DEMARCHE ON DEMOCRACY IN VENEZUELA - CHILE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTIAGO 001828

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/13/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM VE EU CI WHA
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON DEMOCRACY IN VENEZUELA - CHILE

REF: A. STATE 154674


B. SANTIAGO 1825

Classified By: Charge d' Affaires, a.i. Carol Urban for reasons 1.4 (b
and d).


1. (C) E/Pol Counselor November 13 delivered ref A demarche
to Jamie Bascunan, the MFA's desk officer for Venezuela,
Colombia, and Ecuador, stressing that the proposed Venezulan
referendum ran contrary to Caracas's obligations under the
Inter-American Democratic Charter. As such, it is incumbent
on all signatories to press Venezuela to comply with its
commitments; Canada and El Salvador had recently joined the
U.S. in expressing concern over Chavez's proposed reforms and
the USG hoped Chile would as well. Bascunan at first took a
familar tack: "Chile is carefully monitoring the situation"
but, sotto voce, "this is an internal Venezuelan matter."
Bascunan noted further that it is not entirely clear that
Chavez will carry the day. The Venezuelan ambassador to
Chile had recently called on MFA Director General Carlo
Portales (the MFA's number three official) to lobby for the
purposes underlying the referendum, including leaving behind
a slick written presentation. The full court press suggested
Chavez is worried. Bascunan, who sat in on the meeting, said
Portales had promised to study the materials but which were
now sitting untouched and unremarked in Bascunan's office
credenza. In short, Bascunan implied, it is not worth
getting too exercised over the referendum.


2. (C) In reply, E/Pol Counselor stressed that Chavez and his
government controlled the media, would open purse strings for
patronage and, as the recent murder of student activists in
Zulia made clear, would use all means, including violence, to
ensure the referendum passed. He also noted the referendum
undermined the letter and spirit of Article 3 of the Charter;
as such, it is not purely an internal matter but one
impacting democracy in the hemisphere. Bascunan took notice
when E/Pol Counselor observed that the Community of
Democracies had excluded Venezuela from its Ministerial in
Mali, nodding that the exclusion made clear that this matter
is not a "U.S. vs. Venezuela" bilateral dispute but a concern
of the international community. He promised to relay USG
points to his superiors.


3. (C) Comment: Normally we would conclude that Chile would
take its usual safe path in response to this demarche: Say
nothing to offend a fellow Latin and then do so only if there
is consensus. However, Chavez's unwelcome actions at the
just concluded Ibero-American Summit in Santiago, which left
FM Foxley "deeply disturbed" (ref B),could lead to a more
public GOC questioning of the referendum and the Venezuelan
social model trumpeted by Chavez. End comment.
URBAN