CHAVEZ MEDDLING CAUSES PERU TO WITHDRAW AMBASSADOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 000028 SIPDIS SIPDIS HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/05/2016 TAGS: PGOV KDEM VE SUBJECT: CHAVEZ MEDDLING CAUSES PERU TO WITHDRAW AMBASSADOR TO VENEZUELA REF: CARACAS 003544 Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ROBERT R. DOWNES FOR 1.4 (D) -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) On January 3, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez pledged his support for leftist Peruvian presidential candidate Ollanta Humala, a move that prompted the GOP to withdra7 )43-"!33!$/2 4/ -%.%:5%,! &/2#/.35,4!4)/.3). ,)-!. ^5-!,!-!$% ! 3urprise appearance at a ceremony honoring the visit of Bolivian President-elect Evo Morales. The election of Morales seems to have bolstered Chavez' belief in the hemisphere-wide momentum of his "Bolivarian Revolution" and his own ability to influence elections abroad; despite Chavez' dismissal of Humala's presence as coincidental, this was a very public and very obvious gesture toward Humala. Chavez' constant meddling in other countries' internal affairs is clearly irritating some sectors in those nations. End Summary. -------------- Humala Part of the Bolivarian Revolution -------------- ¶2. (U) The GOP called its Ambassador back for consultations on January 4 after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez publicly supported the candidacy of leftist Peruvian presidential hopeful Ollanta Humala. Humala made a surprise appearance on January 3 at a ceremony to honor Bolivian President-elect Evo Morales where Chavez said they shared a common quest for "nationalism, rescuing natural resources, rescuing sovereignty, resisting the menace of the Free Trade Area of the Americas, demanding respect for our peoples." The GOP denounced Chavez' comments and said they "constitute an interference in internal affairs in Peru. According to the GOV, Humala was invited by the Movimienta Quinta Republica (MVR),Chavez' political party, and that it was just a coincidence that he arrived on the same day as Morales. In his public comments during the ceremony, Chavez praised Humala and characterized him as a modern-day Don Quixote. -------------- Not His First Time -------------- ¶4. (C) This is certainly not the first time Chavez has caused such a diplomatic spat with another Latin American nation. In November 2005, Mexico recalled its Ambassador to Venezuela after Chavez called President Vicente Fox a "lapdog of the empire" (reftel). In addition to these comments, Embassy sources report that former Venezuelan Ambassador to Mexico Vladimir Villegas was organizing "Bolivarian Circles" in the country as well as offering financial and staffing support to leftist Mexican candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (reftel). -------------- Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) Despite his constant claims of solidarity with other Latin American countries, Chavez continues to find himself in these diplomatic spats after he says or does something that is construed as meddling. Perhaps the sweeping election of Evo Morales has emboldened Chavez as to his ability to influence elections abroad. Whether or not he has offered Humala political support, the political connotation of including Humala in the festivities for Morales is fairly obvious. Chavez clearly believes he can best achieve his dreams of regional integration by supporting like-minded candidates in other countries, but it will remain to be seen whether his obvious interference will help or hinder his progress in the region. WHITAKER