HUMALA PERFORMS AT POST-CARACAS PRESS CONFERENCE

UNCLAS LIMA 000086 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINS PTER PHUM PE SUBJECT: HUMALA PERFORMS AT POST-CARACAS PRESS CONFERENCE REF: A. LIMA 55 ¶B. LIMA 30 ¶C. LIMA 5192 (05) ¶D. LIMA 4854 (05) ¶E. LIMA 4968 (03) Sensitive But Unclassifed. Please Handle Accordingly. -------------- Summary: -------------- ¶1. (U) Peruvian anti-system presidential candidate Ollanta Humala held a sometimes-raucous press conference on 1/5/06 to explain his recent trip to Caracas. The event showcased Humala's ability to project a plainspoken "country boy" image and to use effective folksy sound bites to answer often-hostile press questions. During the conference, Humala revealed elements of what may be his governing program. So far, Humala's youthful looks and plainspoken style appear effective in countering aggressive press questions and attacks from rivals. End Summary. -------------- Candidate Humala Meets the Press -------------- ¶2. (U) Peruvian anti-system presidential candidate Ollanta Humala held a sometimes-raucous press conference on 1/5/06 to explain his recent trip to Caracas. Wearing a colorful Andean scarf and an olive green (though non-military) jacket and t-shirt, Ollanta took questions on a wide range of topics for approximately an hour and twenty minutes. The event revealed much about the candidate's style and provided hints as to his program. For three weeks, Ollanta has dominated headlines in Peru, first with his surge in the polls and then with news of his dramatic get-together with populist neo-caudillos Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales in Caracas (Ref B). In the process, he has demonstrated an ability to project a positive media image and to deflect criticism. -------------- Humala on Chavez, Politics -------------- ¶3. (U) When challenged about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez' alleged "interference" in Peruvian politics, Humala fired back. He said the GOP's protest (Ref A) was evidence of "the desperation of the traditional political class" that probably didn't expect other governments to pay attention to him. "Toledo calls this (the Caracas meeting) 'interference,' which is characteristic of him. But now he (Toledo) is going to have to accept 'interference' from Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, and all the other countries we may visit. This is the start of our international program." Humala added words of praise for Latin American integration, stating at one point that Peru should form part of "the great Pan-American Fatherland." (Note: The GOP's diplomatic reaction to President Chavez' interference -- Ref A -- has not inspired widespread anti-Chavez nationalist indignation. Instead, a number of commentators have followed Alan Garcia's lead, stating that the GOP overreacted when it called its Ambassador from Caracas, Carlos Urrutia, back for consultations. Urrutia himself backed this interpretation when he told the press on his return that relations between Peru and Venezuela were good. End Note.) ¶4. (U) Humala stated that he had gone to Caracas, not to get money, but in belated response to an invitation that he had received from the Chavez' Fifth Republic Movement in October ¶2005. He also claimed to have been invited to Nicaragua at about the same time. Humala added that he was in Venezuela to learn from "the valuable experience of a leader (Hugo Chavez),who had suffered a coup d'etat attempt, who had suffered in prison, who had come from the ranks of the Army and now represents (one of) the new faces of Latin American politics." ¶5. (U) Humala repeated the theme that Latin Americans, and Peruvians in particular, are looking for "new faces" in politics, and that he, Chavez and Morales represented this trend. The Toledo regime, he charged, was frightened by that. "The people want a change. They don't believe in Toledo, and even less in (Prime Minister Pedro Pablo) Kuczynski." Humala concluded with a pointed observation about the latter, stating that, "It doesn't seem right to me that my country has a North American Prime Minister," an allusion to Kuczynski's dual Peruvian-American citizenship. ¶6. (U) When asked about recent conversations with business figures, some of whom were formerly connected to the Fujimori regime, Humala replied, "To build a better country for our children I would talk to the Devil himself." In subsequent press statements later in the weekend, Humala emphasized that his willingness to talk to others did not mean that he would sell favors. He said that any business person who contributes to his campaign and asked for something in return would be told, "to go to hell." -------------- The Candidate on Chile -------------- ¶7. (U) Humala repeatedly denied that he was anti-Chilean. He said that he was worried, however, about the Chilean "compulsion for buying so many weapons, something that upsets the military-strategic balance (in the region)." "We are not interested in an arms race," he added, "We don't need that." ¶8. (U) Humala said that it would be necessary "to put limits on Chilean investment