AMBASSADOR GOLDBERG'S MEETING WITH VP ALVARO

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 001833 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2017 TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL BL SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR GOLDBERG'S MEETING WITH VP ALVARO GARCIA LINERA REF: LA PAZ 1780 Classified By: Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On June 28 Ambassador Goldberg met with Bolivian Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera. The meeting was scheduled before the detention of the AmCit friend of MilGroup commander's son on June 27 (Reftel A). While the Vice President agreed with the Ambassador that the case should not become politicized, he noted that he was not able to predict how President Morales, traveling abroad, would eventually respond. The Ambassador and VP also discussed trade relations and counternarcotics issues. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) The Ambassador kicked off the conversation by briefing the Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera on the arrest of an American citizen (a friend of the MilGroup commander's son) who had been arrested for importing 500 rounds of ammunition. The VP said that he had notified President Evo Morales regarding the case, who is traveling abroad, following the Ambassador's phone call earlier that day. VP Garcia Linera said that he had checked with the Ministry of Government as requested, and that the Immigration Director had not requested authorization ahead of time to speak about the case; he intimated that she had been reprimanded by the Minister of Government. (Note: However, our DEA lawyers told us later in the day that Ministry of Government had tried to prevent the AmCit's release, so it is not clear what instructions the MinGov was acting under. End Note.) Garcia Linera said that the GOB preferred to let the legal process run its course in this case and agreed with the Ambassador that we should keep the case from becoming politicized. But he noted that he did not know what the President's reaction would be on all of this and cautioned obliquely that he could not control the president. (Note: AmCit departed from La Paz on the American Airlines 8:40 P.M. flight en route to Miami. End Note.) ¶3. (C) Ambassador briefed Garcia Linera on the likely passage of ATPDEA in the Senate on Thursday night (Note: the Senate passed ATDPEA's extension on the evening of June 28. End Note); The Vice President characterized this as "good news." Ambassador said that GOB needs to think about the longer term. He noted that obtaining another extension may be problematic, especially given comments by some congressmen during the House debate. The Ambassador suggested two possible routes: wait another eight months and press for extension again or start thinking realistically about some type of long term agreement. Ambassador stressed that we don't mix political and foreign assistance issues up in our trade agreements, as do the Europeans. The VP said he also doubted that short term extensions were sustainable and expressed a desire to reach a longer term solution. ¶4. (C) The Ambassador pressed VP hard on drug issues, saying that the USG is in the midst of its certification process and that there is a good bit of skepticism in USG about Bolivia. He asked GOB to move forward aggressively where it can -- especially on money laundering and precursor chemical legislation and by making clear its commitment to get overall coca cultivation down to 20,000 hectares. The Vice President said that Marcelo Quiroga Santa Cruz law, which has money laundering provisions should move forward soon. The Chamber of Deputies has approved the law "en grande" and will approve it "en detalle" sometime in the next several weeks. He thought that the Senate could complete work on the law in July. He claimed that the GOB was arriving at a consensus version of the law with the opposition. (Note: we are seeking to confirm this, our last information indicated the opposition firmly opposed the law arguing that some provisions were unconstitutional. End Note.) ¶5. (C) The Vice President said that the President wanted to get together with the Ambassador to talk about counter narcotic efforts and alternative development. He said that some coca farmers in the Chapare were complaining that they had reduced their coca fields to one cato but had yet to receive alternative development (which he called complimentary development) assistance to grow additional crops. The Ambassador agreed to meet with the President to discuss. ¶6. (C) The Ambassador mentioned that the embassy will host several important visitors during the month of July, including Ambassador Shapiro and Lugar staffer Carl Meacham. The VP said that he would like to meet with both. The Ambassador remarked that he understood the President would probably be traveling to NYC for the UNGA in September. He asked if the GOB could send over a dip note as soon as possible on that score so that we could get working on the visa. He said that he also understood that the VP might be traveling and suggested that the FM send over a note for him too. The VP said that he would be traveling to a conference in Washington in September and then to another conference in Canada. (Note: DCM Urs followed up with GOB Vice Foreign Minister Hugo Fernandez by phone and also requested notes for the President and Vice President. End Note.) ¶7. (C) Finally, Ambassador told the VP that Minister of Defense Walker San Miguel had an invitation to go to Washington to meet with Defense Secretary Gates next month but that we understood that San Miguel need approval from the President to travel. The VP said that should be no problem. ¶8. (C) COMMENT: The meeting was cordial, and the Vice President seemed genuinely interested in the Ambassador's thoughts about moving our commercial and counternarcotic relationship forward. The Vice President's oblique warning that he could not control the President's reactions to the ammunition incident proved spot on; the President blasted the Embassy for the incident from Asuncion on June 29 and in Bolivia on June 30. (septel) GOLDBERG