MORALES RAISES EYEBROWS WITH LE MONDE INTERVIEW

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LA PAZ 002821 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL BL SUBJECT: MORALES RAISES EYEBROWS WITH LE MONDE INTERVIEW Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) French newspaper Le Monde published an article October 17 entitled "Bolivia: Evo Morales and the Terrible Conspiracy," in which President Morales said that "the right" (the United States and the political opposition in Bolivia) are conspiring to topple his government. Morales discussed the recent miners' confrontation in Huanuni, in which 16 died and 81 were injured, describing it as resistance from the new mining oligarchs rather than from the miners. Morales also mentioned the "terrible conspiracy" against his government from the right and from the Embassy. Morales alleged threats to his life and specific affronts to MAS leaders and the vice president by the Embassy as "examples" of the U.S.-led conspiracy. While the article's publication comes just four days after Ambassador Goldberg's October 13 credentialing ceremony, at which Morales promised to tone down his anti-American rhetoric, we understand President Morales gave the interview before meeting the Ambassador. End summary. "The Terrible Conspiracy" -------------- ¶2. (U) French newspaper Le Monde published an article October 17 entitled "Bolivia: Evo Morales and the Terrible Conspiracy," in which Morales said that "the right" (the United States and the political opposition in Bolivia) are conspiring to topple his government. Local Bolivian newspapers and television stations carried reports of the interview, giving it widespread coverage. Domestic Affairs -------------- ¶3. (U) Morales first discussed the recent miners' confrontation in Huanuni, in which 16 died and 81 were injured, describing it as resistance from the new mining oligarchs rather than from the miners. Morales told Le Monde that "the cooperative miners want to exclusively exploit the Cerro Posokoni (Bolivia's principal tin reserve),which the salaried miners of COMIBOL (the state-run company) refused. Ambition prevailed over reason, especially on the part of the cooperative miners." He went on to say that "certain cooperatives have become the instruments of medium to large mining enterprises." "Now that we have a popular government," he added, "resistance does not come from the mining unions, but from the oligarchs." Morales then linked the Huanuni conflict to his vision of U.S. policy. The president told Le Monde that "certain social sector movements are not instruments of liberation, but factors of oppression. Rather then contributing to the emancipation of the people, they serve to perpetuate the empire." Le Monde provided a very short rebuttal from the COB (the Central Workers Union) which blamed the president for the Huanuni confrontation. An Assassination Attempt? -------------- ¶4. (U) Morales also alleged a "terrible conspiracy" against his government from the right and the Embassy. Morales said there is an ideological struggle going on between left and right, both in Bolivia and elsewhere in Latin America. He argued that "the right is in a campaign to destroy nationalization and the Constituent Assembly." He further stated that "the conflicts that arise occasionally without reason are part of an offensive by the right." He then went on to describe a conspiracy to kill him. "Twenty specialists of the old military came to Santa Cruz to assassinate me. I had to use a bullet-proof jacket. With or without Evo Morales, the revolution will not end." Signs of a Plot? -------------- ¶5. (U) Morales cited threats to his life and specific affronts to MAS leaders and the vice president by the Embassy LA PAZ 00002821 002 OF 002 as "examples" of the U.S.-led conspiracy and participation in the "rightist plot." His first example was the Embassy's denial of a visa to Leonilda Zurita, ex-cocalero leader and ex-MAS senator, arguing that she was refused because of her MAS affiliation. Morales also said Ambassador Greenlee did not attend a GOB reception for ambassadors in La Paz because he was holding his own reception to court MAS parliamentarians. (Note: Ambassador Greenlee was actually out of the country at the time of the GOB reception. End note). Additionally, Morales charged that Garcia Linera was not allowed to fly on American Airlines to the United States. (Note: This point is also false; while Garcia Linera was initially denied permission to board, Embassy officials transported him to Santa Cruz, where he boarded the American flight to Miami. End note). Finally, Morales alleged that USAID is undermining his government. He stated that a local USAID representative "declared that it is necessary to support/sustain the Bolivian opposition." Morales said "despite these provocations and aggressions, we have the patience to maintain diplomatic and commercial relations with the United States." (Note: Morales' reference above to the "old military" is also a jab at the United States, since prior to the Morales administration, Bolivian-U.S. military ties were quite strong. End Note). Comment -------------- ¶6. (U) The Le Monde article was published just four days after Ambassador Goldberg's October 13 credentialing ceremony, at which Morales promised to tone down his anti-American rhetoric, although we understand President Morales gave the interview the morning before he met the Ambassador for the first time. Uncomfortably for Vice President Garcia Linera, he had already accepted an invitation from the Ambassador to attend an event at the USAID mission today. A clearly defensive Garcia Linera today faced tough questioning from the Bolivia press about his boss' comments. Garcia Linera claimed the (accurate) Spanish-language translation of the president's comments in French-language Le Monde were incorrect, but continued to claim that the GOB has "proof" of a conspiracy. More positively, and perhaps optimistically, the vice president likened U.S.-GOB relations to a "marriage" with its ups and downs. The vice president concluded that U.S.-GOB relations are currently improving. End comment. GOLDBERG