STAFFDEL MEACHAM MEETS WITH CIVIL SOCIETY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 003241

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2031
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM VE
SUBJECT: STAFFDEL MEACHAM MEETS WITH CIVIL SOCIETY

REF: CARACAS 2991

CARACAS 00003241 001.3 OF 002


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


1. (U) Carl Meacham, visiting Staffer for the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, visited Caracas October 22-24.
This cable addresses Meacham's meetings with several members
of Venezuelan civil society, with whom he discussed the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee's ongoing global study on
the atmosphere for civil society and democratic promotion.
Meacham also focused on strategies to address the proposed
International Cooperation Law and harassment facing certain
NGOs. Meacham's agenda also included an Embassy Country Team
Briefing, breakfast with key members of the diplomatic
community, a meeting with electoral NGO Sumate, an audience
with the BRV's Vice Minister for North American Affairs, and
a meeting with National Assembly Deputy Saul Ortega, reported
septels.

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UCAB AND AN NGO ROUNDTABLE
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2. (C) Meacham met October 23 with the Andres Bello
Catholic University's (UCAB) Maria Gabriela Ponce. UCAB is
in the spotlight due to its opposition to many government
policy initiatives, notably changes to the law on higher
education. UCAB also was an original participant in the
ill-fated Electoral Registry Audit. With regards to the
International Cooperation Law, Ponce commented that the
original impetus for the law was the elimination of electoral
NGO Sumate. Ponce continued, however, to say that with
Chavez, if one NGO is bad, all are bad. "There is no gray,"
said Ponce; everything is black or white.


3. (C) Norma Perez, Project Manager for the Pan-American
Development Foundation (PADF),a USAID/OTI partner, hosted a
roundtable with Meacham, Emboffs, and three NGO
representatives: Humberto Prado of the Venezuelan Prison
Observatory; Carlos Correa, Director of NGO Espacio Publico;
and Ewald Scharfenberg, Executive Director of the Venezuelan
Institute for Press and Society. Meacham pressed the NGOs
for suggestions in where the United States Congress might be
able to help address the threat to NGOs emanating from the
proposed International Cooperation Law. The short answer
from NGO representatives was, in the current regime, it is
not possible. All agreed the best role the United States
could play in the current environment was to push other
diplomatic missions to become more involved. Specifically,
they named Canada, England, France, and Germany. Correa
emphasized that a team effort was needed.


4. (C) Meacham indicated he was seeking concrete evidence
to help build the case for an active posture in the U.S.
Congress with respect to Venezuela's stance on NGOs. In a
word, he asked NGO representatives to describe their current
standing in front of the Chavez administration. Perez
answered, "endangered"; Correa replied, "threatened."

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HUMAN RIGHTS NGOS
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5. (C) Meacham met individually with prominent human rights
NGOs Provea and Cofavic on October 24. Meacham primarily
discussed with Provea Director Marino Alvarado the obstacles
the proposed International Cooperation Law would present to
the continued operation of his and other NGOs. The proposed
entity that would catalog foreign investment in NGO
operations would do more than just catalog, said Alvarado,
but would regulate and hold decision-making and veto
authority. Alvarado indicated that most NGOs would not be
opposed in principle to some sort of BRV clearinghouse
requiring disclosure of finances. What was objectionable,
Alvarado said, was the concept of having to re-register
before the BRV as a civil society entity and be subjected to
programmatic scrutiny. Alvarado also suspects that efforts
to force NGOs to "re-register" their existence would likely
lead to BRV stalling tactics, forcing extant NGOs to operate
underground. This eventuality would provide the BRV a
pretext to say certain NGOs are operating illegally, since
they were not properly registered.


CARACAS 00003241 002.3 OF 002



6. (C) Liliana Ortega, Cofavic's Executive Director,
detailed for Meacham the ongoing personal harassment she
faces at the hands of the BRV, including threats of bodily
harm. She explained that the BRV is again accusing her of
fabricating the threats to her and is trying to get
Venezuelan courts to overturn the IACHR ruling that the BRV
must provide protective police detail for Ortega. (NOTE:
Provea's Alvarado believes he has not received such severe
harassment because his work focuses more on economic and
civil rights, not political rights. Reftel discussed a
theory that Alvarado is surreptitiously receiving BRV funding
not to pursue certain cases. END NOTE). Ortega added that
she expected the National Assembly to pass the International
Cooperation Law before the end of the year.


7. (C) Cofavic, the Venezuelan Prison Observatory, Espacio
Publico, and the Venezuelan Institute for Press and Society
(IPyS) all receive USAID funding through PADF. IPyS also
receives funding from NED. Neither Provea nor UCAB receive
any U.S. funding.

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COMMENT
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8. (C) With regard to the International Cooperation Law,
the message Meacham received from civil society was decidedly
that, at this time, the best way to help is not to help - at
least not visibly nor vocally. NGOs are clearly concerned
about their futures, but believe direct U.S. involvement
would lead to even greater politicization of this issue and
seal their fate - a position with which we have sympathy. We
will continue to push the greater diplomatic community to
maintain its more public stance on the issue.


9. (U) Meacham has cleared on this report.

BROWNFIELD