VENEZUELA CONDITIONS NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 000980

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/27/2024
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM SNAR VE
SUBJECT: VENEZUELA CONDITIONS NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS ON
ENDING CRITICAL U.S. REPORTS

REF: A. CARACAS 935

B. CARACAS 934

C. IIR 6 902 0147 09

D. CARACAS 779

E. CARACAS 265

Classified By: Acting Political Counselor Darnall Steuart
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: In a July 21 press release from the Foreign
Ministry the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela (GBRV) said that normalization of relations between
Venezuela and the U.S. was conditional on the cessation of
criticism, referring specifically to official reports
released by the U.S. Government. The release of the GAO
report on U.S. - Venezuelan counter-drug cooperation was the
immediate reason for this statement, and similar reactions
have followed the publication of other
congressionally-mandated USG reports. GBRV officials have
also pointed to Secretary of State Clinton's July 7 interview
with Globovision as evidence that the United States is
unfairly criticizing Venezuela. Although hypersensitive to
any perception of U.S. criticism of Venezuela, President
Chavez has accelerated his rhetoric against the U.S. since
the June 28 coup in Honduras. End Summary.

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USG REPORTS ARE "POLITICAL BLACKMAIL"
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2. (C) The GBRV rejects out-of-hand official USG reports as
instruments of "political blackmail." Following the release
of the Trafficking in Persons Report in June, the GBRV called
it an obstacle to normalizing relations (ref D). Similarly,
in response to the leaked GAO report on counter-drug
operations in Venezuela (ref A),the Foreign Ministry said in
a July 21 press release that this report, like others
published by the USG, has no factual basis, and "the
normalization of political relations with the government of
the United States is conditional on the end of this
intolerable practice" of criticizing Venezuela. Annual
reports required by U.S. law and likely to result in similar
indignation include the Human Rights Report, which prompted
President Chavez to publicly curse President Obama (ref E),
the International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, the
Venezuelan Country Report of Terrorism, the International
Religious Freedom Report, and the Advancing Freedom and
Democracy Report. GBRV officials severely restrict contact
with the U.S. Embassy, and the Embassy has not received
specific complaints about the content of these reports.
Instead, the GBRV, led by President Chavez, has dismissed the
reports publicly and entirely.

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"THE REAL INTERVIEW" WITH SECRETARY CLINTON
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3. (C) President Chavez was very unhappy about Secretary of
State Clinton's July 7 interview to the opposition-oriented
TV station Globovision, and the GBRV conveyed its outrage
both publicly and privately (ref C). The GBRV Foreign
Ministry issued a press release denouncing the interview on
July 8. State media condemned the interview and attributed
comments to Secretary Clinton that she did not say. The
Venezuelan government channel VTV ran a 90-second parody of
the interview (ref B) which as of July 28 remains available
on its website.


4. (C) Comment: The Venezuelan government is not troubled by
inconsistency between its words and actions, so we do not
take at face value its conditioning of improved relations
with the U.S. on the ending of critical comments in U.S.
congressionally-mandated reports. More to the point is
Chavez's anger at what he considers to be the U.S.- inspired
coup in Honduras, and U.S. unwillingness to acquiesce to his
confrontational strategy to restore the status quo ante in
that country.

CAULFIELD