LUGO VISIT: TRAVELS WITH EVO

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 LA PAZ 001358

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/17/2028
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PA BL
SUBJECT: LUGO VISIT: TRAVELS WITH EVO

REF: A. LA PAZ 1261

B. LA PAZ 1214

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


1. (S) Summary: Bolivian President Evo Morales was once again
forced to change his domestic travel plans because of
opposition protests June 13 and 14. Since April, Morales and
other senior officials have been blocked frequently from
opposition strongholds despite increased rhetoric from
security forces that such interference will not be tolerated
(reftels). The military commander in charge of the June 14
event was fired for negotiating with the opposition on a
security agreement, according to Military Group sources.
Although Paraguayan President-Elect Fernando Lugo, who
attended a parallel June 14 event with Morales, said
unequivocally that there are no U.S. military bases in his
country, this did not stop the Bolivian government from
implying that Lugo was suspect about U.S. bases and asking
for his own investigation. End Summary.

Evo's "No Respect" Tour
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2. (U) Bolivian President Evo Morales had to cancel his
participation in a June 13 bridge dedication ceremony in
Santa Rosa in the Department (state) of Santa Cruz due to
clashes between pro-government peasant farmers and the
pro-opposition Santa Cruz Youth Movement (UJC). The UJC had
temporarily taken control of tolls outside Santa Rosa and
broken a pro-government roadblock designed to ensure safe
passage for Morales' motorcade. Bolivian Road Administration
President Patricia Ballivian apologized in a full-page
advertisement to the South Korean builders of the project for
the "shameful" acts from protesters with "not respect" for
the government that led to the cancellation.

Evo Can Run, But Can't Drive
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3. (U) The next day Morales was forced to hold a ceremony
commemorating the end of the Bolivian/Paraguayan 1932-35
Chaco War at a military base near Yacuiba, Tarija Department,
while the originally planned event went forward in nearby
Villa Montes. Defense Minister Walker San Miguel called
opposition blockade of Villa Montes particularly "arrogant
and mean" because the event's special guests, incumbent
Paraguayan President Nicanor Duarte and President-Elect
Fernando Lugo, also had to be whisked away to the military
base. Prefect (governor) Mario Cassio presided "proudly"
over the parallel event in Villa Montes, without national
government representation, foreign guests, or the military.
Villa Montes' Mayor Ruben Vaca commented that "it is a pity
that President Morales ends up conducting all his acts in
garrisons." The government has blamed the diversion on
opposition radicals, particularly the UJC.

Defense Minister Takes a Hard Line, and Another Defeat
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4. (S) According to our Military Group contacts, General
Walter Ponoso (strictly protect),assigned to secure the
Villa Montes event site, was sacked by Defense Minister
Walker San Miguel June 12. San Miguel was allegedly furious
after Ponoso told him he had negotiated an agreement with the
opposition to permit Morales to participate in the Villa
Montes event on the condition that the government would
compensate the widow of a local protester killed during a
standoff with the government last year regarding gas field
rights. San Miguel refused this condition, or any
negotiation with the opposition regarding the ability of
Morales to travel, and ordered the commander to adopt
alternative measures to carry out the ceremony. The
commander defended his peaceful compromise and told San
Miguel he was unwilling to use force to carry out the
ceremony in Villa Montes.

LA PAZ 00001358 002 OF 002




5. (S) San Miguel put Bolivian Army Commander General Freddy
MacKay in charge of the event. During a June 13 television
interview, Gen. MacKay stated President Morales could travel
anywhere in Bolivia at anytime, it was the Bolivian
military's responsibility to ensure his security, and that he
would personally ensure a successful presidential visit to
Villa Montes. MacKay failed to deliver on his promise.

Lugo Hails Bedtime for Imperialism
--------------


6. (U) Following a June 15 meeting with Morales in La Paz,
Lugo complimented Morales' policies as "having relative
success" improving the lives of Bolivia's indigenous
majority. Lugo said "the age of imperialism is over in this
new age in Latin America" and that future Latin American
relations with the United States would be "based on respect,
equity, and justice."

Bases, What Bases?
--------------


7. (U) Lugo publicly rejected the notion that there are U.S.
bases in Paraguay. He added that after assuming office
August 15, he would open Paraguay to any investigation, media
or otherwise, "in order to thoroughly dismiss" any rumors on
the subject. Bolivian government information service ABI
misconstrued the statement to insinuate that Lugo would
initiate an official Paraguayan investigation on the U.S.
military presence in Paraguay.

Comment:
--------------


8. (C) Morales' increasing inability to travel freely in his
own country underscores the reality that Bolivia is becoming
more and more divided between the altiplano highlands and the
western lowlands. Since April, Morales and other senior
officials have been blocked frequently from opposition
strongholds despite increased rhetoric from security forces
that such interference will not be tolerated. In Villa
Montes, the military once again backed down in the face of a
clash with opposition protesters. Despite the embarrassing
setbacks of canceled Evo trips and events being relocated to
military installations, Vice Minister of Defense Wilfredo
Vargas has told us Morales' unequivocal policy is to pull the
troops back if civilian casualties become likely. End
Comment.
GOLDBERG