Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07LAPAZ2648
2007-10-01 20:51:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy La Paz
Cable title:
EVO TO UN: CHANGE OF ADDRESS REQUESTED
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C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 002648
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/02/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL UN BL
SUBJECT: EVO TO UN: CHANGE OF ADDRESS REQUESTED
REF: LA PAZ 2634
Classified By: EcoPol Chief Mike Hammer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 002648
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/02/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL UN BL
SUBJECT: EVO TO UN: CHANGE OF ADDRESS REQUESTED
REF: LA PAZ 2634
Classified By: EcoPol Chief Mike Hammer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (U) Building on President Evo Morales' September 26
suggestion to move the UN Headquarters out of New York, the
Bolivian Government September 30 launched a "global campaign"
to persuade nations to move the UN. Presidential Minister
Juan Quintana said the proposal was prompted by the poor and
unequal treatment the U.S. provides visiting national
representatives, which he described as "arrogant,
intolerable, indignant, and humiliating." Quintana claimed
the proposal has broad support among African countries, but
declined to specify any like-minded governments, alternative
UN locations, or how the campaign would be executed. He
claimed he was only granted an official visa to visit the UN
for a few days and was forced to leave the U.S. in a rush.
"The UN needs to move to a country where all countries in the
world receive the same status as citizens." (Note: Quintana
may be confusing the validity of the A2 visa, which would
have been the duration of the general assembly, with the
duration of status, which is stamped at the port of entry and
depends on duration of official business. End Note.)
Quintana also reassured new visa requirements for U.S.
citizens would not impact tourism (reftel).
2. (U) President Morales proposed the move at the UN General
Assembly September 26, complaining that Bolivian
parliamentarians could not get visas and his "indigenous"
ministers waited "hours and hours" and were harassed at
ports of entry because President Bush is the "owner of the
house." "I do not know how you all arrived here in New York,
but my delegation had many problems ..." He warned if "this
continues," world leaders should consider moving the UN,
Morales also complained about being subjected to
"investigations" to enter the U.S. (Note: Morales arrived via
a Venezuelan government plane that was delayed landing due to
change in flight plan that caused it to land at Newark
instead of JFK. When air traffic controllers tried to
communicate with the Venezuelan pilot to direct them to JFK,
the latter cold not speak English well enough to understand
directions. Once they had landed at Newark, unprepared
officials tried to sort out why they had come to the wrong
airport -- and why Venezuelan pilots and security were with
the Bolivian President. End Note.)
3. (C) Comment: Evo did not take much time to see if this
supposed "harassment" would continue before turning this
latest "incident" into a cause celebre moving the UN. We
will continue to try to hunt down the source of Bolivian
Government complaints, although Foreign Ministry officials
told ConOff last week they had no visa concerns and were
unaware of any specific problems at ports of entry. End
Comment.
GOLDBERG
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/02/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL UN BL
SUBJECT: EVO TO UN: CHANGE OF ADDRESS REQUESTED
REF: LA PAZ 2634
Classified By: EcoPol Chief Mike Hammer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (U) Building on President Evo Morales' September 26
suggestion to move the UN Headquarters out of New York, the
Bolivian Government September 30 launched a "global campaign"
to persuade nations to move the UN. Presidential Minister
Juan Quintana said the proposal was prompted by the poor and
unequal treatment the U.S. provides visiting national
representatives, which he described as "arrogant,
intolerable, indignant, and humiliating." Quintana claimed
the proposal has broad support among African countries, but
declined to specify any like-minded governments, alternative
UN locations, or how the campaign would be executed. He
claimed he was only granted an official visa to visit the UN
for a few days and was forced to leave the U.S. in a rush.
"The UN needs to move to a country where all countries in the
world receive the same status as citizens." (Note: Quintana
may be confusing the validity of the A2 visa, which would
have been the duration of the general assembly, with the
duration of status, which is stamped at the port of entry and
depends on duration of official business. End Note.)
Quintana also reassured new visa requirements for U.S.
citizens would not impact tourism (reftel).
2. (U) President Morales proposed the move at the UN General
Assembly September 26, complaining that Bolivian
parliamentarians could not get visas and his "indigenous"
ministers waited "hours and hours" and were harassed at
ports of entry because President Bush is the "owner of the
house." "I do not know how you all arrived here in New York,
but my delegation had many problems ..." He warned if "this
continues," world leaders should consider moving the UN,
Morales also complained about being subjected to
"investigations" to enter the U.S. (Note: Morales arrived via
a Venezuelan government plane that was delayed landing due to
change in flight plan that caused it to land at Newark
instead of JFK. When air traffic controllers tried to
communicate with the Venezuelan pilot to direct them to JFK,
the latter cold not speak English well enough to understand
directions. Once they had landed at Newark, unprepared
officials tried to sort out why they had come to the wrong
airport -- and why Venezuelan pilots and security were with
the Bolivian President. End Note.)
3. (C) Comment: Evo did not take much time to see if this
supposed "harassment" would continue before turning this
latest "incident" into a cause celebre moving the UN. We
will continue to try to hunt down the source of Bolivian
Government complaints, although Foreign Ministry officials
told ConOff last week they had no visa concerns and were
unaware of any specific problems at ports of entry. End
Comment.
GOLDBERG