BRV DISPUTES 2007 TIER 3 TIP REPORT RANKING

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 001192 SIPDIS SIPDIS HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD DEPT FOR G/TIP KBRESNAHAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2017 TAGS: PHUM KDEM PGOV VE SUBJECT: BRV DISPUTES 2007 TIER 3 TIP REPORT RANKING REF: STATE 71163 Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ROBERT DOWNES FOR REASON 1.4 (D) ¶1. (SBU) In meetings with USG officials and in the press, BRV officials reacted angrily to the Department's designation of Venezuela as a Tier 3 country in the 2007 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report released June 12. -- During a June 13 meeting between Vice President of the National Assembly (NA) Desiree Santos Amaral, NA Deputy and Chairman of the External Relations Committee Saul Ortega, Special Coordinator for Venezuela Deborah McCathy, and PolCouns, Santos Amaral criticized the TIP report for grouping Venezuela and CUBA in the same category. Santos Amaral questioned the Department's ranking of Colombia as a Tier 1 country, noting the large number of Colombians trafficked into Venezuela. She argued that the BRV had made significant strides in its anti-TIP efforts. Santos Amaral said that as a sovereign nation Venezuela strongly rejected its policies being judged by another country. Ortega emphasized that Venezuela had strong laws on its books, but was silent as to enforcement. PolCouns noted that bilateral cooperation by the BRV on this issue, which had been stronger in previous years, even under President Chavez, had diminished sharply. -- In a June 13 meeting with Vice Minister of Popular Power for North American and Multilateral Affairs Jorge Valero, the Ambassador, and Special Coordinator McCarthy, Valero objected to Venezuela's listing in the same category as Cuba. Valero said he understood that reports, such as the TIP and the Human Rights Report, were established pracitces required by Congress. He noted, however, that "unilateral evaluations cause controversy." He (half) jokingly suggested that the BRV might consider doing its own report on human rights practices in the United States as China currently does. -- In a June 13 press conference, Minister of Popular Power for Interior and Justice Pedro Carreno attempted to discredit the report, saying the Department issues its Congressionally-mandated reports in a "rash" manner, and that the BRV "could not expect the USG to tell the truth" about TIP-related issues Venezuela. -- During PolCouns' June 14 meeting with Yaneth Arocha, Ministry of Popular Power for Foreign Relations Director of Office of North American and Multilateral Affairs, Arocha argued that the BRV was cooperating with the Embassy on TIP-related issues. She specifically mentioned the eleventh-hour invitation to Poloffs to participate in two roundtable discussions in the Fall of 2006 (to draft a national plan of action) as a sign of increased cooperation. She dismissed PolCouns' assertion that Embassy attempts to meet with the BRV offices charged with implementing and enforcing TIP laws had been rebuffed, as had Embassy requests for information. ¶2. (SBU) Interestingly, Juan Jose Molina NA Deputy for Podemos and Vice President of the NA's Interior, Justice, and Human Rights Commission, acknowledged June 12 that Venezuelan's anti-trafficking legislation needs to be revised. He also proposed that trafficking and sexual exploitation via the internet be punishable under Venezuelan law. Podemos is a small pro-Chavez party that has declined to dissolve and join Chavez' proposed single "revolutionary" party. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: As in previous years, BRV officials condemned the Department's listing of Venezuela as a Tier 3 country in the Trafficking in Persons Report. The BRV, as expected, criticized the report in general terms, but did not refute its findings, particularly in the areas of detentions and prosecutions. Nevertheless, several BRV officials insisted the government cooperated with the Embassy on trafficking related issues, despite that fact cooperation has diminished significantly each passing year. Interestingly, Podemos deputy Molina highlighted some deficiencies in Venezuela's trafficking legislation, a move that both reflects and could exacerbate the schism between his party and President Chavez. BROWNFIELD