POLITICAL NOTES ON AMBASSADOR'S VISIT TO WESTERN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 001353

SIPDIS

HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/17/2019
TAGS: PGOV PTER SNAR VE CO
SUBJECT: POLITICAL NOTES ON AMBASSADOR'S VISIT TO WESTERN
VENEZUELA

REF: A. 2008 CARACAS 1636

B. CARACAS 330

C. CARACAS 778

CARACAS 00001353 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Political Counselor Robin D. Meyer
for Reason 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: The Ambassador traveled to Venezuela's
western states of Zulia and Falcon October 4-8 and met with a
range of political leaders. Complaints of Colombian
guerrillas operating openly in Zulia and reduced budgets were
widespread. Pablo Perez, the opposition governor of Zulia,
said he was trying to build consensus through effective
governance. Zulia State Assembly President Eliseo Fermin
described his mission as "defending federalism." Oswaldo
Rodriguez Leon, Chavista mayor of the city of Coro, accepted
the Ambassador's courtesy call and experienced protests the
following day for having done so. End Summary.

The Opposition Governor: Seeking Creative Solutions Amidst
Financial Squeeze



2. (C) During a lunch with the Ambassador on October 4,
Zulia Governor Pablo Perez described the various ways the
Venezuelan government (GBRV) has denied revenues and funding
to Zulia since the PSUV loss in the November 2008 elections.
This has included: the transfer of many resources and
revenue streams to the central government (ref a);
nationalization of ports, highways and airports (ref b); and
the nationalization of numerous oil service companies (ref
c). The central government has also excluded Zulia from
national development projects. In addition, the ongoing
dispute with Colombia has caused cross border trade to
plunge.


3. (C) Governor Perez said 2010 would be a critical election
year in Zulia because of the special election for the
mayorship of Maracaibo, the community councils and the
National Assembly (AN). Perez described the electorate as
unhappy over rising food prices, decreasing security, poor
housing and electricity shortages. The Governor added that
kidnapping by both criminal gangs and Colombian guerrillas
remained high and had even spread to Chavez's home state of
Barinas, where the capital is know as "Ciudad Sequestro" -
Kidnap City. Odalis Caldera, Zulia Secretary of Security and
Public Order, explained that kidnapping and carjacking were
Zulia's most common crimes and related how her investigators
were ordered to turn around by alleged armed and uniformed
members of the FARC while investigating a crime in rural
Zulia.


4. (C) Perez explained his daily strategy as "in the streets
and in the barrios," looking to find a middle ground to build
consensus. According to Perez, the next election will have no
room for individualists. Opposition incumbents should seek
to build unity through results rather than rhetoric. The
Governor admitted that he had to "get creative." He said he
remained committed to the Zulia - Lara interstate highway, a
project from his mentor and predecessor Manuel Rosales.

The Chavista National Assembly Deputy: Recognize GBRV
Counternarcotics Efforts



5. (C) The Ambassador held a cordial impromptu meeting with
PSUV Deputy Calixto Ortega, a member of the lapsed Boston
Friendship group, on October 4. The Ambassador noted that
his return was unprecedented and reflected a serious
commitment by the Administration to try to engage Venezuela.
Ortega gave the busy overseas schedule of Foreign Minister
Maduro as a possible explanation for the lack of meetings
with the Foreign Ministry. On the subject of
counternarcotics cooperation, Ortega suggested that U.S.
recognition of Venezuela's accomplishments in
counternarcotics could help advance the relationship. Ortega
also pointed out that U.S. objections to arms sales and
technology transfers had diminished Venezuela's
counternarcotics capacity, requiring them to buy replacements
from China (sic). Ortega also added that the National
Assembly was discussing a law that would allow a shoot-down
policy against drug flights. The Ambassador cautioned about
the dangers associated with a shoot-down policy and the
consequences for a counter-narcotics program if mistakes are
made.


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The Zulia State Legislature: No Room for Bi-partisanship



6. (C) On October 6, Zulia State Legislature President
Eliseo Fermin and nine of fifteen sitting deputies hosted the
Ambassador for lunch. The hosts explained that the three
PSUV legislators had been invited, but had declined the
invitation for fear of retribution for "consorting with the
empire." Fermin, a member of the "Un Nuevo Tiempo" (UNT)
party, complained that the GBRV has "criminalized
bi-partisanship," noting they could not even pass legislation
to protect Lake Maracaibo. Fermin described his goal in
Zulia as "preserving federalism," and criticized Chavez for
"always changing the rules" to remain in power. Although he
accused Chavez of only speaking to the poor instead of
empowering them, he was equally caustic towards the
opposition who "haven't offered a plan to govern since 2006."
Fermin pointed out Chavez's control of the public airwaves
meant that "we only win where there is cable TV."

The Archbishop: Working Toward Coexistence



7. (C) Monsignor Ubaldo Santana, Archbishop of Maracaibo,
told Ambassador Duddy on October 6 that while times were
difficult due to budget cuts, the Church remained strong in
the region and maintained good relations with the
evangelicals. Pope John Paul II had instructed the Episcopal
Conference of Venezuela to work towards coexistence.
However, the new Mayor of San Francisco, a sprawling outer
borough of Maracaibo, is an ardent Chavista and is actively
harassing church-run private schools. The GBRV has
drastically cut its subsidy to the Catholic schools, leaving
four schools without money for salaries and benefits.
Santana is looking at how to implement a U.S. model where
churches can be more self-reliant. Santana found the new
education law to be very generic and abstract and thought its
implementation would vary depending on an individual's
interpretation. When asked about rural parishes, Santana
related a story where a squad of FARC guerrillas took a
priest into the Venezuelan jungle to perform a baptism at a
FARC camp.

The Chavista Mayor: Asking Permission to Meet



8. (C) In neighboring Falcon state, Chavista Mayor of Coro,
Oswaldo Rodriguez Leon, cordially received the Ambassador for
a courtesy call on October 8. (Note: Despite having
previously agreed to the meeting, Rodriguez's office
telephoned the Embassy the night before saying that he needed
the Foreign Ministry's permission to hold the meeting. The
Embassy sent a dipnote to the Foreign Ministry informing it
of the previously agreed-upon meeting. The Foreign Ministry
notified Polcouns at 10:30 pm that the Foreign Ministry had
conveyed its approval to the Mayor. End Note.) A career
police officer and self-professed Bolivarian socialist,
Rodriguez described various development projects in the area.
The Mayor also expressed his admiration for the United
States, telling how he traveled to Wyoming to receive his
master's and doctorate degrees from Preston University.
(Note: Preston is a for profit institution formerly based in
Wyoming. End Note.) As if to show how busy he was,
Rodriguez made it a point to lay out three mobile phones on
the coffee table so he could attend to calls during the
meeting. Members of his staff photographed and videotaped
the encounter. (Note: The following afternoon, about two
dozen Chavistas in Coro protested the Ambassador's visit,
calling it "a provocation." End Note.)
DUDDY