Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09LAPAZ898
2009-06-19 21:00:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy La Paz
Cable title:  

EVO BLAMES U.S. FTA FOR PERU "GENOCIDE"

Tags:  PGOV PREL PBTS PINR ETRD EPET EMIN ECIN OFDP 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 000898 

C O R R E C T E D COPY (CHANGED COUNTRY TAG TO BL)

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/20/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PBTS PINR ETRD EPET EMIN ECIN OFDP
KDEM, KTIA, PE, BL
SUBJECT: EVO BLAMES U.S. FTA FOR PERU "GENOCIDE"

REF: A. LA PAZ 867

Classified By: A/EcoPol Chief Joe Relk for reasons 1.4 (b, d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 000898

C O R R E C T E D COPY (CHANGED COUNTRY TAG TO BL)

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/20/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PBTS PINR ETRD EPET EMIN ECIN OFDP
KDEM, KTIA, PE, BL
SUBJECT: EVO BLAMES U.S. FTA FOR PERU "GENOCIDE"

REF: A. LA PAZ 867

Classified By: A/EcoPol Chief Joe Relk for reasons 1.4 (b, d)


1. (C) Summary: Tensions between Bolivia and Peru continue to
simmer following Peru's allegations that the June 5
indigenous uprising, in which an estimated 24 police and nine
indigenous were left dead, was incited by a pro-rebellion
letter from President Morales (reftel). Morales' claims that
the incident was "genocide from the Free Trade Agreement of
the Americas (FTAA)" brought about the GOP's decision to
recall its Ambassador from La Paz "indefinitely." Peru's
Political Counselor told PolOff the GOB's June 17 moratorium
on public comments regarding the incident was a direct result
of the Peruvian Ambassador's recall and the possibility that
the GOP would respond to the melee with "real consequences."
He added that the GOB's "genocide" position is influenced as
much by negative impacts to Bolivia's soy industry from the
U.S.-Peru FTA as by any altruistic solidarity with Peru's
indigenous. He also discounted the GOB's demands to
extradite former ministers as manufactured outrage designed
to curry electoral support in El Alto, but ultimately
"absurd" considering that 276 MRTA sympathizers have enjoyed
refuge in Bolivia under the Morales Administration. End
Summary.

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Morales Denies Inciting June 5 Violence
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2. (U) The GOP continues to blame Bolivian President Evo
Morales for inciting June 5 violence in Peru based on a
Morales letter read at an indigenous conference (reftel).
Peruvian Foreign Minister Jose Garcia Belaunde said he did
not have the "slightest doubt" that Morales provoked the
uprising and President Alan Garcia warned that Morales should
"not get involved in another country's affairs or send

letters to get people to arm themselves." Morales Spokesman
Ivan Canelas said that the President could not be held
responsible for the violence, because the letter was not
addressed to indigenous Peruvians, but to the members of the
Congress and the global indigenous movement. GOB
Vice-President Alvaro Garcia Linera pledged to send more
letters of "vindication" to all indigenous people. "We
defend the principles of equality and the rights of
indigenous people around the world to be recognized as first
class citizens. We feel proud of issuing that message to the
whole world and we will continue sending it." Meanwhile, the
Second Vice-President of the Peruvian Congress, Alvaro
Gutierrez said the GOB could be financing a plan to "expand
international communism." "We want to tell the leaders (of
Bolivia) not to squander funds. The money of the Bolivians
is for the well being of those who elected them and there is
lots of money that is being used to promote large
demonstrations."

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Morales Calls June 5 Violence FTA "Genocide"
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3. (U) Morales accused multinational companies of promoting
wars over natural resources and declared, "what happened in
Peru, I am convinced is the genocide of the FTAA (Free Trade
Area of the Americas). The privatization, the handing over
of Latin America's Amazon jungles to multinational companies,
as is now happening with the FTAA between Peru and the United
States, they don't care if it is necessary to commit genocide
against our people to achieve their goal." President Garcia
responded by calling Morales an "agitator and enemy of Peru."
"Peru's enemy, Evo Morales continues to lie ... using
concepts that he probably does not understand. What is
genocide? If he knew well what genocide is, then he wouldn't
be able to say this. And now, like a criminal who returns to
the scene of a crime, he is leaving evidence which proves
that he is blatantly interfering in Peruvian affairs. He is
a trouble maker and an agitator." The GOB's Vice-Minister of
Social Defense, Sacha Llorenti further criticized Peru's
participation in FTAs. "Every government has to decide
whether it is helpful or worthy, if it genuflects or rises
above the impositions of imperialism. The internal problems
are not cleared up with lies or blaming a neighbor. Each
government is responsible whether or not it is subject to the
greed of foreign capital, the plundering of their natural
resources and the slow genocide and death of neo-liberalism
and the FTA."

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Foreign Minister Choquehuanca Calls the Recall "Normal"
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4. (U) On June 15, Garcia Belaunde announced that Peruvian
Ambassador Fernando Rojas was being recalled from La Paz
"indefinitely", calling Morales' statements "grotesque." "We
are facing a man who imagined he could repeat what he did in
Bolivian in Peru. He is trying to create conditions in Peru
that were used to drag down the government of former
President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada." Bolivian Foreign
Minister David Choquehuanca responded by admitting that
relations between Bolivia and Peru were experiencing a "bad
moment", but that recalling an Ambassador for consultation is
"something normal."

