Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08LISBON210
2008-01-24 16:36:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Lisbon
how-toVZCZCXYZ0001 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHLI #0210 0241636 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 241636Z JAN 08 FM AMEMBASSY LISBON TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6596 INFO RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0070
C O N F I D E N T I A L LISBON 000210
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2018
TAGS: PREL PO VE
SUBJECT: PM SOCRATES INVITED TO CARACAS
REF: A. 07 LISBON 2949
B. 06 LISBON 2160
Classified By: Dana M. Brown, Pol-Econ Officer, Embassy Lisbon
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L LISBON 000210
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2018
TAGS: PREL PO VE
SUBJECT: PM SOCRATES INVITED TO CARACAS
REF: A. 07 LISBON 2949
B. 06 LISBON 2160
Classified By: Dana M. Brown, Pol-Econ Officer, Embassy Lisbon
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (SBU) A Portuguese daily recently reported that Portuguese
Prime Minister Jose Socrates would visit Caracas by March,
citing the Venezuelan presidency's website. Bernard Amaral,
one of the Prime Minister's diplomatic advisors, confirmed to
us that Hugo Chavez had invited Socrates during the former's
Lisbon stopover last November (ref A). Amaral, however, said
Socrates had not yet decided whether to accept the
invitation, and he provided no sense of when the decision
would be made or what it would be. Amaral added that
Portuguese Secretary of State for Commerce, Fernando
Serrasqueira, was leading a trade delegation to Venezuela on
January 21-23 to strengthen business-to-business linkages.
Serrasqueira's visit was the only official visit to Venezuela
confirmed for this year, he emphasized.
Comment
--------------
2. (C) As we have reported regularly, Portugal and Venezuela
have a complicated relationship. Portuguese policy toward
Caracas is driven primarily by concerns over the well-being
of the 500,000-strong Portuguese community resident there.
For that reason, Socrates has been reluctant to confront
Chavez publicly, although the Portuguese Prime Minister
shares our concerns about Chavez's undemocratic tendencies
and actions. While the GOP turned down Chavez's request to
visit in 2005 because of unhappiness over Venezuela's
detention of a Portuguese pilot accused of drug trafficking,
Chavez subsequently has made two visits to Lisbon. In 2006,
he met with Socrates at the Lisbon airport during a refueling
stop and in November 2007, the Prime Minister hosted his
Venezuelan counterpart for a dinner during a several-hour
stopover in Lisbon.
3. (C) In deciding whether to make a first visit to Caracas
during his term as Prime Minister, we suspect Socrates is
weighing very carefully his concerns about the Portuguese
community there against the realization that a visit would
send a very unhelpful political messsage. End comment.
Stephenson
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2018
TAGS: PREL PO VE
SUBJECT: PM SOCRATES INVITED TO CARACAS
REF: A. 07 LISBON 2949
B. 06 LISBON 2160
Classified By: Dana M. Brown, Pol-Econ Officer, Embassy Lisbon
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (SBU) A Portuguese daily recently reported that Portuguese
Prime Minister Jose Socrates would visit Caracas by March,
citing the Venezuelan presidency's website. Bernard Amaral,
one of the Prime Minister's diplomatic advisors, confirmed to
us that Hugo Chavez had invited Socrates during the former's
Lisbon stopover last November (ref A). Amaral, however, said
Socrates had not yet decided whether to accept the
invitation, and he provided no sense of when the decision
would be made or what it would be. Amaral added that
Portuguese Secretary of State for Commerce, Fernando
Serrasqueira, was leading a trade delegation to Venezuela on
January 21-23 to strengthen business-to-business linkages.
Serrasqueira's visit was the only official visit to Venezuela
confirmed for this year, he emphasized.
Comment
--------------
2. (C) As we have reported regularly, Portugal and Venezuela
have a complicated relationship. Portuguese policy toward
Caracas is driven primarily by concerns over the well-being
of the 500,000-strong Portuguese community resident there.
For that reason, Socrates has been reluctant to confront
Chavez publicly, although the Portuguese Prime Minister
shares our concerns about Chavez's undemocratic tendencies
and actions. While the GOP turned down Chavez's request to
visit in 2005 because of unhappiness over Venezuela's
detention of a Portuguese pilot accused of drug trafficking,
Chavez subsequently has made two visits to Lisbon. In 2006,
he met with Socrates at the Lisbon airport during a refueling
stop and in November 2007, the Prime Minister hosted his
Venezuelan counterpart for a dinner during a several-hour
stopover in Lisbon.
3. (C) In deciding whether to make a first visit to Caracas
during his term as Prime Minister, we suspect Socrates is
weighing very carefully his concerns about the Portuguese
community there against the realization that a visit would
send a very unhelpful political messsage. End comment.
Stephenson