BOLIVIA: MORALES TARGETS USG BEFORE REFERENDUM

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 000093 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL SNAR ETRD EAID OFDP OPRC KDEM BL SUBJECT: BOLIVIA: MORALES TARGETS USG BEFORE REFERENDUM Classified By: Acting EcoPol Couselor Joe Relk for reasons 1.4 b,d ¶1. (C) Summary: In his January 22 State of the Union Address marking the beginning of his fourth year in office, President Evo Morales made repeated rhetorical attacks against the United States, to the point that Charge was obliged to leave the meeting. In an encounter with the press afterwards, Charge spoke of the need for mutual respect in order to improve bilateral relations, as Morales has claimed he wishes to do. In a meeting with Defense Minister Walker San Miguel on January 21, Charge had pointed out the inconsistency between Morales' publicly stated desire for improved relations with the Obama Administration and his equally public baseless accusations against the USG. The Defense Minister had promised to raise this issue with Morales in an attempt to tone down the president's rhetoric. Morales also inaugurated his new state-owned newspaper "Cambio" (Change) on January 22: the premier edition included an article by "Drug Czar" Filipe Caceres in which he claimed that the DEA did not actually combat drug trafficking because it was instead engaged in espionage and wire-tapping government officials. End summary. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Morales' State of the (dis)Union Address - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶2. (U) Vice President Garcia Linera's spoke on the government's accomplishments during the past three years--including Morales' survival of the August 10, 2007 recall referendum and the progress of the new constitution which will go to referendum on January 25--as well as outlined what he termed "civic coups against the state." President Morales then gave an impassioned speech in which he renewed his unfounded accusations against the Embassy. A rough translation of some of his points follows: Morales: "I want to tell you that we and the Foreign Ministry made a decision, of course political, to defend the dignity. When there were conspiratorial acts, which Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera just explained very well, we discovered that there was an external conspiracy headed by the Ambassador of the United States. Without consulting with anyone, not the cabinet nor the social movements, I decided that that Ambassador who conspired should go back to his country, because although we are a small country, we are dignified, we are sovereign, and we are going to ensure that the dignity of the Bolivians is respected. "Let's remember what the ambassadors did. Surely some ex-congressman remembers what happened in 2002. On January 22, 2002 they expelled me from congress and happily, two ex-ministers of (former President) Tuto Quiroga confirmed to me that that decision was at the instruction of the Embassy... "The United States decided the election of rulers, ministers, congressmembers, elected judicial representatives, choosing those that sympathized with U.S. policy... "Through the legal branch in 2002, I was expelled ... I remember that I said that they have expelled a congressmember, but we will return with twenty, thirty, forty, and this I have accomplished, what I said at that time. There are those congressmembers who were wrong, thinking that by expelling Evo Morales they could destroy this political movement, but with the participation of the U.S. Embassy. "I had the opportunity to talk with a reporter from Cochabamba who told me that there is no proof, of course, but that 10,000 dollars was paid for the vote to expel Evo Morales... "Also the expulsion of Evo Morales was transmitted over (TV) Channel 7, but I said to myself why? Because I thought that the people would react as they reacted, but that transmission in Channel 7 was so that the Ambassador, from his Embassy, could control who voted and who didn't vote. I can imagine that those who voted publicly then received that compensation (of 10,000 dollars)... "The USAID projects have been demonstrated to be low impact and have only created a food dependency for Bolivia on the United States and foreign countries... "The United States made Bolivia a subordinate state in military and police control, without sovereignty... "The United States sent an Ambassador, Goldberg, expert in drawing-and-quartering countries, such as the case of the Balkans in ex-Yugoslavia... "The United States has granted political asylum to criminals, practitioners of genocide such as (ex-president) Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada and (ex Defense Minister) Sanchez Berzain and other international criminals. "The United states has fomented the regional disintegration of the country and through the prefects having clandestine meetings to promote disturbances against the national government... "The United States has a taken the political decision to remove food assistance for Bolivia to create scarcities of wheat and food and in that manner put the people against the government and this is the result of investigations we made... "The United States has made the political decision to cancel the Millennium Challenge account, but the ministers know that the first year of our rule in 2006 I said that there would be no Millennium Challenge account because we do not share in a capitalist system so savage and inhumane... "Not only the Millennium Challenge but also ATPDEA (Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Enforcement Agreement)... ¶3. (C) (Note: At this point Charge felt obliged to walk out of the presentation, leaving quietly through a back door away from the press. A group of reporters met Charge at the exit, where he made the statement outlined in the next section. In Charge's absence, Morales continued as follows. End note.) ¶4. (U) Morales: "The double-morality of the U.S. government with respect to cooperation with Bolivia is betrayed in (the USG's) apparent support for democracy when really they want to end our government. Someone said to me ... that there has not been coups in the United States only because in the United States there is no U.S. Ambassador. "Expelling the U.S. ambassador ended the conspiracy, whether it be democratic or violent or unconstitutional, we have lived that in the past year. "I want to take advantage of this opportunity and salute the new President of the United States, Mr. Obama. After reviewing African-American history I feel that we have many coincidences with the indigenist movement. In this new millennium something is changing, the most discriminated-against the most humiliated now can be presidents and for this I have much hope that with the new President we will improve diplomatic, trade relations, not to mention cooperation ... yes. They need almost nothing from Bolivians, (but) we need from the whole world. We are in a process of profound transformation, for that I truly salute the participation of many ambassadors of Latin America, of Europe, for strengthening our relations..." