FOREIGN MINISTER MADURO BLASTS PERUVIAN COUNTERPART

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 003425

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/13/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV VE
SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER MADURO BLASTS PERUVIAN COUNTERPART

REF: CARACAS 000028

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Classified By: ACTING POLITICAL COUNSELOR DANIEL LAWTON,
REASON 1.4 (D)


1. (C) Summary. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Maduro lashed
out at the Peruvian government in the wake of Peruvian
Foreign Minister Garcia Belaunde's reported reference to
Venezuela's unsuccessful bid to secure a rotational UNSC
seat. Maduro told reporters November 11 that his Peruvian
counterpart is the "heir of the hypocrisy, racism, and
two-faced conduct shown by the Peruvian oligarchy over the
last 180 years." The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (BRV)
appears content to do more damage, rather than try to return
diplomatic relations with Peru to the ambassadorial level.
Unlike his more temperate and diplomatic predecessor, former
Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez, Maduro -- a more typical
Bolivarian -- continues to compound Venezuela's radical
foreign policy with his aggressive public statements. End
Summary.

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War of Words
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2. (SBU) Peru first recalled its ambassador from Caracas
after President Chavez publicly endorsed then Peruvian
presidential hopeful Ollanta Humala during Humala's January 3
visit to Caracas (Reftel). After Chavez continued to make
public statements about Peru's presidential election, Peru
withdrew its ambassador indefinitely in early May. The BRV
responded in kind. Asked recently about repairing relations
with Venezuela, Peruvian Foreign Minister Jose Garcia
Belaunde reportedly told reporters that "We have to allow
President Chavez to lick his wounds of his (UNSC) defeat."


3. (SBU) Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro responded by lashing
out at his Peruvian counterpart, telling reporters on
November 11 that "This is nothing other than the legacy that
the Peruvian oligarchs bequeathed to their offspring."
Maduro also lamely tried to blame the United States calling
the Peruvian Foreign Minister a "boot-licker" of President
Bush. He added that Garcia Belaunde's statement was "just
another part of the U.S. empire's plan to stir up intrigues
and break up the new process of South-South and Latin
American integration." Maduro also called the Garcia
government in Peru a "fledgling administration that is
precariously in power."


4. (SBU) Media outlets in Venezuela covered the tough
counter-statements made by both Belaunde and Garcia.
Belaunde reportedly told reporters November 12 that Maduro's
comments had the "arrogant and over-bearing stench of the
nouveaux riche." Venezuelan daily "El Nacional" published
the same day a full-page interview with Peruvian President
Alan Garcia in which Garcia said Chavez "exercises power with
a club or bag of money, blackmail, and seduction." Garcia
added that Chavez unfairly divides Latin AMERICA with his
"simplistic" and "offensive" vision that countries are either
with him or the United States.

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Civil Society
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5. (C) Carlos Ponce, International Relations Director for the
Venezuelan NGO Development and Justice Consortium, told
PolCouns November 14 that he believes that not just
governments, but also NGOs around the hemisphere are "waking
up" and voicing concerns about the Chavez government. Ponce
said Peruvian NGOs, such as the Institute for Legal Defense
(IDL) and the Andean Commission of Jurists (CAJ),have been
particularly supportive (within their limited means) of civil
society in Venezuela. Ponce said such groups have been able
to channel some international funding their way via regional
NGO projects.

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Comment
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6. (C) Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro never met a microphone
he did not like. And unlike former foreign minister Ali
Rodriguez, who often tried to soften the edges of Chavez'
radical and anti-American foreign policy, Maduro reflexively
amplifies the BRV's international extremism with his
incendiary rhetoric. As the BRV's unsuccessful UNSC seat bid
demonstrated, Maduro's brand of "revolutionary" diplomacy is

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not winning friends and influencing people. Moreover, it is
not only exacerbating strained relations with the United
States, but also undermining traditional ties with countries
such as Peru and Mexico.

BROWNFIELD