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