CODEL DELAHUNT MEETINGS WITH CHAVEZ AND FOREIGN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 000355

SIPDIS

HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
DEPARTMENT PASS TO AID/OTI (RPORTER)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2029
TAGS: PREL PGOV SNAR OVIP AMGT VE
SUBJECT: CODEL DELAHUNT MEETINGS WITH CHAVEZ AND FOREIGN
MINISTRY - MARCH 19

CARACAS 00000355 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: A/POLITICAL COUNSELOR DANIEL LAWTON,
FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) Summary: After a briefing by the Charge',
Congressman Delahunt discussed bilateral relations alone with
Foreign Ministry (MFA) officials and ALBA Bank President and
former Ambassador to the United States Bernie Alvarez on
March 19. He also met alone with President Chavez and
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicholas Maduro during the night
of March 19. Delahunt told the Charge afterward that he
encouraged Chavez to push the "reset" button on bilateral
relations. Chavez told Delahunt he would mention this idea
during his March 22 "Alo, Presidente" broadcast and would
like an "appropriate" USG response. Chavez and MFA officials
reportedly expressed interest in renewing counternarcotics
cooperation, but did not specify a way forward. Chavez is
interested in restarting informal inter-parliamentary
dialogue (the "Boston Group"),to which Delahunt responded
that members of Venezuela's opposition need to be included.
Delahunt said he also urged that the Venezuelan government
cease harassing U.S. Embassy operations and fire the
problematic MFA Protocol Director. End Summary.

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MFA EXPLORES IMPROVING BILATERAL RELATIONS
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2. (C) Congressman William Delahunt (D-Mass) visited
Caracas on March 19. After a briefing by Charge, Delahunt
met alone with MFA Chief of Staff Temir Porras, ALBA Bank
President and former Ambassador to the United States Bernie
Alvarez, and Venezuela's CDA in Washington Angelo Rivero for
a three-hour lunch. Delahunt told Charge later that this
meeting focused on the group's interest in "normalizing" the
bilateral relationship. They spent some time discussing
Delahunt's meeting with President Chavez later the same night
and offered points for the Congressman to raise. Delahunt
said he told the MFA officials that ongoing harassment of
U.S. Embassy operations is an obstacle to improving
relations, and they responded by acknowledging their
responsibility. Porras blamed Chief of Protocol Ramon
Gordils for provoking many of the problems, and Delahunt
suggested Gordils be fired. Porras suggested that the
Congressman should raise the point directly with Chavez.


3. (C) Delahunt reported that the MFA officials responded
positively to Delahunt's call for greater counternarcotics
cooperation, but did not offer any details on moving forward
on the issue. Delahunt also met later that evening with
Foreign Minister Nicholas Maduro in his office for nearly two
hours, where Delahunt said they covered the lunchtime topics.
In addition, Maduro discussed reestablishing relations with
the U.S. at the ambassadorial level. Delahunt said Maduro
wanted to find a way to do this in tandem with Bolivia.
Maduro and his aides also probed Delahunt extensively on the
details of the U.S. ambassadorial confirmation process.

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CHAVEZ AGREES TO A "RESET"
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4. (C) Foreign Minister Maduro, ALBA Bank President
Alvarez, Maduro Chief of Staff Porras and Venezuelan CDA in
Washington Rivero accompanied Delahunt to the Miraflores
Presidential Palace. Only Foreign Minister Maduro joined the
Congressman's two-and-one-half hour meeting with Chavez.
According to Delahunt, Chavez expressed an interest in
improving bilateral relations, including exchanging
ambassadors. Nevertheless, he complained about what he
perceived as the Obama administration's criticism of him. To
make his point, Chavez read quotations from President Obama's
interview with Spanish-language Univision TV, the Venezuela
section of the 2009 Human Rights Report, the International
Counternarcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR),and
statements from the Secretary. Delahunt reminded Chavez that
he had been highly critical of President Obama and the United
States. Delahunt also told us he raised the issue of GBRV
harassment of US Embassy operations as an impediment to
normalizing relations. Delahunt noted that such petty
gestures were not in the interest of either country, a point
he said that Chavez conceded.


5. (C) Delahunt said he suggested that relations need to be
"reset." Chavez seized on this idea and said that he would
discuss the idea of hitting a "reset" button on bilateral
relations and his hope for an "appropriate" U.S. response
during his weekly Sunday "Alo, Presidente" television and
radio broadcast slated for March 22. Delahunt told Chavez
that the United States wants to maintain a dialogue with all
countries, and reiterated the point in the brief press
conference that followed his meeting with the Venezuelan
president. According to Delahunt, Chavez had received a
readout of President Obama's meeting with Brazilian President
Lula from the Brazilians. Statements from Porras and Maduro
indicate that GBRV officials believe Obama raised the delays
in US diplomatic visa issuance. Chavez reportedly seemed
disgruntled that, of all Venezuelan issues, this was the one
that the Presidents ended up discussing.


6. (C) Chavez suggested that the United States Congress and
the National Assembly (AN) should revive the "Boston Group"
-- an informal group of interested U.S. Congressman and AN
deputies who fostered inter-parliamentary dialogue. Delahunt
said he was receptive to the idea but told Chavez that in
order for the program to be acceptable, it would have to also
include opposition AN members. (Note: Maduro, while serving
in the AN, participated in the "Boston Group." The group has
been inactive since 2005 when the Venezuelan opposition
boycotted parliamentary elections. Five members of the
National Assembly subsequently constituted a U.S.-Venezuelan
Parliamentary "Friendship Group" to promote
inter-parliamentary dialogue. The four PSUV members started
excluding a Podemos deputy from the group's infrequent
activities after Podemos broke with the government in late

2007. End Note.)

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CN COOPERATION?
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7. (C) Delahunt said he discussed with Chavez the dangers
of narcotrafficking to Venezuela's national stability,
specifically underscoring the threat posed by
narcotrafficking groups and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia (FARC). Chavez accepted this and expressed interest
in improving counternarcotics cooperation with the United
States, but did not provide specifics. The Venezuelan
president said that he is considering proposing a South
American "drug council" to build inter-American cooperation
to combat drugs. Chavez said he also wants to improve
relations with Colombia, which he sees as an important
economic partner. Chavez asserted that he recognized after
the fact that his involvement in last year's FARC hostage
negotiations was a mistake, and claimed he had admitted as
much to President Uribe.


8. (U) Representative Delahunt did not have the opportunity
to review this report.

CAULFIELD