C-AL9-02049: CHAVEZ PLEASED THAT ZELAYA IS BACK

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 001335 SIPDIS HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD DEPARTMENT PASS TO AID/OTI (RPORTER) E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/15/2029 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PINR PINS HO VE SUBJECT: C-AL9-02049: CHAVEZ PLEASED THAT ZELAYA IS BACK REF: A. SECSTATE 102923 ¶B. CARACAS 1000 Classified By: Political Counselor Robin D. Meyer, for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) Summary: In answer to questions posed in ref A, President Chavez appeared delighted with President Zelaya's physical return to Honduras on September 21. He continues to accuse the U.S. of instigating and definitely supporting the ouster of Zelaya in June, and includes the events in Honduras in his litany of evidence of U.S. aggression in Latin America. His tone vis a vis the situation in Honduras, however, is noticeably less outraged than before Zelaya's return, and he no longer calls for the Honduran people to rise up in arms against the de facto Micheletti government. Recent public statements have barely touched on the situation at all. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Chavez was never supportive of the Arias-led mediation process, which sidelined Venezuela's involvement in resolving the situation. During the months of Zelaya's exile, Chavez regularly encouraged the Honduran people to protest the situation and use violence if necessary (ref B). He accused the United States having supported the coup. Days after Zelaya's return, Chavez praised his courage in returning to Honduras, "evading all the repressive mechanisms of the fascist and terrorist coup-mongers." Since Zelaya's return, Chavez has continued to assert a U.S. role in the coup. During his speech at the U.N. General Assembly September 24, Chavez said that the United States "incredibly, had not recognized that there had been a coup." He accused the Pentagon of having been behind the coup and of permitting Honduran soldiers to use the U.S. base in Palmerola to remove Zelaya from the country. ¶3. (C) Since Zelaya's return to Honduras, Chavez has not called for armed uprisings against the de facto Honduran regime. Chavez's recent remarks refer to Honduras only in passing. Ministry of Foreign Affairs official Roman Delgado told PolOff October 5 that Chavez was pleased with the situation. Consistent with this change in tone, Chavez's recent national broadcasts have focused more on domestic issues, particularly health, than the situation in Honduras. Chavez did not mention Zelaya once, for instance, during his 5 hour and 53 minute national "cadena" broadcast October 4. Chavez's few references to Honduras recently have been in the context of mocking Venezuela's opposition leaders for denying that a coup took place. DUDDY