CHILE: SUPPORTIVE OF MOST CICTE GOALS; CONCERNED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTIAGO 000561 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/18/2016 TAGS: PTER PREL MARR OAS CI SUBJECT: CHILE: SUPPORTIVE OF MOST CICTE GOALS; CONCERNED OVER VENEZUELAN BEHAVIOR REF: A. STATE 40856 ¶B. STATE 31112 ¶C. SANTIAGO 541 ¶D. SANTIAGO 514 ¶E. SANTIAGO 488 ¶F. SANTIAGO 447 ¶G. SANTIAGO 429 ¶H. SANTIAGO 384 Classified By: Ambassador Craig Kelly for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Foreign Ministry Special Policies Director Luis Winter told EPOL Counselor that Chile supported most of the U.S. goals for CICTE VI, but would like to discuss further the declaration language on "shared responsibility." Chile was satisfied with CICTE's performance to date, and would try to find resources to assign a Chilean intelligence officer to CICTE's secretariat. Winter characterized Venezuela's behavior at the March 10 CICTE declaration negotiating session as "obstructionist grandstanding," and indicated that he was concerned by the prospect of Venezuela on the UNSC. End Summary. -------------- CHILE'S DELEGATION AND GOALS -------------- ¶2. (U) EPOL Counselor, accompanied by Poloff, called on Chile's head of delegation to CICTE VI, Ambassador Luis Winter, on March 16 to deliver points in reftels A and B prior to the CICTE meeting in Bogota, Colombia. Foreign Ministry's Special Policies Chief for Transnational Crime, Luis Plaza, accompanied Winter. Winter said he and the director of Chile's National Intelligence Agency, Carlos Fernandez, planned to attend CICTE VI. Francisco Bernales, assigned to Chile's OAS mission, will be designated the session's Rapporteur. ¶3. (U) Winter said Chile supported a strong Declaration of San Carlos, and would also propose a regional conference in Chile to discuss methods for averting large-scale terrorist attacks. Winter said that Chile was satisfied with CICTE's performance to date. He agreed that CICTE would benefit from expanded resources and staff. While the GOC hoped to second an expert from its National Intelligence Agency (ANI) to CICTE, it faced budgetary constraints. Nevertheless, the GOC was attempting to identify funding for a possible CICTE staff contribution. -------------- NO SHARED RESPONSIBILITY? -------------- ¶4. (C) Poloff underlined U.S. concern that language explicitly recognizing the "connections" between terrorism and other forms of transnational crime would be weakened in the final declaration. Winter replied that Chile's greatest concern was language on "shared responsibility." While there was general acceptance of applying "shared responsibility" to narcotrafficking, where both the producing and consuming countries had responsibility to fight the problem, the GOC had reservations about extending the model to terrorism. Chile was cautious about inserting language that could be taken as an excuse to interfere in the internal affairs of another country. Winter noted the draft declaration currently had three different versions of language on "shared responsibility" in brackets. EPOL Counselor noted the U.S. delegation to CICTE VI had expressed its desire to work closely with Chile. -------------- OBSTRUCTION FOR ITS OWN SAKE -------------- ¶5. (C) Winter characterized Venezuela's strategy at international conferences as obstructionist. He said it was reminiscent of the "politique du non" that France has employed. Winter said Venezuela's actions "made no sense" in policy terms. He recalled Venezuela's actions at the November 2005 OPANAL (Organization for the Proscription of Nuclear Arms in Latin America and the Caribbean) conference in Santiago, where the Venezuelan delegation raised objections to previously agreed language during the reading of the final report, then refused to explain its positions on the grounds that it was "a sovereign country with freedom of expression and self determination." Winter said Venezuela was attempting to set itself up as the rallying point for opposition to Washington. -------------- VENEZUELA AND THE UNSC CANDIDACY -------------- ¶6. (C) EPOL Counselor then turned the discussion to Venezuela's UNSC candidacy (refs C-H). He noted that if Venezuela were to win a seat on the UNSC, we could see this obstruction for the next two years. Winter said that Chile was preoccupied at the prospect of Venezuela on the UNSC, and it would "be happy if another country stepped forward." A major GOC priority was improving strained relations with its neighbors, some of which have already declared support for Venezuela. Winter noted that regional politics within GRULAC, particularly between South America and Central America and the Caribbean, were complicated, and it would be difficult if the Caribbean votes went to Venezuela. KELLY