VENEZUELA WILL NOT ATTEND MEETING ON BIOSAFETY

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 000218 SIPDIS HQ SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD TREASURY FOR MMALLOY COMMERCE FOR 4431/MAC/WH/JLAO SECSTATE PASS AGRICULTURE ELECTRONICALLY USDA/FAS FOR STEVE FROGGETT OES FOR DANIELLE WOOD EEB/TPP/MTAA/ABT FOR MARCELLA SZYMANSKI E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2019 TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL ETRD EINV EAGR VE SUBJECT: VENEZUELA WILL NOT ATTEND MEETING ON BIOSAFETY REF: A. SECSTATE 11910 ¶B. 2008 CARACAS 140 Classified By: Economic Counselor Darnall Steuart for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) As requested in reftel A, the Agriculture Attache approached university professor and biotech expert Dr. Claret Michelangeli de Clavio (strictly protect throughout) to determine Venezuelan participation at the Mexico City biosafety meeting. Michelangeli, who represented the Venezuelan government at the last biosafety meeting, contacted Aleidis Sandroni from the Ministry of the Environment's Biodiversity Office who would have been the person most likely to attend the Mexico meeting. Sandroni reported the Venezuelan government will not be sending anyone to the meeting as "the Co-Chairs did not notify on time." Michelangeli speculated that the real reason no one will attend the Mexico meeting is because the "Venezuelan government does not trust anyone", often including government officials, to represent its views at many international conferences. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: President Chavez has a well publicized distaste for biotechnology and the multinational firms that sell biotech products (ref B). It seems the Venezuelan government may be concerned that if it were to send a scientist and expert in the field to the Mexico meeting, he or she might reveal that Venezuela's opposition to biotechnology is based on the President's personal views, rather than on science-based policies. END COMMENT. CAULFIELD