GBRV IMPEDES VISIT OF LECH WALESA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 001559 SIPDIS HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD DEPARTMENT PASS TO AID/OTI (RPORTER) E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2028 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL PL EZ VE SUBJECT: GBRV IMPEDES VISIT OF LECH WALESA REF: A. CARACAS 01312 ¶B. CARACAS 01383 ¶C. CARACAS 01497 CARACAS 00001559 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR FRANCISCO FERNANDEZ, FOR REASON 1.4(D) ¶1. (C) Summary. The GBRV discouraged the visit of Nobel Peace Prize winner and former president of Poland Lech Walesa to Venezuela on November 2, citing security concerns. Walesa, a prominent pro-democracy figure, has at times been critical of President Chavez. The government reportedly notified the Polish Embassy in Venezuela of its concerns via a diplomatic note. The human rights community and the free media contend this is another attempt by the GBRV to limit Venezuelans' access to information, particularly from figures critical of the "revolutionary" process. Separately, government officials criticized the visit of three European politicians to Venezuela and accused them of being agents of the USG. The GBRV has been prone to overreact to international criticism, but it appears to be even more thin-skinned as the November 23 state and local elections approach. End Summary. -------------- Hear, Speak, See No Evil -------------- ¶2. (C) The GBRV contacted Lech Walesa's pro-democracy institute on November 2 and suggested that he cancel his trip to Venezuela for "matters of security." The Polish Ambassador, Krzysztof Jacek Hinz (protect),informed the Charge that the visit was organized by NGO groups without the involvement of the Polish Embassy or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). When Walesa decided to accept the invitation only a few days before the event, the Polish Embassy asked the MFA for the courtesies offer to former heads of state. Without elaborating on its rationale, the MFA responded that it would not be possible to make the necessary arrangements on such short notice. Although the Polish Ambassador said the Ministry's response was plausible, he was also mindful that the MFA was very uncomfortable with the prospect of the arrival of the world famous critic two weeks before regional and local elections. The Ambassador told the Charge that he regretted the way the visit had been handled by Walesa's staff. He said that Walesa had a powerful message to deliver to Venezuela on the importance of democracy and the weaknesses of state-dominated economies, but the validity of the message was undermined by the confrontational anti-Chavez approach of the visit's organizer. ¶3. (C) Vice Minister for European Affairs Alejandro Fleming dismissed claims that the GBRV had declared Walesa persona non grata. Subsequently, the Polish mission, reportedly under pressure from the MFA, issued a public statement stating that the pro-democracy figure had not been forbidden from entering Venezuela. Walesa, who was scheduled to serve as one of three Eastern European panelists at a pro-democracy conference at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) in Caracas, canceled his visit. ¶4. (C) First Secretary at the Czech Embassy Pavel Stiegler (protect) told Poloff November 6 that his Embassy had organized the conference, and that the GBRV had considered restricting all three European speakers from coming to Venezuela. The Czech Republic has been very active in sponsoring programs that attempt to draw parallels between Chavez's authoritarian tendencies and formerly communist-controlled Eastern Europe. Earlier this year, the Czech Embassy sponsored a group of UCV students and teachers to visit the Czech Republic and Bulgaria and meet with pro-democracy activists of the Cold War era. Those who participated in that trip organized the conference Walesa was scheduled to attend. According to Stiegler, while the GBRV allowed the conference to be held, it gravely miscalculated its actions against Walesa. Stiegler said the GBRV's thin-skinned approach and the media blitz that followed news of Walesa's ban had greater political costs than if it would have allowed Walesa to attend the conference. -------------- Quieting Dissident Voices -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Walesa's travel ban received widespread local coverage on blogs, radio, and print media. Human rights organizations and the free media largely framed the issue as CARACAS 00001559 002.2 OF 002 an attempt by the GBRV to further curb the flow of information and shut out critical voices. Many journalists and activists referenced the expulsion of Human Rights Watch Director Jose Miguel Vivanco (Ref. A) and the government's efforts to cancel the passports of perceived critics (Ref. B) as previous examples of the same policy. ¶6. (SBU) Separately, Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro issued a communique November 4 blasting three visiting European politicians who met with human rights groups and candidates declared ineligible to run in the November elections based on administrative sanctions. Maduro accused the parliamentarians of receiving funds from "some USG agencies which have tried to penetrate our country with destabilizing factors taught by agents of the (U.S.) empire." Maduro also asserted that Leopoldo Lopez, ineligible candidate and former-front runner for the Caracas mayorship, and other critics, "have received funds from the USG and EU countries to travel abroad and implement projects in Venezuela, and do not love their country." ¶7. (C) Comment: The GBRV has grown increasingly sensitive and prone to overreact to criticism from within Venezuela and abroad in the weeks leading up to the state and local elections. Its "suggestion" that Walesa cancel his trip is another indication of the lengths the GBRV will go to to silence dissident opinions. As with Vivanco's expulsion, the GBRV's reaction brought more attention to its continued attempts to limit free speech than any statement Walesa might have made at the UCV conference. End Comment. CAULFIELD