Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06LIMA1801
2006-05-10 13:27:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Lima
Cable title:
ANDEAN COMMUNITY VIEWS ON VENEZUELA AND BOLIVIA
how-toVZCZCXYZ0011 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHPE #1801 1301327 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 101327Z MAY 06 FM AMEMBASSY LIMA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0357 INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY 3362 RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 9419 RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ MAY 3316 RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO PRIORITY 0313 RUEHSJ/AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE PRIORITY 1816 RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 6723 RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO PRIORITY 8917 RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION PRIORITY 1470 RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 001801
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
WHA/AND, WHA/EPSC, EB/TPP/BTA/EWH, EB/OIA
USTR PASS TO BHARMAN
COMMERCE FOR 4331/MAC/WH/MCAMERON
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2016
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL EINV ETRD PE
SUBJECT: ANDEAN COMMUNITY VIEWS ON VENEZUELA AND BOLIVIA
REF: LIMA 1612
Classified By: Ambassador J. Curtis Struble for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
.
C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 001801
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
WHA/AND, WHA/EPSC, EB/TPP/BTA/EWH, EB/OIA
USTR PASS TO BHARMAN
COMMERCE FOR 4331/MAC/WH/MCAMERON
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2016
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL EINV ETRD PE
SUBJECT: ANDEAN COMMUNITY VIEWS ON VENEZUELA AND BOLIVIA
REF: LIMA 1612
Classified By: Ambassador J. Curtis Struble for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
.
1. (C) Summary. Alan Wagner, Secretary General of the
Andean Community, discussed with the Ambassador on May 5 his
view on Andean Community dynamics. Wagner noted that Chavez
is painting himself into a corner by departing the Andean
Community while at the same time condemning the South
American Community of Nations. Wagner also opined that
Bolivia appeared to be choosing to firmly align itself with
Venezuela and Cuba. End Summary.
Chavez: Continuing Disruptive Behavior
--------------
2. (C) The Ambassador spoke with Alan Wagner, Secretary
General of the Andean Community, on May 5 about the current
status of the Andean Community and the imminent Venezuela
pull out. Wagner, who due to his position is normally
extremely cautious about negatively characterizing Venezuela
and Bolivia, implied that Venezuela's departure from the
Andean Community is definitive and irreversible. He said
that Chavez's approach to economic development and trade is
doomed to fail when oil prices go down. Like others, Wagner
compared Chavez's vision of what international commerce
should be to the old Soviet/East Bloc arrangement.
3. (C) Wagner opined his doubts that Chavez would be able to
achieve full membership in Mercosur. He also noted that
Chavez had even condemned the South American Community of
Nations a few days earlier, showing that he is locking
himself more firmly all the time into a "my way or forget it"
approach. Wagner said that he had recently shared his
concerns over Chavez's disruptive behavior with Lula's
advisor Marco Aurelio Garcia, who shared the view and voiced
similar frustration.
Bolivia a Disappointment
--------------
4. (C) Bolivia, Wagner said, was a real disappointment to
him; it looked as though Morales has decided to align himself
firmly with the Havana/Caracas bloc. Wagner felt that the
loss of a market for soy in Colombia (which Wagner had raised
with both us and Uribe) played a role. He stopped short of
blaming us (though there was expression of regret that the
U.S. could not do more) by saying that Morales' adversaries
in Santa Cruz had made the serious tactical mistake of trying
to embarrass Morales over the issue, leading the latter to
his counterstroke agreement with Chavez.
5. (C) During the conversation, Wagner dismissed Bolivian
Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca as a non-entity.
Instead, Wagner noted that the Bolivian Vice Minister of
Foreign Trade, who is a hard-line Chavista, is setting and
managing the Bolivian Government's foreign and trade policy.
STRUBLE
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
WHA/AND, WHA/EPSC, EB/TPP/BTA/EWH, EB/OIA
USTR PASS TO BHARMAN
COMMERCE FOR 4331/MAC/WH/MCAMERON
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2016
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL EINV ETRD PE
SUBJECT: ANDEAN COMMUNITY VIEWS ON VENEZUELA AND BOLIVIA
REF: LIMA 1612
Classified By: Ambassador J. Curtis Struble for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
.
1. (C) Summary. Alan Wagner, Secretary General of the
Andean Community, discussed with the Ambassador on May 5 his
view on Andean Community dynamics. Wagner noted that Chavez
is painting himself into a corner by departing the Andean
Community while at the same time condemning the South
American Community of Nations. Wagner also opined that
Bolivia appeared to be choosing to firmly align itself with
Venezuela and Cuba. End Summary.
Chavez: Continuing Disruptive Behavior
--------------
2. (C) The Ambassador spoke with Alan Wagner, Secretary
General of the Andean Community, on May 5 about the current
status of the Andean Community and the imminent Venezuela
pull out. Wagner, who due to his position is normally
extremely cautious about negatively characterizing Venezuela
and Bolivia, implied that Venezuela's departure from the
Andean Community is definitive and irreversible. He said
that Chavez's approach to economic development and trade is
doomed to fail when oil prices go down. Like others, Wagner
compared Chavez's vision of what international commerce
should be to the old Soviet/East Bloc arrangement.
3. (C) Wagner opined his doubts that Chavez would be able to
achieve full membership in Mercosur. He also noted that
Chavez had even condemned the South American Community of
Nations a few days earlier, showing that he is locking
himself more firmly all the time into a "my way or forget it"
approach. Wagner said that he had recently shared his
concerns over Chavez's disruptive behavior with Lula's
advisor Marco Aurelio Garcia, who shared the view and voiced
similar frustration.
Bolivia a Disappointment
--------------
4. (C) Bolivia, Wagner said, was a real disappointment to
him; it looked as though Morales has decided to align himself
firmly with the Havana/Caracas bloc. Wagner felt that the
loss of a market for soy in Colombia (which Wagner had raised
with both us and Uribe) played a role. He stopped short of
blaming us (though there was expression of regret that the
U.S. could not do more) by saying that Morales' adversaries
in Santa Cruz had made the serious tactical mistake of trying
to embarrass Morales over the issue, leading the latter to
his counterstroke agreement with Chavez.
5. (C) During the conversation, Wagner dismissed Bolivian
Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca as a non-entity.
Instead, Wagner noted that the Bolivian Vice Minister of
Foreign Trade, who is a hard-line Chavista, is setting and
managing the Bolivian Government's foreign and trade policy.
STRUBLE