CORRECTED COPY-AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH

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C O R R E C T E D COPY--CORRECTING COMMENT TEXT

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/04/2017
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL BL
SUBJECT: CORRECTED COPY-AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH
VFM DORFLER ON NEW VISA SYSTEM


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


SUMMARY


1. (C) The Ambassador met separately with Vice Foreign
Minister Maurico Dorfler and Vice President Garcia Linera
(Septel) on January 3 to discuss the GOB's presidential
decrees requiring all American citizens to obtain Bolivian
visas. The Ambassador acknowledged that the GOB is within
its right to determine its own migration control systems,
but lamented the apparent political motives behind the move
and highlighted the lack of prior notification. VFM Dorfler
defensively argued that it was a matter of reciprocity.
End summary.

MEETING WITH VFM DORFLER


2. (C) On January 3 the Ambassador met with Vice Foreign
Minister Guillermo Dorfler to discuss the GOB's January 1
presidential decrees requiring all American citizens to
obtain Bolivian visas. The Ambassador also raised the
issuance of Bolivian consular cards to Bolivian citizens in
the United States. VFM Dorfler started the meeting by saying
that requiring visas was a matter of reciprocity and that the
decree would be put on the books within seven days. The
Ambassador highlighted the lack of notification and the
confusion created by the surprise announcement, to which
Dorfler replied "we'll publish the rules." The Ambassador
stated that Bolivia has every right to determine its visa
requirements, but that Bolivian handling of the matter - -
including raising outrageous charges of U.S. "attempts to
undermine" the government - - was a political message, not
about reciprocity. Dorfler defended the GOB decision by
citing the example of VP Garcia Linera's denied boarding and
the fact that the U.S. requires Bolivians to obtain visas.
The VFM told the Ambassador that "now you will know how
Bolivians feel." The Ambassador replied that he had already
gone over the vice president's incident with President
Morales and that it was not justification for the
GOB's actions. When pressed for details on how the visa
scheme would be implemented, Dorfler hastily sent an
assistant to bring him a piece of paper, looked at it, and
then admitted that the procedures were "still being
developed." He offered a few details (two of which are not
required by the U.S. application system) and agreed that MFA
would meet with Embassy officials to discuss the details.


3. (C) The Ambassador then moved on to the subject of the
consular card that the GOB announced would be sold to
Bolivian citizens in the United States. The Ambassador asked
why the USG was not consulted about this issue. He also
asked why Foreign Minister Choquehuanca was promising that
the consular card would allow Bolivians to obtain American

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services, such as access to medical services. The Ambassador
pointed out that the USG takes great pains to respect
Bolivian sovereignty and questioned the appearance of the GOB
trying to issue documents to be used domestically in the U.S.
VFM Dorfler responded that "I suppose we should discuss
whether the U.S. will accept the card."

COMMENT


4. (C) VFM Dorfler is a career diplomat who stuck to his
talking points. We will work with the GOB to try to make the
new visa rules as palatable as possible. As with the
hydrocarbons "nationalization", the GOB's rhetoric often
outpaces its actions once reality sets in. With the visa
system, the GOB has already received a deluge of criticism
from the tourist industry, the media, and, in private, the
U.S. Embassy. End Comment.

GOLDBERG