FOREIGN MINISTER MAURTUA'S MESSAGE TO OAS MEMBER

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 001752 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/05/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL OAS PE VE SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER MAURTUA'S MESSAGE TO OAS MEMBER STATE AMBASSADORS ON VENEZUELA REF: A. LIMA 1681 ¶B. LIMA 1653 Classified By: Ambassador Curtis Struble for Reason 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Foreign Minister Maurtua on May 4 convoked Ambassadors from OAS member states (except Venezuela) to brief them on the Chavez Government,s interference in Peru,s Presidential elections. Echoing the presentation Peru made to the OAS Permanent Council the day before, Maurtua emphasized that: --Senior Venezuelan officials have made public statements favoring one Presidential candidate or denigrating others on 16 occasions since January 1, 2006. --Such interference in Peru,s elections was contrary to the self-determination provisions of the United Nations and OAS charters, as well as to the spirit of the OAS Democracy Charter. --Peru had filed a written protest of Venezuela,s action with Lloyd Axworthy and expected a formal reply from the OAS observer mission. ¶2. (C) In response to questions, Maurtua said that Peru considered its dispute with Venezuela over this issue to be bilateral; the GOP was not asking the Ambassadors to take any action and was not planning to "multilateralize" the issue, but wanted countries in the region to know details of Peru,s complaint. Maurtua said that the GOP was hoping that the issue would disinflate and was itself avoiding escalation. ¶3. (C) In a separate conversation, MFA Under Secretary Portugal told the Ambassador that the Ministry was concerned at Bolivia,s efforts to include Peruvians from Puno province in a Venezuelan/Cuban "Operation Miracle" medical mission. (Comment: Evo Morales invited Ollanta Humala to co-inaugurate the medical mission with him next week and Humala accepted. End Comment.) Portugal said that MFA would call in the Bolivian charge for a talking to on the matter. STRUBLE