CHAVEZ BACK IN PUBLIC VIEW, CLAIMS CIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 000685 SIPDIS HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD DEPARTMENT PASS TO AID/OTI (RPORTER) E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/02/2029 TAGS: PREL PGOV VE SUBJECT: CHAVEZ BACK IN PUBLIC VIEW, CLAIMS CIA ASSASSINATION PLOT REF: CARACAS 000680 Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR FRANCISCO FERNANDEZ, FOR REASON 1.4(D) ¶1. (C) Summary: President Chavez reappeared on state TV the night of June 2 after disappearing without warning from Venezuelan airwaves on May 31 (Reftel). Chavez alleged that the CIA and Cuban exile Luis Posada Carriles were seeking to assassinate him and credited Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega with first notifying him of the plot. According to the Venezuelan president, unspecified persons planned to shoot down his presidential plane with rockets during his planned trip to attend El Salvadoran President Funes' inauguration. Despite Chavez's stated interest in improving bilateral relations with the United States, he continues to depict the USG as an external enemy, eliciting considerable local and international media coverage in the process. End Summary. -------------- CHAVEZ ALLEGES ANOTHER CIA PLOT -------------- ¶2. (SBU) After a three-day absence from public view, President Chavez appeared on state TV the night of June 2 to accuse an "intelligence agency of the United States" and Cuban exile and octogenarian Luis Posada Carriles of allegedly planning to assassinate him. According to Chavez, the plot was to shoot his plane down using rockets during his planned flight to El Salvador June 1 to attend the inauguration of incoming Salvadorian President Mauricio Funes. ¶3. (SBU) Chavez clarified that he was not blaming either the incoming nor outgoing government in San Salvador, but that "Central America has been used for a long time by the United States for its operations against free governments in the region." He also did not blame President Obama personally, but reiterated his refrain that the United States continues to act like an "empire." In a mandatory "en cadena" broadcast June 2 on state-owned Venezolana TV from Vargas State, Chavez called on President Obama to "comply with the law and hand over Posada Carriles for assassination (and) genocide." ¶4. (C) Chavez appeared smiling and energetic on TV, probably seeking to tamp down rumors that he was actually laid low by a stomach ailment. He spoke to what appeared to be a hastily convoked meeting with grassroots community leaders involved in implementing public works at a government owned and planned development in Vargas State. He blamed the media speculation regarding his health on malicious efforts by the opposition, and claimed that it was Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega who first notified him May 30 of the alleged assassination plot. Chavez added that he would get more details from Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro after he returns from the OAS General Assembly in Honduras. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶5. (C) Chavez appears to have exploited the local media frenzy surrounding his disappearance and has made an even more splashy return to public view with allegations of a CIA-backed assassination plot. Although Chavez regularly trots out absurd claims of U.S.-backed plans on his life, his accusations continue to grab local and international media attention. Despite his stated interest in improving bilateral ties, depicting the United States as Venezuela's primary external enemy and passing blame for domestic problems to the USG are still key elements of the Venezuelan president's playbook. CAULFIELD