CHAVEZ PLANS OFFICIAL VISIT TO PORTUGAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LISBON 001593 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV VE PO SUBJECT: CHAVEZ PLANS OFFICIAL VISIT TO PORTUGAL REF: LISBON 1572 Classified By: Dana M. Brown, Pol/Econ Officer, State Department Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: On July 28, local daily "Diario de Noticias" reported Venezuelan Ambassador to Portugal, Lucas Rincon Romero's comments that President Hugo Chavez is making plans to travel to Portugal on an official visit sometime before the end of October. Pol/Econ Officer paid a call MFA Latin American Affairs Director Helena Coutinho on August 1 to discuss further and relay U.S. concerns. Coutinho stated that the visit, arranged during a July 23 meeting during a refueling stop in Lisbon, had been the result of ongoing, monthly requests from the Venezuelans since 2005. She indicated that the GOP planned to host the visit to maintain a working bilateral relationship with Venezuela. End summary. Persistence Pays Off -------------- ¶2. (C) Subsequent to the July 23 meeting (reftel) between Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during a refueling stop in Lisbon, Portugal acquiesced to Chavez's request for an official visit to Portugal, suggesting sometime between August and late October. MFA Latin American Affairs Director Helena Coutinho emphasized that all meeting requests, both with the current and past administrations, had come from the Venezuelans. She reported that the Chavez Administration had repeatedly requested an official meeting -- as frequently as once a month. President Sampaio denied the requests in 2005 due to Portugal's annoyance over the house arrest in Caracas of a Portuguese pilot accused of drug trafficking. Sampaio granted Chavez a pull-aside at the Ibero-American Summit in Salamanca in October 2005, only for the opportunity to press for a hearing on the pilot's case, according to Coutinho. Since then, however, the Portugal-Venezuela relationship has normalized when the pilot was acquitted and returned to Portugal in December 2005. When Chavez requested a meeting with either the Portuguese President or Prime Minister; PM Socrates agreed to meet on July 23. ¶3. (C) Coutinho reported that both the July 23 meeting and the planned official visit were approved in an effort to maintain the bilateral relationship and thereby protect the interests of the roughly 400,000 Portuguese nationals and another 100,000 dual nationals in Venezuela. Coutinho stated that the Venezuelan government had submitted most of its requests through the Portuguese embassy in Caracas. Second Official Visit for Chavez -------------- ¶4. (C) The Portuguese President's office and Protocol handle the details for official visits and will schedule the timing, agenda, and duration of the visit, according to Coutinho. MFA will provide political background information and "deliverables." As of right now, we have no information on either the timing or which members of the GOP will participate in the visit. Coutinho noted that Chavez first traveled on an official visit in October 2001 for two days and signed a few "low level" agreements for bilateral cooperation. Coutinho was asked to review the current bilateral agreements with Venezuela and list the possible agreements that could be signed or renewed during the upcoming visit. She said most of the bilateral agreements, signed in the 1950s or 1960s, were no longer in force, including air transportation, economic cooperation, cultural exchange agreements. Portugal signed counternarcotics, financial, and double taxation agreements with Venezuela in the 1990s and a bilateral agreement regarding diplomatic passports in 2001. Coutinho envisioned a similar non-controversial agreement as part of the fall visit. "We just want something that makes him feel good, but we don't have anything in the pipeline, so it will probably be a relatively unimportant document." Media Attention Likely -------------- ¶5. (C) When asked about the usual media coverage for official visits, Coutinho replied that the media usually settled for perfunctory coverage, even with a joint press conference. However, she expected keen interest by both the official press pool and the general media for a Chavez visit. She noted that Chavez was well known to have a dramatic presentation style and would draw additional attention. Portugal Aware of U.S. Concerns LISBON 00001593 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶6. (C) Pol/Econ officer reiterated the Ambassador's July 27 message to FM Amado (reftel) -- the United States is concerned with Chavez and his political actions, both domestic and international. Pol/Econ officer raised the USG's concerns with Chavez' denouncements against the United States and its allies and his praise for known human rights violators and weapon proliferators. In particular, Pol/Econ officer pointed out that on the same trip that Chavez met with Socrates, he hailed Belurus as a model state and praised Iran, demonstrating his interest in supporting nations that Portugal strongly criticizes. In addition, Pol/Econ officer offered the anti-NGO legislation as an example that Chavez is undermining democratic and civil society institutions inside Venezuela. Coutinho acknowledged that this visit could be "a tough one" but said the interest in protecting the well-being of Portuguese citizens in Venezuela had worn down the GOP's resistance to hosting Chavez. Comment -------------- ¶7. (C) Coutinho's candid comments indicate that Portugal is viewing the visit as a necessary evil rather than a welcome enhancement of relations. She acknowledged U.S. concerns regarding Venezuela, which were stressed both by the Ambassador and at the working level, but Coutinho implied that the GOP has reached a point where it must accede to the request or risk alienating Chavez. Nevertheless, it is curious that Portugal chose to have the Prime Minister meet with Chavez rather than selecting President Cavaco Silva, who has the title but limited influence over Portuguese politics. For the next visit, the GOP is likely to attempt to balance Chavez's desire to visit with U.S. concerns. End comment. Hoffman