BRV SENDING MIXED MESSAGES ON DIALOGUE WITH USG

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 001617

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
DEPT PASS TO AID/OTI RPORTER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV VE
SUBJECT: BRV SENDING MIXED MESSAGES ON DIALOGUE WITH USG

REF: A. CARACAS 01340

B. CARACAS 01526

C. CARACAS 01581

D. CARACAS 01465

CARACAS 00001617 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ROBERT R. DOWNES
FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY. BRV officials have privately expressed
interest in working with the incoming Ambassador on a
practical agenda, but President Chavez' recent public remarks
appear to preclude cooperation. During a televised August 2
speech, Chavez dismissed the possibility of dialogue under
the current U.S. administration and anticipated a more
fruitful relationship after the 2008 U.S. elections. The
ever fickle Chavez, however, has at times also expressed
doubts about working with a future Democratic administration.
Interestingly, Chavez continues to carefully distinguish
between the American people and the USG. At the same time,
Chavez never misses an opportunity to blame the United States
for the innumerable problems afflicting Venezuela. While not
new, Chavez' verbal attacks cast doubt on the BRV's desire to
pursue constructive cooperation in the coming year. END
SUMMARY.

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Chavez: Bilateral Dialogue Unlikely
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2. (SBU) In a televised August 2 ceremony to swear in new
members of the Popular Power for Community Councils' (Poder
Communal) "mobile units," President Chavez discarded the
likelihood of improved U.S.-Venezuelan relations in the short
term. While addressing a group of visiting U.S. university
students and professors, Chavez said the BRV is "certain that
there does not exist the possibility of dialogue with the
current U.S. administration because the President of the
United States hates us." Chavez added, "it is incredibly
difficult, I would even say impossible, to engage in any type
of dialogue during (President Bush's) last year in office."


3. (SBU) Similarly, Chavez recently expressed interest in the
2008 presidential election campaign, suggesting that new USG
leadership would represent a shift in USG policy toward
Venezuela. During a televised speech August 5 from the
presidential palace Miraflores, Chavez argued that an
"awakening" was taking place in the United States and
expressed hope that those "currents of consciousness" would
"bring to a halt the madness of the empire." Chavez appealed
to the American people to bring about these changes. Chavez
reiterated these sentiments during an interview with
Argentine journalists August 7, saying he is hopeful a new
U.S. administration will treat Venezuela with respect. In a
separate instance the ever fickle Chavez in response to a
question regarding the high profile of Democratic candidate
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said he had "few reasons to be
optimistic" regarding an improvement in relations because
Democratic administrations have also "dropped bombs, invaded
countries, sponsored coups, and backed dictatorships."

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Mixed Messages
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4. (C) Chavez' August 2 remarks contradict earlier statements
by BRV officials who expressed interest in resuming dialogue
with USG officials. In a farewell meeting between BRV Vice
Foreign Minister Jorge Valero and the former Ambassador, both
agreed on the need to establish channels of communication and
discussed possible areas for cooperation between the BRV and
the incoming Ambassador (Ref. A). Likewise, in a meeting
between Valero and the Charge July 30, Valero reiterated that
the BRV was open to dialogue particularly on issues of mutual
interest, but argued that the relationship was contingent
upon "USG respect for Venezuelan sovereignty" (Ref. B).
During the meeting, Valero noted that the BRV is waiting for
the arrival of the new Ambassador in order to begin
discussion on pending issues.

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Affinity for the "American People"
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5. (SBU) Chavez goes to great lengths to distinguish between
the American public and the USG by juxtaposing the lack of
high-level engagement with his grassroots connection to
American citizens who are sympathetic to his policies.

CARACAS 00001617 002.2 OF 002


Chavez routinely appeals to the American public by employing
the enduring term "pueblo," but refers to the USG as a
"blood-thirsty dracula" or as the "empire." There is also a
noticeable increase in the number of American citizens
serving as special guests at BRV events or on Chavez' weekly
Sunday television show "Alo, Presidente" (Ref. C). During
his nearly eight-hour program on August 5, for example,
Chavez read a declaration of solidarity from the mayor of a
town in Georgia and allowed the mayor's representatives the
opportunity to speak on camera. In his August 2 address,
Chavez urged Americans to visit Venezuela so they can "tell
the American public the truth about what is really going on
here."


6. (SBU) To further attempt to show that he has no ill-will
towards the American people, Chavez has expended a
considerable amount of money on projects aimed at helping
poor communities in the United States. The local press
reported August 7 that the state oil company PDVSA, through
its U.S. distributor Citgo, plans to donate USD 3.3 million
over the next three years to nine NGOs in the Bronx, New
York. Interestingly, the announcement comes at a time when
the BRV is harshly criticizing international donor support
for Venezuelan NGOs. The BRV's newest project is in addition
to the USD 9 million deal brokered between Representative
Delahunt and Chavez in 2005 to provide heating gas to
Massachusetts residents at a preferential rate in 2006, a
deal involving over 25 million gallons of gas to the Bronx in
2006, as well as other fuel subsidy programs through Citgo.

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U.S. Is To Blame
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7. (SBU) In the months following the BRV's closure of RCTV,
Chavez' verbal attacks were primarily directed at local
groups he considered "enemies of the revolution," including
the independent media, university students, the opposition,
and the Catholic Church. Chavez never fully stopped wielding
insults at the United States during that period, although
there was a noticeable reduction in his criticism toward USG.
Now that RCTV-related protests have all but ceased, Chavez
has reverted back to blaming essentially all of Venezuela's
problems on the United States.


8. (SBU) In his August 2 speech alone, Chavez blamed the U.S.
for Venezuela's inability to secure admittance into Mercosur;
for the negative media attenion Chavez' Latin America tour
recieved; for PDVSA's shortage of oil rigs; for the BRV's
negative international image; and for a pastoral letter
issued by Venezuelan Catholic Church officials harshly
criticizing Chavez' plans to reform the 1999 Constitution
(Ref. D). Further, Chavez continued to blame the United
States for Venezuela's delayed entrance into Mercosur during
an interview August 7 with Argentine journalists. While
Chavez' attacks against the United States are not new, his
recent remarks are unrelenting and disconcerting.

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Comment
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9. (C) Chavez thrives on having an adversary and he has shown
that the USG is his preferred target. Only recently,
however, and with some frequency, has he publicly discarded
the possibility of working with the USG, regardless of the
administration. At the same time, some BRV officials have
privately raised the possibility of engagement with the
incoming Ambassador. It remains to be seen whether Chavez'
remarks will preclude quiet diplomacy on issues of mutual
interest in the coming year.

FRENCH