CHAVEZ BLASTS HONDURAN COUPSTERS, BLAMES UNITED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 000809

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/02/2029
TAGS: PGOV KDEM VE
SUBJECT: CHAVEZ BLASTS HONDURAN COUPSTERS, BLAMES UNITED
STATES

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Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR FRANCISCO FERNANDEZ,
FOR REASON 1.4(D)


1. (C) Summary: In typical style, Chavez sought June 28 to
claim his share of the limelight in the aftermath of the coup
that overthrew fellow leftist leader Manuel Zelaya of
Honduras. Chavez likened the situation to the unsuccessful
Venezuelan coup attempt against him in 2002 and pledged that
the Honduran coupsters would be overthrown and that he would
do "everything we need to do" to return Zelaya to power.
Chavez even threatened military intervention should the
Venezuelan Embassy or Ambassador be in danger. He later
noted his appreciation for Washington's rejection of the
coup, but alleged that the United States has funded
destabilization efforts in Latin America and hinted that the
CIA was involved in Tegucigalpa. End Summary.

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"WE WILL OVERTHROW HIM"
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2. (SBU) In a mandatory "en cadena" broadcast June 28 on
Telesur TV, Chavez threatened that any action by Honduran
"bloody-fanged gorillas" taken against the Venezuelan Embassy
or Ambassador in Tegucigalpa would be a declaration of war
and warned that the Venezuelan military has been put on
alert. Chavez said that he would do whatever was necessary
to reinstate Zelaya, contending that "if they swear in
Micheletti or Peletti or Gafetti or Goriletti, we will
overthrow him." He also criticized Globovision and CNN for
allegedly seeking to justify the coup by claiming that Zelaya
had been arrested with a judicial order. Chavez added that
the coup participants would have their April 13th -- a
reference to the day when he returned to power after his own
2-day coup -- and said that people can concentrate in
Miraflores if they want.


3. (SBU) Chavez flew to Nicaragua for an emergency meeting
of ALBA countries the evening of June 28 and announced that
"we will do everything that we have to do" to reinstate
Zelaya. The Honduran President arrived in Nicaragua the same
night on a Venezuelan plane accompanied by Venezuelan MFA
Vice Minister for Latin America Arias Cardenas. During the
extraordinary session, Chavez recalled the coup attempt
against him in 2002 as being similar to the current situation
and warned against a strategy perpetrated "from outside" that
seeks to portray the situation within Honduras as calm. He
also rejected reports that Venezuelan and Nicaraguan troops
were poised to invade Honduras, noting that "this isn't about
invasion or war, but about support and respect for the
sovereignty of Honduras."

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WASHINGTON TO BLAME, AS USUAL
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4. (SBU) During the June 27 cadena, Chavez blasted the
United States for allegedly financing the extremeright in
Honduras and in other Latin America countries, with the goal
of destabilizing leftist govrnments in the region. After
reading a communiqe from Washington rejecting the coup,
Chavez expessed his appreciation for the U.S. position which
he qualified "as important as that of Brazil or UNASUR."
However, he added that he would still need to ascertain what
role the CIA and other "imperialist organizations" had played
in the coup.


5. (SBU) Chavez also rejected criticisms from incoming
General Douglas Fraser of U.S. Southern Command, telling
Fraser during a broadcast June 27 to "get out of here,
General, you are the threat!" Three days prior, Fraser had
publicly expressed his concern that Venezuela was in an "arms
race" despite no discernible military threat to the country.
Chavez suggested that Fraser needed to look at himself in the
mirror as the true threat to South America. He then went on
to express "good wishes" that President Obama would not be
assassinated because he has "initiated a profound change in
the United States." Chavez called Fraser's behavior an act
of "interference" and noted that "Obama promised me (in the
April Summit of the Americas) that he would not meddle in
Venezuela's affairs."

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COMMENT
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6. (C) Chavez's emotional and accusatory response to the
coup against the Honduran President is clearly related to his
own traumatic experience with the coup against him in 2002.
He responded in a similar way to tension in Bolivia in
September 2008, and in that case expelled the U.S. Ambassador
in solidarity with a similar action in Bolivia. By this
standard, Chavez's latest outburst and subsequent moderation
is almost an experience in self-control. End Comment.
CAULFIELD