BOLIVIA: MORALES ON ATPDEA, CASTRO, AND CHE

UNCLAS LA PAZ 002192 C O R R E C T E D C O P Y(PARA 5 IS UNCLAS) SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR ETRD BL SUBJECT: BOLIVIA: MORALES ON ATPDEA, CASTRO, AND CHE ¶1. (U) Bolivian President Evo Morales spoke to supporters on October 7, downplaying recent USG decisions regarding ATPDEA, lauding Che Guevara, and citing the advice of his friend and ally Cuban President Fidel Castro. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ATPDEA: "Won't Affect Us At All" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶2. (U) Morales announced to his followers that the suspension of ATPDEA benefits "is not going to affect us at all" because many other markets will open for Bolivia. Morales added, "Yesterday I was meeting with the representative from Iran. On the instructions of the Iranian government, he wants to know the list of textiles that will be prohibited (sic), surely so that they don't enter the United States. They want to buy them." (Note: President Bush's decision to suspend ATPDEA trade benefits would not "prohibit" the export of any product, a fact that has been made clear by the Embassy and seems to be understood by Morales' Ministers in their public comments. End note.) ¶3. (U) The government announced separately that a mission led by Finance Minister Arce will travel to the United States to participate in the October 23 public hearing on the proposal to suspend ATPDEA benefits to Bolivia. Vice Minister Guzman explained Bolivia's decision to attend the USTR hearing: "Bolivia will present a dignified and sovereign defense, showing the country's efforts in the battle against drugs." The same day, press reports highlighted the fact that Morales has legalized more than ten thousand hectares of coca during his term in office, effectively doubling the amount of legal coca in the country. This comes after Morales' October 2 decision not to allow DEA overflights and recent threats to expel DEA from the country. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Name-dropping: Castro and Che - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶4. (U) Morales also revealed to his listeners Cuban President Fidel Castro's advice to him when he was first a candidate for the presidency: "There are always international events in Cuba. I went there and I asked Fidel: 'What happens if tomorrow I'm president and the United States blocks Bolivia?'" Morales said that Castro advised that there was no need to fear a U.S. "blockade" because "Bolivia is not an island like Cuba, because Bolivia has friendly countries like Cuba, Brazil, Venezuela and Argentina, and because Bolivia has so many natural resources, like hydrocarbons and petroleum." Morales concluded, "This grabbed me mentally. And truly, in this moment, the (counternarcotics) decertification and closing (markets) for textiles with ATPDEA will not affect us at all. There are countries in solidarity with us." ¶5. (U) Morales also commented on his program of "change", declaring it "unstoppable" and calling on his followers so that the Argentine-Cuban guerrilla Ernesto "Che" Guevara would not have died in vain. Assuring his listeners at a Che remembrance ceremony that the government would continue with the process of change, Morales promised to follow "this road plotted by the fighters for equality, for social justice and the revolutionary identity." (Note: Che Guevara was killed by the Bolivian military opposing a Cuban-backed invasion. Morales' public celebration of Che in 2007 prompted anger among members of the Bolivian military, who felt Morales had insulted the Bolivian soldiers who died in battles with Che's forces. End note.) URS