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Charge's Comments to the Press - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶5. (U) Having left Morales' presentation early, Charge was met at the exit by a group of the press corp. A rough transcript of his remarks follows. ¶6. (U) "Before answering any questions I would like first to say a few words. Really I am here now because this type of accusation--unfounded and false--and this type of insult directed towards the United States is intolerable. President Morales, a few days ago, said that he wanted a better relation with the United States based on mutual respect. But mutual respect is a two-way street. If he needs or wants respect, therefore it's also necessary that he respects the government of the United States. "The President also speaks often of the need to dignify Bolivia and to receive dignity on behalf of Bolivia. And dignity is also something important. The statements of the President, the false and unfounded accusations, act against the dignity of my government and against the dignity of President Obama.... "And this is truly important: we really regret that the president continues to use the United States as a playing piece in his internal political game and moreover we cannot understand how it is possible that the president says on one hand that he wants better relations, but on the other hand continues with unfounded and false accusations and insults. Thank you." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Immediate Official Reaction - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶7. (C) Government officials immediately went on a defensive offensive. Ruling Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party Senator Antonio Paredo said "if the U.S. Charge d'Affairs has left the session protesting the president's speech, in the first place it's a rudeness that the North-American Embassy representatives are accustomed to doing." Palace spokesman Ivan Canelas said, "It's understandable (that the Charge left) because he's a functionary of the Bush government and has been working with ex-Ambassador Goldberg in Bolivia, therefore we first see that it is a not-very diplomatic attitude he has..." Opposition congressmen lamented the increasing isolation and "closed doors" caused by Morales' statements. The state news agency ABI in the first hours after the address only printed an anodyne summary of what were probably President Morales' written talking points. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Earlier Advice to Defense Minister Unsuccessful - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶8. (C) Charge had met with Defense Minister Walker San Miguel on January 21, accompanied by members of Milgroup and the Public Affairs Section. The meeting marked the donation of helmets to the Bolivian peacekeeping forces in Congo and Haiti. During the conversation, Charge mentioned President Obama's comment during his inaugural address that he is prepared to extend a hand to countries that wish improved relations but that they must first open their fists. Charge informed San Miguel that the USG is open to better relations and that if the GOB is interested in improved ties they need to signal that fact: President Morales' State of the Union address (January 22) would be an important signal that we would be watching closely. Charge also mentioned that it would be hard to remain in the audience if Morales used the opportunity to accuse the United States of assassination and conspiracy once again. Charge noted that if Morales once again resorted to false and unfounded accusations against the United States on President Obama's second day in office, this would send a signal that the GOB doesn't want better ties. San Miguel promised to discuss this with Morales and to work to moderate the speech. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Further Official Attacks on USG Role in Bolivia - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶9. (U) Vice Minister of Social Defense and "Drug Czar" Felipe Caceres weighed in with an article in the first edition of the state-founded newspaper "Cambio" on January 22. A former interlocutor of DEA, Caceres closely followed the Morales line in this article, saying that "DEA did not combat drug trafficking" and claiming that "two months after the DEA left the country" the local counter-narcotic FELCN police squads are efficiently combating drug trafficking. (Note: DEA has not yet left the country, a detail which Caceres certainly knows. President Morales ordered the expulsion of DEA on November 1, 2007, triggering the 90 day departure period mutually agreed upon by both countries. End note.) Caceres alleged that DEA did not fulfill its mandate to combat drug trafficking because it was instead focused on "espionage" and "wiretapping of calls from government officials." - - - - Comment - - - - ¶10. (C) Although it is nothing new for Morales and his officials to use the USG as a convenient scapegoat to distract attention from domestic issues, Morales' State of the Union Address provided as broad a range of supposed conspiracies and complaints against the United States as we have heard at a single event. As polls show a tighter and tighter race for the constitution, Morales may be hoping that his extensive attacks on the USG will gain him a popularity boost or draw attention from increasing accusations of potential voter fraud. However, his clear agitation during the speech and seeming divergence from his written talking points suggest the attacks are not just political maneuvering, but a sincere belief in his accusations. Morales does not appear to be making any significant substantive departure from his 2008 bilateral approach for the new year and the new administration: simultaneously attacking the USG while stating a hope for improved relations. End comment. URS