UN NUEVO TIEMPO: BUILDING IN VENEZUELA; LOBBYING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 001193

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
DEPT PASS TO AID/OTI (RPORTER)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PHUM VE
SUBJECT: UN NUEVO TIEMPO: BUILDING IN VENEZUELA; LOBBYING
IN LATIN AMERICA

REF: CARACAS 001107

CARACAS 00001193 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ROBERT RICHARD DOWNES,
REASON 1.4 (D)


1. (C) Summary. Un Nuevo Tiempo (UNT) leaders told visiting
Special Coordinator for Venezuela Deborah McCarthy June 14
that they were happy with their party's initial efforts to
become a nationwide opposition party. They noted that the
party now had strong leaders in all states and is working
hard to build grassroots support throughout Venezuela. The
UNT leaders expressed appreciation for USG advocacy for
freedom of expression in Venezuela and reviewed their own
international efforts to educate other Latin American
governments about Venezuela's "democratic deficit." Ongoing
student demonstrations in defense of civil liberties have
been a pleasant surprise to UNT leaders, who have provided
some logistical support. The UNT as a nationwide party is
relatively new and still faces many organizational hurdles in
trying to translate Manuel Rosales' strong Zulia base and
respectable showing in the 2006 presidential race and into an
opposition movement that can challenge President Chavez. End
Summary.

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Making Un Nuevo Tiempo A National Party
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2. (C) Special Coordinator for Venezuela Deborah McCarthy met
June 14 with Un Nuevo Tiempo (UNT) party President Omar
Barboza, UNT Secretary General Gerardo Blyde, UNT
International Relations Coordinator Timoteo Zambrano, and UNT
International Affairs advisor Ambassador Luis Ochoa Teran.
Barboza said he was pleased with the party's ongoing efforts
to transform itself from a Zulia-based party to a national
party. He and Zambrano stressed that party leader and Zulia
Governor Manuel Rosales enjoys widespread political
legitimacy by virtue of polling over four million votes in
the December 2006 presidential election (Note: President
Chavez won re-election with over 7 million votes and many
hard-line opposition members criticize Rosales for not being
a more forceful and dynamic opposition leader).


3. (C) Barboza said Rosales swore in 500 committed party
volunteers for the Caracas metropolitan area on June 9. The
party is focusing on building grassroots support networks in
all areas. Barboza reported that the UNT now has proven
leaders in all the states of Venezuela, but conceded the
party is stronger in the western areas than the eastern part
of Venezuela. Citing internal party polling, Zambrano
claimed UNT is the only opposition party that is growing,
although he conceded that just over 10 percent of Venezuelans
currently identify with the party. UNT leaders complained
that the BRV is hampering their work by intercepting -- and
sometimes leaking -- their party communications. With fewer
and fewer media outlets open to them, they are considering
mounting their own radio station or launching a newspaper.

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International Efforts
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4. (C) The UNT leaders expressed appreciation for the
Secretary's statements in defense of freedom of expression at

SIPDIS
the recent OAS General Assembly in Panama. Noting that
Chavismo had to be countered internationally as well as
domestically, UNT International Relations Coordinator
Zambrano reviewed the party's efforts to inform other Latin
American countries of the "democratic deficit" in Venezuela.
Rosales had successful May 21-22 meetings with OAS officials
in Panama and, after twice postponing a trip to Montevideo,
is slated to meet with Uruguayan officials and do press
interviews with Uruguayan media outlets the week of June 18.


5. (C) Special Coordinator McCarthy said energizing other
governments in the region is wise given Chavez' ongoing
efforts to try to confine international criticism to the
United States and attribute it to the difficult
U.S.-Venezuelan bilateral relationship. McCarthy added, and
the UNT leaders agreed, that Latin American countries are
more increasingly inclined to consider Chavez to be a threat
to regional stability, but are still reluctant to make public
statements critical of the BRV. Zambrano said Rosales is not
considering a visit to Washington anytime soon; he will not
do so until visiting additional Latin American countries.
However, the UNT is interested in educating NGOs in the

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United States that have traditionally been sympathetic to the
Chavez government.


6. (C) Barboza said democratic parties consider Colombia a
bulwark against Chavismo and expressed concern about U.S.
criticism of President Uribe. McCarthy distinguished between
the executive branch's ongoing support for the Colombian
government and some criticism emanating from the U.S.
Congress. Zambrano said the BRV would "not invade Colombia
by military means, but by electoral ones." He and UNT SecGen
Gerardo Blyde said the BRV is funneling funding to Bolivarian
municipal leaders in Colombia and in Central AMERICA in an
effort to influence elections there.

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Student Protests
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7. (C) The UNT leaders confessed that they were taken by
surprise by the launching of student demonstrations in the
wake of the BRV's closing of RCTV on May 28. The closure of
Venezuela's oldest and most popular television broadcaster
had a direct impact on the people's freedom, spurring
formerly quiescent university students to protest. Blyde
said many university leaders remain aloof from political
parties, but some have experience in the youth movements of
opposition parties. He added that students are making their
own strategic decisions, but have approached the UNT for
logistical support. UNT has provided some vehicles,
megaphones, and other small materials to students groups upon
request.


8. (C) Blyde predicted that the student demonstrations would
abate considerably with the start of summer vacations in
July. Nevertheless, students and political parties are
considering ways to continue to rally in defense of civil
liberties. They are considering mounting large
demonstrations on the 28th day of every month to focus
continued public attention on the BRV's closure of RCTV on
May 28. Barboza noted that the opposition fears the BRV will
use its status as host nation for the June 26 to July 15
America's Cup Soccer Tournament to deny permits for
demonstrations. Consequently, UNT and other groups may move
up a planned demonstration on June 28 to a few days before
June 26.

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Comment
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9. (C) Putting the unbridled confidence of its leaders aside,
the UNT is still a young nationwide party organization. UNT
planning and implementation, particularly in the
international arena, has so far left a lot to be desired.
There are clear communication gaps between Rosales and his
inner circle from Zulia and non-Zulian party leaders. The
UNT's international advisors continue to look to the USG for
advice in order to develop and expand UNT's international
contacts in defense of democracy. To the party's credit, the
UNT appears patiently committed to a long-term democratic
strategy and is wisely focusing on building genuine
grassroots organizations electoral precinct by electoral
precinct.

BROWNFIELD