MORALES ALLEGES USG INTERFERENCE, AGAIN

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 000474 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PHUM PINR ENVR ASEC BL PTER SUBJECT: MORALES ALLEGES USG INTERFERENCE, AGAIN REF: LA PAZ 470 Classified By: A/EcoPol Chief Michael Stewart for reasons 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (C) One day after Foreign Minister Choquehuanca assured us the GOB would not take actions to embarrass the U.S. administration and would resolve bilateral issues through diplomatic channels, President Evo Morales on March 26 publicly and without proof accused the USG of "mobilizing" CIA and DEA agents to be in "permanent pursuit" of Morales administration officials "as it is an election year." He went on to say that the USG would continue to "invent problems to accuse us." Charge spoke with Foreign Vice Minister Hugo Fernandez March 27 about Morales' charges, and Fernandez replied that "it will take time to lower the rhetoric on both sides." ¶2. (C) In his remarks, Morales further charged that CIA and DEA agents were responsible for an army lieutenant's 2008 attack on a television station and used it "to say there is terrorism inside the (Presidential) Palace." (Note: Morales is evidently referring to Lieutenant George Nava's June 21, 2008 bombing of a Unitel television station in Tarija. Nava had been assigned to the Presidential Palace, and opposition leaders accused the government of giving him weapons, explosives, and cash. Senate President Oscar Ortiz presented evidence that Nava used a car rented by the Venezuelan Embassy to carry out the attack. End note.) ¶3. (C) On March 25, Charge met with Choquehuanca to confirm assurances provided by UN Charge Pablo Solon that the GOB would resolve bilateral issues through diplomatic channels and would not take actions designed to embarrass the USG (Reftel). Choquehuanca confirmed Solon's assurances, and then asked for a meeting between Presidents Obama and Morales at or shortly after the April 17 Summit of the Americas. ¶4. (U) In another outburst, President Morales on March 26 accused Peruvian President Alan Garcia of using Peru's claim against Chile regarding maritime boundaries for "personal and partisan political gain," saying "perhaps he (Garcia) has become so fat that it has affected (his thinking). I'll say it straight, he does not need to play with the patriotic sentiments of the Peruvian people. We do not know what problems he has, but he is using this issue in a politically partisan way." Morales lashed out after Garcia's statement that "since some time" Bolivia had given up its claim to access to the sea. FM Choquehuanca said Garcia's statements "are not serious, they are irresponsible and disrespectful declarations. We have learned to respect the decisions of our brother governments, and we expect reciprocal treatment." ¶5. (C) Comment: Morales inflammatory and baseless comments once again underscore how difficult it is for the Bolivian president to abandon hostile rhetoric as far as the U.S. is concerned. Whether Morales truly believes these charges or believes he needs to use them to rally popular support in an election year is a moot point -- it will be very difficult to reduce frictions between the two countries unless Morales moderates his tone. End comment. URS