Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06HAVANA10031
2006-05-11 13:27:00
SECRET
US Interests Section Havana
Cable title:  

NEW CUBAN AMBO TO BOLIVIA: RAFAEL DAUSA

Tags:  PINR PREL ASEC BO CU 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUB #0031/01 1311327
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 111327Z MAY 06
FM USINT HAVANA
TO RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ MAY WASHDC 7175
INFO RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUMIAAA/USCINCSO MIAMI FL
S E C R E T HAVANA 010031 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2016
TAGS: PINR PREL ASEC BO CU
SUBJECT: NEW CUBAN AMBO TO BOLIVIA: RAFAEL DAUSA


Classified By: COM Michael E. Parmly; Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

S E C R E T HAVANA 010031

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2016
TAGS: PINR PREL ASEC BO CU
SUBJECT: NEW CUBAN AMBO TO BOLIVIA: RAFAEL DAUSA


Classified By: COM Michael E. Parmly; Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (S) The Cuban regime has nominated senior Foreign Ministry
honcho Rafael Dausa Cespedes as its ambassador to Bolivia.
This in the context of greatly improved relations between
Cuba and Bolivia in the wake of Evo Morales' election. Dausa
can be expected to intensify Cuba's assault on Bolivia's
democratic institutions, and to egg on Morales' anti-American
tendencies. Dausa is a consummate professional, and
unassailable on Cuban revolutionary mythology or relations
with the United States. Biographical information follows
below.


2. (SBU) Resume and Family life: Born in Havana on 11 April

1959. Father was a lawyer; died in 1975. Mother was a
school teacher; she died in 1995. In an interview while
serving at the UN, Dausa described his family as "a
traditional Cuban family ) very close. We spent much time
together as part of my education and went through the changes
of the revolution together."

-- Graduated from the Higher Institute of Foreign Relations
in Havana (1976-1982);

-- Married to Mercedes De Armas Garcia. DOB: 16 Jan 1963;

-- Third secretary at CUBINT Washington: 1994-1995;

-- Deputy Director of Foreign Ministry (MINREX) US-Canada
Division: 1996-1997;

-- Cuban Deputy Representative at the UN: 1998-2001;

-- Director of MINREX North American Division: 2001-2005;

(In 2002 and 2003, he headed the Cuban delegation for the
Cuba-US Migration talks.)

-- Deputy Foreign Minister: 2005


3. (C) Observations from former USG Officials who met with
Dausa:

A) Former WHA/CCA Director:

"From meetings at Migration Talks, I found him extremely
persistent but dispassionate in his approach; he's all
business. His wife is also in MINREX. One of my deputies in
CCA knew her from the UN and found her the same -- tough but
dispassionate. Dausa's Spanish is the clearest I've ever
heard from a Cuban, really a pleasure to listen to. His
English is excellent."

"You can work with him, but don't expect a friendly
relationship, no joking around, no knowing winks about their
nutty policies. All business all the time. Example: We had

a list of folks the regime had denied exit permits to, at the
Migration Talks. I just happened to notice a Dausa (not a
common name) on the list, and half-jokingly said it must be
one of his relatives. He cut me cold: "No relative of mine
wants to leave Cuba for this place. We all love the
revolution." But at the same time, if there's something
that's in both parties' interests, you can convince him of
that. He was the North America director during the 2003
hijackings when we got them to take responsibility for a
hijacked ferry."

"He served at the UN as their deputy permrep in the late
1990s/early 2000s; we demarched the Cubans to complain about
inappropriate activities with US groups at that time, but did
not seek to bounce him. He left the UN and became their
director for North America, and now he's a vice minister for
Latin America."

"I think he's quite tall; 6'2" if not 6'3". Balding,
moustache."

B) Former USINT and INR Officer:

"He struck me as highly intelligent and highly motivated.
You got the sense that he fully believed Cuba was in a
life-and-death struggle with the USG. He was doctrinaire,
but he did have traces of a dry sense of humor. He had
presence and subordinates clearly deferred to him. We heard
from a couple of sources that Dausa was a devoted family
type. It's easy to see him as a committed nationalist, but
it's hard to see how someone as smart and skilled as Dausa
could fully buy in to Fidel's vision for Cuba. He's a big
guy and seemed to keep in good shape."
C) Former USINT Chief of Mission:

"He's very smart and polished. Perfect English. I always
thought he would have been an IBM executive type under
another system. He has a sense of humor and can be very
cordial and respectful when he wants to. However, when he
has a hard message to deliver, he puts considerable passion
into the demarche. He will never admit that the revolution
has any flaws. If you stay away from direct criticism of the
regime, you can deal with him on issues like child
pornography, 3rd country alien smuggling, border issues.
He's all business, all the time. He has a boy, if I recall,
who likes baseball. He works long hours, every day, and
appears to be very organized and thorough in his approach.
He gets to business right away in meetings, with everything
he has to say in dipnotes, which he will read completely for
effect (and the microphones that are probably in the room at
MinRex)."

"He'd often call me at midnight to come get some demarche or
other and frequently had me in on weekends to get a
complaint. I think he is a Colonel in Intelligence rather
than a MinRex type. I think he is honest and relatively
poor. Drives an old car. No signs of ostentation. He is
totally committed to the Revolution. No use trying to change
his mind. He knows the U.S. very well. He did a very good
job schmoozing with U.S. visitors, blaming all problems on
the U.S. and appearing to most interlocutors as reasonable
and informed."
PARMLY