CHAVEZ AND THE GLOBAL CHESSBOARD

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 002830

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
DEPT PASS TO AID/OTI RPORTER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2021
TAGS: PREL PGOV VE
SUBJECT: CHAVEZ AND THE GLOBAL CHESSBOARD

REF: 05 CARACAS 3227

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Classified By: Robert Downes, Political Counselor,
for Reason 1.4(b).

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SUMMARY
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1. (U) With his eye towards increasing his international
stature and gaining a non-permanent seat on the United
Nations Security Council (UNSC),President Chavez is
literally traveling to all ends of the earth. As a part of
this strategy, and in addition to his visits and signing of
multiple bilateral agreements, the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela (BRV) has recently established diplomatic relations
with no less than ten countries, almost exclusively in
Africa, sent Presidential envoys to certain countries with
whom the BRV does not share official relations, and announced
intentions to establish diplomatic relations in the next year
with a handful more countries. END SUMMARY

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AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS?
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2. (U) President Chavez' ambitious travel schedule over the
last twelve months mirrors his equally ambitious rhetoric
about expanding the BRV's diplomatic presence throughout the
world. In 2006 alone, Chavez has visited over 25 countries,
including Cuba, Syria, Libya, Iran, China, Russia, and the
Vatican. Then-Vice Minister for Asia, Middle East, and
Oceania, Alcides Rondon said from Vietnam in June 2006 that
the BRV plans to increase the number of Asian countries with
diplomatic missions as part of its promotion of
"multipolarity." Rondon highlighted the recently established
mission in Hanoi and pointed to the opening of Venezuelan
embassies in New Zealand, Singapore, and Thailand in the near
future. Rondon pointed to Singapore and Thailand as an
example of the BRV's emphasis on increasing its diplomatic
presence in Southeast Asia. Regarding New Zealand, he said
the opening of an Embassy there is part of the "Strategic
Plan of Attention" that the BRV maintains with the countries
of Oceania.


3. (U) In Africa, Chavez's hobnobbing has augmented the
BRV's previously limited diplomatic presence on the
continent. In September 2005, Vice Minister for Africa,
Reinaldo Bolivar unveiled the BRV's "Africa Agenda," a
document detailing BRV plans to strengthen bilateral
relations in the region (reftel). At that time, Bolivar
announced plans to open embassies in Benin, Senegal, and
Ethiopia, before the end of 2005. (NOTE: Presently, the BRV
has met that goal only in Benin. END NOTE) In the last
fifteen months, the BRV has established diplomatic relations
with eleven African countries: Sudan, Chad, Niger, Eritrea,
Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Mauritius, the Democratic Republic
of the Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Somalia, and Sao Tome and
Principe. Bolivar announced that only nine African countries
remain with which Venezuela does not maintain diplomatic
relations (Cape Verde, Madagascar, Burundi, the Central
African Republic, Djibouti, Malawi, Botswana, Swaziland, and
Mauritania). Bolivar indicated that the establishment of
relations with Cape Verde is imminent.


4. (C) In many African countries, including some where the
BRV does not yet have diplomatic relations, Chavez has
employed the strategy of sending "Presidential" or "Special"
Envoys on his behalf. Madagascar, Mauritania, Egypt, Gabon,
Sao Tome and Principe, and Cameroon all received such envoys
during the months of August or September, while countries
such as Gambia, Mali, Benin, and Angola have received recent
visits from Chavez himself. While publicly spun as
discussions of increased bilateral ties, in this region,
Chavez is a wolf in sheep's clothing - his lobbying for votes
for the UNSC cannot be masked. Nigerian and South African
counterparts, for example, have told Poloff that they are not
blind to Chavez' ambitions as a primary driver for his

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outreach to their countries. His interest in the region has
been minimal in the past, and their respective governments
recognize that the lavish attention paid to the continent in
recent months does not stem from purely altruistic motives.

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TRAVELIN' MAN
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5. (U) While the propaganda shows that emerge when Chavez
returns from a world tour are intended to give the impression
that his international forays are universally applauded,
there are dissenting voices. Journalist and former
Ambassador Julio Cesar Pineda complained following Chavez'
early August world tour - including stops in Russia, Belarus,
Iran, Vietnam, Qatar, and Africa - that Chavez is not a
professional diplomat and that the BRV's relations with other
countries are politicized, resulting in grand expenditures
and few concrete results. Director of opposition party
Project Venezuela Carlos Berrizbeitia lamented that since
assuming power in 1999, Chavez has spent nearly forty million
dollars and over one full year, 379 days to be exact, outside
of Venezuela. Berrizbeitia calculated that Chavez has spent
41 days out of Venezuela and spent five million dollars on
foreign travel in 2006 alone, an average of nearly $122,000
per day.

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COMMENT
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6. (C) Chavez sees himself a "player" on the international
scene. His globetrotting is aimed at expanding his
international stature and paving the way for his intended
inheritance of Castro's hold on the anti-imperialist and
non-aligned movement. Chavez is currently facing two
elections, one international (the UNSC vote) and one domestic
(the December presidential election). His travels and
diplomatic maneuvering are intended to play to both
constituencies. When abroad, he presses the flesh and makes
promises in hopes of obtaining votes for the UNSC. And each
trip abroad sets the stage for a media-happy return of "the
prodigal son" during which he can trumpet his accomplishments
as a world leader and appeal to the masses in a most
Castroesque style. His international travels and lavish
promises abroad, however, engender domestic criticism from
those viewing the unaddressed and growing domestic problems
of crime, corruption and lack of housing.

WHITAKER