in strategic sectors." He specifically stated that port modernization should be reserved for Peruvian investors because "there is a strategic competition between (the Chilean port of) Mejillones and Callao. We have to make sure that (Callao) is managed by national capital." "I'm not anti-Chilean," the candidate concluded, "but I'm not going to let the Chileans walk all over us." -------------- Other Points -------------- ¶9. (U) Humala hit a number of specific topics in his remarks. These included the following: --The FTA: Humala said the Toeldo government had no right to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement with the United States "when (Toledo) only commands the support of eight percent of the population." He asked, "What does the FTA really say?" and challenged the GOP to make the agreement public, after which time, he said, the FTA should be subjected to a popular referendum. --Terrorism: Humala offered a boost to both the Armed Forces and the Police, the latter of which has been battered in recent confrontations with Sendero Luminoso. The candidate said that he had full confidence that both institutions could beat Sendero "without going beyond the law." He criticized the Interior Ministry, however, for a strategy that he said kept the forces of order patrolling along roadways rather than entering into the interior "where Sendero is located." --Press Freedom: Humala critiqued one of his heroes, former Peruvian left-authoritarian leader General Juan Velasco Alvarado. He said Velasco had erred in trying to control the press. "I believe in a free press," he said. --An Open Door to the Left: Building on the theme of integration, which he said had motivated his meeting with Chavez and Morales, Humala extended a hand to the left (which he had recently spurned -- Refs C, D). As he put it, "The doors are open and I expect soon to be talking to the major leaders of the left, to social organizations, to the ronderos, to the cocaleros, to the farmers." (Note: Over the weekend of 1/7-1/8, leftist leaders Javier Diez Canseco and representatives of the Broad Front indicated they could talk again with Humala. End Note.) --Markets: Asked about an alleged fall in the markets due to his rise as a candidate, Humala replied, "Macroeconomics? How do you eat that?" before turning the question over to his Vice President. --The Separated Son: Questioned about differences with his family (father Isaac is backing the rival presidential candidacy of Ollanta's brother Ulises for the Advance the Country Party),Humala requested that viewers understand the situation. "I would ask that we separate what's family from what's politics. I respect and love my parents and my brothers. God has given me a great family, and I thank Him for this. He is probably testing us (the Humala Clan) right now. Let's leave it at that." -------------- No Program, But Some Positions -------------- ¶11. (U) When asked for his program of government, Humala replied (as he has on many occasions) that his campaign is "a process" and that the full program would emerge over time. Nonetheless, he did lay out some basic points in his press conference. These included: --The convocation of a Constituent Assembly to change the constitution. --Strengthening the Armed Forces and the creation of a merchant marine. --The revision of all contracts undertaken by the GOP, particularly those that deal with mining, hydrocarbons and electricity. --Humala stated that he welcomed foreign investment and opposed mass nationalization of industry. Nonetheless, as President, he would insist on "sovereign state participation in strategic sectors" and would give preference to "national investors" as opposed to their foreign counterparts. --Justice Sector reform. -------------- -------------- Comment: The Hard to Hit, Plainspoken "Country Boy" -------------- -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Humala's youthful looks and his use of folksy sound bites proved effective. While he is the product of an extreme radical movement (Ethnocacerism - Ref E) and is now openly allied with Hugo Chavez, Humala's personal style and tone are anything but radical. In general, he comes across as calm and non-confrontational, shrugging off charges that he is an extremist as nothing more than traditional political mud-slinging. Given his public relations skills, Humala will be difficult to demonize. He has already weathered one barrage of criticism from media commentators and traditional political figures in early December (Ref C) and subsequently rose in the polls. ¶12. (SBU) To people inclined to favor him, Humala likely projected the image of a plainspoken patriot unafraid to take radical action to help his country. While he eschewed specifics, his answers did not come across as evasive. Instead, Humala prefers to score big picture points using common language. When asked in informal conversations, common Peruvians have cited Humala's nationalism/patriotism as a key selling point for his candidacy. When Humala got a detailed technical question on economics, he passed it off to his Vice President. End Comment. STRUBLE