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 CARACAS 00000809 001.2 OF 002 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. -------------- "WE WILL OVERTHROW HIM" -------------- ¶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." -------------- WASHINGTON TO BLAME, AS USUAL -------------- ¶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." -------------- COMMENT -------------- CARACAS 00000809 002.2 OF 002 ¶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