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.

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Morales' State of the (dis)Union Address
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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..."

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Charge's Comments to the Press
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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."

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Immediate Official Reaction
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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.

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Earlier Advice to Defense Minister Unsuccessful
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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.

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Further Official Attacks on USG Role in Bolivia
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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."

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Comment
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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