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Bolivian "Agitators" May Face Complaints Before the OAS
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5. (U) Garcia Belaunde announced June 16, "we know there are
Bolivians who are going to Peru ... in an attempt to create
violence, which is supposedly fueled by the Bolivian
government." According to June 18 press reports, the GOP is
considering the possibility of submitting a report to the
OAS, detailing the actions of Bolivian citizens who enter
Peru in order to generate violence. President Morales
responded to Peru's decision by stating, "we have no comment
because they are (Peru's) internal matters."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Peruvian Political Counselor Laments Mob Diplomacy
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6. (C) Peruvian Embassy Political Counselor Eduardo Zeballos
(strictly protect) told PolOff June 18 that the demonstration
of about 150 protesters, including prominent government
officials and aligned social group and NGO leaders, outside
the Peruvian Embassy June 9 surprised the Peruvian MFA.
"Bolivia is like our Canada; it would be like Canada
convoking a mob outside your embassy in Ottawa." He said the
last demonstration outside the Peruvian Embassy was in 1909
in response to a border dispute Zeballos said it was
difficult to "logically" explain long-standing Morales
Administration aggression toward Peru, given its role as
Bolivia's largest trading partner and foreign investor
outside of the hydrocarbon sector. He suspected the
ambivalence was mainly based on a GOB desire to preemptively
besmirch Peru's reputation so Bolivians do not consider it a
model their own countries development. "Morales is facing
many problems in his own country and probably getting tired
of cruzenos (residents of the opposition stronghold state of
Santa Cruz) complaining about how rapidly Peru's economy is
developing by comparison."

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More to FTA Attacks than Indigenous Solidarity
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7. (C) Although he conceded Morales has genuine ideological
differences with Peru on trade, Zeballos added that Morales
is using the issue of FTA with the United States as a smoke
screen to front a seemingly altruistic argument to protect
indigenous lands from exploitation in Peru when the
objections are also based on protecting Bolivia's bottom
line. "Morales tells them (Peruvian indigenous),'this FTA
will take your land and give it to the Yankees.'" He
contended that Bolivia is at loggerheads with Peru on its FTA
agreement for the "concrete reason that it (the FTA) will be
detrimental to Bolivia." Peru's FTA with the United States
means it will increasingly be importing U.S. soy instead of
Bolivian soy, explaining that "it is cheaper to ship soy
under the FTA from the Mississippi River area than from Santa
Cruz."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Extradition Outrage Outrageous
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8. (C) Zeballos dismissed the GOB's demands to extradite
three former ministers from the Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada
Administration as a red hearing meant to generate symbolic
outrage for constituents in El Alto. He said, however, that
alteno rage over the granting of asylum to these officials is
both genuine and visceral. Shortly before he departed, the
Peruvian Ambassador tried to explain to alteno leadership
that the granting of asylum is an ACNUR/UN decision and a
routine procedure in the Americas, making the all-to-obvious
comparisons to Bolivia's granting of asylum to MRTA
sympathizers from Peru over the years during a variety of
both left- and right-leaning Bolivian governments. Zeballos
said the discussion successfully diffused calls to "kick
Peruvians out of El Alto," which he dismissed as "pure
symbolism," as most of the Peruvians "up there" support
Morales. Zeballos noted the "absurdity" of the GOB's
extradition position, giving that it provided refuge to 276
MRTA sympathizers since 2005, about 180 of whom remain in
Bolivia. He added that Bolivia currently protects 45 active
members of the terrorist MRTA and that Peru has formal
extradition requests on 12 of them. By comparison, Zeballos
said the Bolivians "haven't said a peep" about extraditing
former Chuquisaca Prefect (Governor) David Sanchez, who fled
in 2008 to Lima amid threats from both the opposition and
GOB, because "this case is embarrassing for them."

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Rhetoric Cheaper, More Effective Than Financial Support
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9. (C) Zeballos claimed the GOP had no evidence the GOB had
or was directly supporting violence in Peru, but added that
"what matters is they are lighting the match, they (the
indigenous demonstrators) already have weapons." He said
Morales supposed strategy of "fomenting indigenous rebellion
is actually very clever. He gets the benefits of expanding
his influence and undermine ours without spending money or
having to deliver anything." He said Peru upped the ante by
recalling its Ambassador. "This is why they announced they
would not be commenting anymore because their comments are
prompting real actions. Before it was all talk, blah blah,
now that there is a threat of real consequences that would
hurt."

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Comment: Deja Vu All Over Again
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10. (C) Post notes same eerily similarities with Peru with
what happened to us leading up to the nadir of our bilateral
downturn in 2008: GOB blames problems, including genocide, on
USG influence/initiatives (USAID and DEA in place of FTA),
discounts the recall of an Ambassador as "normal," and (mis)
characterizes its inflammatory rhetoric/acts as reasonable
and part of its "culture of dialogue." One notable
difference, the GOB's June 17 pledge to stop commenting
publicly on Peru's troubles. Less than 24 hours after the
pledge, however, Morales was back at it, celebrating the
repeal of two controversial Peruvian decrees. Peruvian
Embassy officials tell us that Morales' latest comments
created even more consternation as they amounted to
cheerleading for Peru's indigenous opposition. End Comment.
URS