VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT USES DCA TO JUSTIFY ARMS

UNCLAS CARACAS 001226 SENSITIVE SIPDIS HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER VE CO SUBJECT: VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT USES DCA TO JUSTIFY ARMS PURCHASES REF: CARACAS 1209 ¶1. (SBU) Following the fractious September 15 UNASUR Summit in Quito, President Chavez declared victory, claiming on a September 17 television broadcast that Colombia had been "completely isolated." He said it was "embarrassing" that the Colombians could not even show the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) to the UNASUR members without U.S. permission. ¶2. (SBU) Chavez stressed that the DCA was a "threat" to Venezuela. Speaking from Quito, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro claimed that the USD 2.2 billion arms deal with Russia (reftel) was needed to defend Venezuela against the threat from the DCA. Referring to media reports of comments by Secretary Clinton on September 15, Maduro charged that Secretary Clinton had "no moral standing" to criticize Venezuela's defense plans. Venezuela's OAS Ambassador Roy Chaderton called Secretary Clinton's concern over Venezuela's arms deals a "false threat" and noted that the U.S. was the only country to ever use atomic bombs against other human beings. Chaderton added that the DCA, when combined with the FOURTH FLEET and SOUTHCOM, are a "threat to the security and peace" of South America. DUDDY