VP RATIONALIZES RULING PARTY'S ACTIONS TO DIP CORPS

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 000465

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/03/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL BL
SUBJECT: VP RATIONALIZES RULING PARTY'S ACTIONS TO DIP CORPS

Classified By: A/DCM Mike Hammer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) The Bolivian government invited the entire
diplomatic corps to lunch March 3 to explain its position
regarding recent events. On February 28, the ruling Movement
Toward Socialism (MAS) rammed through legislation to convoke
a national referendum on its draft constitution while pro-MAS
mobs prevented the opposition parliamentarians from entering
Congress. Representing the government was Vice President
Alvaro Garcia Linera, Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca,
Ambassador Pablo Solon, and the President of the Lower House
of Congress Edmundo Novillo.


2. (C) The Vice President delivered a 30-minute monologue
on the government's efforts to reach an agreement with the
opposition; his colleagues were mostly mute. Likening
present-day Bolivia to the United States during the Civil
War, Garcia Linera explained the MAS was attempting to
restore rights to indigenous peoples, broadening civil rights
for the society in general, and redistributing power across
the various territories within the country. The Vice
President argued that despite recent events that the process
had been "peaceful," although he did express regret for the
two opposition congresswomen who were assaulted on February

28. (Note: the Vice President's remorse contradicts the Vice
Minister of Justice who argued the two women provoked the
pro-MAS mobs who assaulted them. End Note).


3. (C) Garcia Linera acknowledged the country had reached a
delicate point, but stressed the MAS was ready to compromise
and prepared to re-open virtually any topic. The Vice
President explained that he himself had stated repeatedly
that 50 percent of the MAS constitution could be changed and
that the MAS was prepared to revisit the two laws passed on
February 28, during the opposition lock-out. To emphasize
the MAS' readiness to work with other parties he lauded both
the National Unity (UN) and National Revolutionary Movement
(MNR) their willingness to compromise with the MAS, singling
out UN leader Samuel Doria Medina in particular. Garcia
Linera explained that the MAS accepted the opposition
department's autonomy statutes, stating the only questions
that remain are the contents of statutes and who can convoke
a referendum on them. (Comment: In other words, the MAS
accepts departmental autonomy provided the statutes change
and the MAS-dominated Congress controls the vote on the
statutes. End Comment).


4. (C) Foreign Minister Choquehuanca )- the only other
government representative who spoke -- kept his comments
brief repeating his recent accusations that Senate President
Oscar Ortiz (of the opposition PODEMOS party) was trying to
get the diplomatic corps to "revise relations" with the
Morales administration. Members of the diplomatic corps
first corrected the foreign minister's statements that Ortiz
had met with the entire corps minus Venezuela, Cuba, and the
United States over the weekend. They explained only an EU
delegation and representatives from the diplomatic board (the
five senior diplomats in Bolivia) had met Ortiz and two of
his colleagues. The German Ambassador explained that meeting
with the opposition is what diplomats do and cited that in
the past that members of the diplomatic corps met with the
MAS. The French DCM stated that the EU had offered to help
with the dialogue on numerous occasions, only to be rejected
each time. He explained that the EU was considering
releasing a statement regarding last week's events in the
coming days. (Note: The EU Ambassadors said that the usual
coordination problems were holding up the issuance of the
declaration. End Note).


5. (C) Comment: The Vice President explained he had invited
the diplomatic corps "to inform" them of the socio-political
factors behind recent events. The real reason for the lunch
appeared to be damage control, as the government is worried
that the international community recognizes that Morales' MAS
crossed a democratic red-line in actions last week. This is
no doubt why Foreign Minister Choquehuanca will be traveling
to Washington and New York March 4-5 on a public relations
tour meant to erase the images of his party's thuggish
actions the week of February 25, and to counter any
opposition efforts to highlight the actions. Our EU
colleagues were not satisfied with the Vice President's
offers of dialogue with the opposition as he never responded
to their questions about how and when a real national
dialogue will begin. End Comment.
GOLDBERG