EVO CELEBRATES CHE DAY; NO TO U.S. BASES

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 002712

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON BL
SUBJECT: EVO CELEBRATES CHE DAY; NO TO U.S. BASES

Classified By: EcoPol Chief Mike Hammer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (U) Summary. During his remarks at an October 8 event
honoring the 40th anniversary of Che Guevara's death in
Bolivia, President Evo Morales unleashed a torrent of
anti-U.S. rhetoric, said a new Bolivian Constitution would
not permit U.S. military bases in Bolivia, and urged other
Latin American leaders to likewise ban U.S. bases. Morales
attendance was scorned by many media pundits, political
leaders, and retired military officers, doubly so for his
intentional snubbing of events paying homage to slain
Bolivian soldiers who died fighting Che's band in 1967. A
Cuban delegation was honored at the Che event, including
veterans of Che's guerrilla campaigns. End Summary.

Strawman of the week: Evo Bans Nonexistent U.S. Bases
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2. (U) Bolivian President Evo Morales emphasized a "global
revolution" against capitalism and urged other Latin American
governments to prohibit stationing of "imperialistic"
military bases during an October 8 tribute to leftist
guerrilla leader Che Guevara. Morales added a new Bolivian
Constitution would "not permit any American military base in
Bolivian territory" and that "the empire is raising arms
against the people; the empire wants military bases in Latin
America." Morales also berated supposed designs to turn
Bolivia into a source of natural resources for "North
America" and warned about "resistance from certain groups" to
the "democratic, peaceful" movements underway in Latin
America. Morales said the fight against "inhumane
capitalism" by left-leaning Latin American governments was a
continuation of "Che's fight, the people's fight, the fight
of all revolutionaries."

Che Sera Sera
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3. (U) A multi-national crowd of between 1,000 to 3,000
attended the event honoring the 40th anniversary of Che's
death in the town of Vallegrande, close to the spot Che was
captured by Bolivian troops in 1967. Morales said the best
way for people to remember Che's "fight for equality and
justice," was with "honesty, transparency, and an
anti-imperialist, anti-neoliberal, and anti-colonial
position." Over the past week, Morales has described himself
as a "peaceful" admirer of Che: "The only difference I would
have with Che is he searched for equality and justice with a
gun in his hand." Cuban comrades of Che and the Cuban
Ambassador were on hand to pay homage. They were also named
"distinguished sons" of Camiri, a town about 100 kilometers
from Vallegrande, in conjunction with the 5th Congress of
Solidarity with Cuba October 6 and 7, according to Cuban News
Agency reports.

AWOL Evo Angers the Troops
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4. (U) Political and retired military leaders criticized
Morales' attendance at the Che event while sidestepping
events honoring the 55 Bolivian soldiers who died fighting
Che's band. Morales explained during the Che event that
"there will be commentaries repudiating my presence (at the
event),but I don't have to hide anything; we are
Guevaristas, we are humanists and revolutionaries." Retired
Army General Alvin Anaya called Morales' behavior "a lack of
consideration, disrespectful of the (military) institution."
Retired General Gary Prado, who commanded the troops that
captured Che, told the Associated Press his request to Army
Commander Wilfredo Vargas to honor the soldiers with a
national event was ignored. An Army spokesman claimed a La
Paz event was suspended because it would duplicate an event
in Camiri. The cities of Camiri, Santa Cruz, Trinidad,
Oruru, and Cochabamba held memorial events for the soldiers.


5. (C) Comment: The active military's response to Evo's snub
has been restrained. Army Commander Vargas went the furthest
by publicly noting that although he respected Morales'
decision, he, as an army officer, was obliged to honor his
fellow soldiers. Embracing Che mania may engender Evo to his
hard-left base, but insulting the military at precisely the
time that he may need the armed forces to quell unrest in
Sucre and elsewhere should the Constituent Assembly fail
seems poor strategy (a sentiment shared by the Brazilian
Embassy with us October 9). Evo used the Che anniversary to
bash the U.S., declaring that there will be no "American
bases." Since there are no U.S. bases in Bolivia, his
statement can be viewed at best as gratuitous.


6. (C) Comment Continued: Although he rarely mentions the
U.S. by name, it is clear we are the "empire" in Evo's
statements. Despite Morales' proclivity to add "peaceful" in
front of remarks about seemingly unpeaceful subjects (Che,
Iranian nuclear ambitions, the struggle against the empire,
etc.),Post remains concerned about Morales' increasingly
strident and negative tone about the U.S., democratic
institutions, and those that would stand in the way of "the
movement." Morales is again talking about what a new
constitution will look like, hinting that he ultimately won't
let the Constitutional Assembly, Congress, or the courts
stand in the way of "the people's" constitution. End Comment.
GOLDBERG