DINH AFFAIR FALL-OUT UPDATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 001862

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2017
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL BL
SUBJECT: DINH AFFAIR FALL-OUT UPDATE

REF: LA PAZ 1831

Classified By: Amb. Philip S. Goldberg for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: The Ambassador's Fourth of July reception was
marked by a lower turnout of high-level Bolivian officials
compared to last year's. This appears to have been the
result of a conscious GOB decision after the Donna Dinh
affair (reftels). The most senior current GOB official to
attend was the foreign minister, although there was
surprisingly strong turn-out from senior Bolivian military
officials. Quite a few of these officers expressed their
dissatisfaction with the manner in which the GOB was handling
the Dinh affair. Following the reception, the Ambassador met
with Foreign Minister Choquehuanca to reiterate the U.S.
desire to put this affair behind us. Choquehuanca asserted
the GOB's intention to continue pursuing this issue, but
accepted the Ambassador's proposal that this incident be
confined to diplomatic channels from now on. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Attendance at the Ambassador's July Fourth reception
was down from last year's event, with a lower-ranking group
of GOB officials. (Not surprisingly, the opposition turned
out in force.) Last year Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera
attended; this year the highest ranking GOB official in
attendance was Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca. The
biggest surprise of the day was that senior military brass
showed up in strength. A number of these officers privately
offered their views that the manner in which the GOB was
handling the Donna Dinh incident was excessive, and several
ranking officials told the DCM that they were lobbying the
defense minister to continue with his previously scheduled
visit to the Pentagon July 18th. (Note: Post understands that
this may no longer be possible from the DOD side even if the
decision were changed. End Note.)


3. (C) The Ambassador pulled Choquehuanca aside as he was
leaving and expressed disapproval of Minister of Government
Alfredo Rada's July 3rd attacks on the Embassy's handling of
the Dinh affair. The Ambassador noted that he thought he had
the GOB's commitment to put this question behind us, as a
political issue; Choquehuanca demurred, and while noting that
GOB public comments would be more restrained, the GOB would
continue to pursue a full investigation of the incident. The
Ambassador noted that if the GOB were to investigate its own
internal rules and procedures, this was naturally a sovereign
decision for the GOB. On the other hand, the U.S. had and
will continue to address GOB inquiries through diplomatic
channels.


4. (C) COMMENT: Despite our repeated admonitions, the GOB
seems unwilling to put the Dinh affair behind it.
Nonetheless, and despite what appears to be considerable
pressure from GOB hardliners to continue pressing this case,
the foreign minister seems to accept the need to keep further
dialogue on this matter within diplomatic channels. Indeed,
on July 5th post received a diplomatic note requesting a
deposition for the country team member involved and his
family (Septel). Post late in the day also received a note
indicating the GOB's belief that TSA and American Airline
regulations had been violated, as had Bolivian customs law.
We are now coordinating our response with the Legal Advisor's
Office. In addition, it appears that the media in general
have realized that there is far less story in this story than
the GOB was having them believe, and press coverage is now
fading to the back pages. We will try to keep it there, but
given the GOB,s consistent refusal to do the right thing on
this issue, we do no believe that this incident is behind us.
To keep the issue alive, the GOB has now returned to the
original issue instead of pressing conspiracy theories or
outrageous charges of US-backed terrorism. However, it is
clear that DAS Patrick Duddy,s strong intervention with
Ambassador Guzman in Washington on July 2 made a big
impression on the GOB. The idea that the GOB was in the
process of badly damaging our relationship -- and benefits
that accrue to Bolivia -- had an impact. End Comment.
GOLDBERG