Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07LAPAZ1811
2007-07-02 15:55:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy La Paz
Cable title:
PRESIDENT MORALES' "SUCCESSFUL" TRIP TO SWITZERLAND
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C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 001811
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2015
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL BL
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT MORALES' "SUCCESSFUL" TRIP TO SWITZERLAND
Classified By: Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d
).
C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 001811
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2015
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL BL
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT MORALES' "SUCCESSFUL" TRIP TO SWITZERLAND
Classified By: Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d
).
1. (C) SUMMARY: While President Morales has publicly claimed
that his trip to Switzerland was a success, post has learned
from the Swiss delegation in La Paz that he may have
alienated more people than he befriended and even put at risk
future Swiss assistance with his delegations' disorganization
and unorthodox behavior. END SUMMARY.
2. (C) According to the Swiss delegation in La Paz, the
Bolivians requested a meeting with the Swiss President only a
couple of days before President Evo Morales's flight from
Caracas to Zurich. The Swiss said that it would be very
difficult to arrange a meeting with the President on such
short notice but the Bolivians insisted. Finally, the Swiss
President decided she should see President Morales and the
word came back that she could do the meeting but only in
Bern. The Bolivians then conveyed that it simply would not be
possible for Evo to travel to Bern.
3. (C) The Swiss then arranged to have a high powered
delegation (three state ministers and a vice minister) travel
down to Zurich to meet with President Morales at airport
prior to his departure. The delegation made the two hour trip
by train but when they arrived the President was nowhere to
be found. His plane had departed minutes before the
delegation arrived at the airport. It was apparently still
visible in the air to the delegation when they arrived.
According to the Swiss Ambassador, members of the delegation
were very upset; the slight could affect $6 million in
assistance programmed for this year.
4. (C) Before departing for Zurich, the Swiss Ambassador
called President Morales' military security chief and asked
for details on the flight's arrival. The security chief
reportedly assured the Swiss Ambassador that the flight would
depart that evening but could not provide precise details. He
told the Ambassador that only the Venezuelans (whose plane
President Morales was using) knew the flight schedule. The
security chief asked the Swiss Ambassador to call the
Venezuelan Embassy to get the information -- something the
Swiss Ambassador indignantly said he would not do.
5. (C) The Swiss Ambassador said that President Morales did
not have an appointment with FIFA President Blatter.
According to the Swiss Ambassador, the President simply
showed up at the FIFA headquarters and demanded to see
Blatter. The FIFA President then had to see him.
GOLDBERG
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2015
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL BL
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT MORALES' "SUCCESSFUL" TRIP TO SWITZERLAND
Classified By: Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d
).
1. (C) SUMMARY: While President Morales has publicly claimed
that his trip to Switzerland was a success, post has learned
from the Swiss delegation in La Paz that he may have
alienated more people than he befriended and even put at risk
future Swiss assistance with his delegations' disorganization
and unorthodox behavior. END SUMMARY.
2. (C) According to the Swiss delegation in La Paz, the
Bolivians requested a meeting with the Swiss President only a
couple of days before President Evo Morales's flight from
Caracas to Zurich. The Swiss said that it would be very
difficult to arrange a meeting with the President on such
short notice but the Bolivians insisted. Finally, the Swiss
President decided she should see President Morales and the
word came back that she could do the meeting but only in
Bern. The Bolivians then conveyed that it simply would not be
possible for Evo to travel to Bern.
3. (C) The Swiss then arranged to have a high powered
delegation (three state ministers and a vice minister) travel
down to Zurich to meet with President Morales at airport
prior to his departure. The delegation made the two hour trip
by train but when they arrived the President was nowhere to
be found. His plane had departed minutes before the
delegation arrived at the airport. It was apparently still
visible in the air to the delegation when they arrived.
According to the Swiss Ambassador, members of the delegation
were very upset; the slight could affect $6 million in
assistance programmed for this year.
4. (C) Before departing for Zurich, the Swiss Ambassador
called President Morales' military security chief and asked
for details on the flight's arrival. The security chief
reportedly assured the Swiss Ambassador that the flight would
depart that evening but could not provide precise details. He
told the Ambassador that only the Venezuelans (whose plane
President Morales was using) knew the flight schedule. The
security chief asked the Swiss Ambassador to call the
Venezuelan Embassy to get the information -- something the
Swiss Ambassador indignantly said he would not do.
5. (C) The Swiss Ambassador said that President Morales did
not have an appointment with FIFA President Blatter.
According to the Swiss Ambassador, the President simply
showed up at the FIFA headquarters and demanded to see
Blatter. The FIFA President then had to see him.
GOLDBERG