C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 001804 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/03/2015 TAGS: PGOV PREL EC VE SUBJECT: PALACIO SNUBS VENEZUELAN FM REF: QUITO 1403 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires AI Larry Memmott for reasons 1.4 (b&d) ¶1. (C) Summary: FM Antonio Parra, acting without the President's knowledge or consent, reportedly arranged an August 3 lunch for President Palacio with Venezuelan FM Ali Rodriguez. Palacio only found out about the invitation the evening of August 2 from his adviser Luis Herreria and quickly canceled the lunch. A courtesy call was planned for August 3 instead. Palacio was clearly angered by Parra's actions and seems disinclined to get as cozy with Venezuela as his Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Economy would like. End Summary. ¶2. (C) In an August 3 meeting with the Charge, President Palacio said that he was rumored to be hosting a lunch for Venezuelan FM Ali Rodriguez that day, but that it was instead only a courtesy call, which he was obliged to offer with Rodriguez in town. Rodriguez was in Ecuador to attend the South American Foreign Ministers conference in Guayaquil the week of August 1. Presidential Secretary Luis Herreria, lying in wait for the Charge after his Presidential meeting, privately added that FM Antonio Parra had arranged the lunch for August 3 without Palacio's approval. Palacio had not been aware of the planned lunch until Herreria showed him an invitation the evening of August 2, he said. According to Herreria, Palacio was livid when he found out Parra made the invitation without his knowledge, and proceeded to phone the rotund FM and yell profanities at him. ¶3. (C) The President canceled the lunch with Rodriguez, scheduling instead a courtesy call for August 3. Herreria said "not even coffee" would be served to the Venezuelan. Herreria told the Charge that Rodriguez was reportedly furious and would not come to the Palace for the courtesy call. Herreria, who called Chavez "diabolical" in a recent public statement, gleefully noted the obvious, "this is a huge diplomatic incident." Comment -------------- ¶4. (C) This incident supports suspicions that FM Parra (along with MinFin Correa) are largely behind Ecuador's increased coziness with Venezuela. Palacio, in contrast, is skeptical of having such a close relationship with the GOV, and the diplomatic incident this issue may cause should decrease chances of improvements in GOE-GOV relations. MEMMOTT =======================CABLE ENDS============================ ...