CHARGE DISCUSSES BILATERAL RELATION WITH BRV

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 001324 SIPDIS HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD DEPARTMENT PASS TO AID/OTI (RPORTER) E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2028 TAGS: PREL PGOV ASEC VE SUBJECT: CHARGE DISCUSSES BILATERAL RELATION WITH BRV CONTACT REF: CARACAS 01320 CARACAS 00001324 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR FRANCISCO FERNANDEZ FOR REASON 1.4 (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Charge met September 19 with Rene Arreaza, an unofficial high-level contact of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (BRV),to discuss bilateral relations. The Charge urged the BRV to work more closely with the Embassy to resolve pending and future operational issues including visas. Arreaza told the Charge that he expects President Chavez to name Bernie Alvarez as Vice Minister for North American Affairs. He also believed the airline crisis could be resolved before September 28. Arreaza assured the Charge that Mrs. Duddy would be allowed to return to Venezuela to pack out personal effects, and noted that Mrs. Alvarez would soon request similar assurances. The Charge stressed that the USG is currently reviewing the diplomatic relationship following the unjustified expulsion of the Ambassador. END SUMMARY. -------------- Charge's Meeting with BRV Go-Between -------------- ¶2. (C) Charge invited Rene Arreaza, former Chief of Staff under former VP Jose Vicente Rangel, to the Embassy September 19 to discuss the bilateral relationship in the aftermath of the Ambassador's expulsion. Arreaza thanked the Charge for the invitation to talk, and said he had discussed the meeting with FM Maduro's Chief of Staff Temir Porras, former ambassador to the United States Bernie Alvarez, and former Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel, all of whom "approved" the meeting. Arreaza expressed his regrets at the expulsion, and said the decision was exclusively taken by Chavez without advance consultation with members of his inner circle. ¶3. (C) Regarding security concerns over Chavez's anti-American rhetoric, Arreaza said the BRV has no intention of jeopardizing the security of the Embassy or its personnel. He acknowledged the possibility that supporters of Chavez could be prompted to commit violent acts given the Venezuelan president's incendiary remarks, but said this was an unlikely scenario. ¶4. (C) In response to difficulties the Embassy has encountered in receiving support from the BRV on routine issues such as shipment of household effects, issuance of visas, and registration of personal vehicles, Arreaza said it was not the BRV's intention to complicate the Embassy's day-to-day activities. He added that it was important for both parties to resolve these issues so as not to complicate the already tense bilateral relationship. Arreaza blamed delays in visa issuance on the MFA, not the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington. He recommended that incoming Emboffs simply state or "fudge" their diplomatic title, without revealing their position within the Embassy, to avoid future problems. ¶5. (C) During the meeting, Arreaza commented that Alvarez would likely be tapped to replaced Jorge Valero as Vice Minister for North American Affairs. (Note: If this occurred, Valero would likely continue to head the Multilateral Affairs Office. Valero is also the BRV's UN Permanent Representative. End Note). He said the designation could take place as soon as Alvarez returns to Venezuela from a visit to Bolivia. He also speculated American airline carriers and the government would resolve the aviation crisis among themselves before September 28, the date the BRV threatened to reduce flights between the two countries (Reftel). ¶6. (C) The Charge also raised the awkward situation the expulsion has caused for the Ambassador and Mrs. Duddy given that they were both out of the country at the time of Chavez's announcement. The Charge noted Mrs. Duddy's intention to return to Venezuela to oversee the removal of household effects. He requested explicit agreement from the BRV that she be treated appropriately at customs and CARACAS 00001324 002.2 OF 002 immigration. Arreaza assured the Charge that Mrs. Duddy would be allowed to return to Caracas without incident. He noted that Mrs. Alvarez would also soon request to return to Washington for similar reasons. The Charge told Arreaza he would inform the Department of Mrs. Alvarez's plans. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶7. (C) Arreaza accepted the meeting at the Embassy in order to express the BRV's desire to try to sustain some "normalcy" in the bilateral relationship, a message repeatedly harked on by Chavez and other BRV officials in the government-controlled media. The Charge, however, stressed that the expulsion was a serious matter for the USG, and that the USG would conduct its own review of the bilateral relationship. While we expect the day-to-day cooperation that would permit our contacts to maintain relations at a lower level, the BRV's expectation to return to "business as usual" is unrealistic given the circumstances regarding the unjustified expulsion of the Ambassador. CAULFIELD