BOLIVIA: PRESIDENTIAL DELEGATION ATTENDS MORALES

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 000027

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/01/27
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PHUM PINR OVIP ODIP BL
SUBJECT: BOLIVIA: PRESIDENTIAL DELEGATION ATTENDS MORALES
INAUGURATION

REF: 10 LA PAZ 21

DERIVED FROM: DSCG 05-1 B, D


1. (C) Summary: Presidential delegation members Labor Secretary
Hilda Solis, U/S for Global Affairs Maria Otero, and Charge
attended President Evo Morales' traditional and official
inauguration ceremonies on January 21 and 22, respectively. The
delegation met with FM Choquehuanca (reftel) January 21 and held a
successful press conference reiterating our desire to improve
bilateral relations and clarifying the nature of US assistance in
Haiti. After the official inauguration ceremony, the delegation had
a brief but cordial exchange with Morales. In speeches, both
Morales and Vice President Garcia Linera declared their commitment
to socialist policies and rehashed old charges of "North American
imperialism." End summary.

January 21 - "Spiritual" Inauguration in Tiwanaku


2. (U) The presidential delegation to President Evo Morales'
inauguration, including Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and U/S for
Global Affairs Maria Otero, arrived in Bolivia the morning of
January 21. The delegation departed almost immediately for a
traditional inauguration ceremony held in Tiwanaku. (Note: A UNESCO
World Heritage site, Tiwanaku was the religious and political
center of the ancient Tiwanaku civilization, and is today a center
of national pride and Aymara cultural identity. Morales, who first
held a similar ceremony here in January 2006, is of Aymara
heritage. End note.)


3. (U) After participating in a ceremony honoring Mother Earth and
indigenous ancestors, Morales was crowned the country's spiritual
leader. In a 40-minute speech following the ceremony, Morales
hailed the reformation of the "colonial" republic as a
"plurinational" state: "Today the colonial state has left, and a
plurinational state has arrived. We had to wait 180 years to
re-found Bolivia and guarantee a state where all have the same
rights... The countries of the world have decided to dignify
themselves and liberate themselves from North American
imperialism."

Meeting with FM Choquehuanca, Press Conference


4. (C) As reported reftel, the delegation met after the Tiwanaku
ceremony with FM David Choquehuanca to reiterate the USG's desire
to improve bilateral relations. Choquehuanca was receptive and
pledged to submit written comments on the previous framework
agreement draft as a precursor to further discussions. U/S Otero
reviewed the USG's role in Haiti aid and reconstruction efforts,
emphasizing that the USG was working under the aegis of the UN, in
coordination with other countries, and at the request of the
Haitian government.


5. (U) After meeting with Choquehuanca, Sec. Solis and U/S Otero
met with press in the Foreign Ministry. In widely reported remarks,
Sec. Solis called it "an honor" to attend inauguration proceedings
and communicated President Obama's "great respect for Bolivia's
rich history," adding that "our relationship with Bolivia is very
important." "President Obama is doing everything possible to
change the discourse of yesteryear and for this reason he asked me
to come, celebrate with you, and increase dialogue and
communication between our countries." Solis pledged to "continue
the work of building ties... as independent nations, under the
principal of respect and in a mutual search for a more just,
democratic, and peaceful world."


6. (U) U/S Otero, responding to remarks by President Morales a day
earlier that he would ask the UN to hold an emergency meeting to
"repudiate and reject the military occupation by the U.S. in
Haiti," said she would prefer to focus on alleviating the suffering
of Haitian rather than politicize the humanitarian catastrophe.
"It is important that all countries collaborate and respond to aid
the Haitian people in emerging from such a difficult situation."
Otero stressed that the U.S. was not acting unilaterally, but was
responding to a petition by the Haitian government and working in


concert with the United Nations and other countries.

January 22 - Official Inauguration Ceremonies


7. (U) The delegation attended Morales' official inauguration
ceremony January 22 in the assembly room of the Plurinational
Assembly (Congress). In addition to the delegation, Crown Prince
Felipe of Asturias and Presidents Michelle Bachelet of Chile,
Fernando Lugo of Paraguay, Rafael Correa of Ecuador, and Hugo
Chavez of Venezuela were present.


8. (U) In their speeches, Morales and Vice President Alvaro Garcia
Linera pledged to move the country toward "communitarian socialism"
and away from the "true enemy of capitalism." Garcia Linera called
for three steps: first, an active process led by the country's
social movements to guarantee equal rights for all Bolivians;
second, a system of autonomies to decentralize power "but with the
State in every centimeter to ensure power is distributed
democratically;" and third, an "integrated" economic system
featuring a "strong State presence." "It is impossible that the
State execute every part of the economic spectrum, but the State
has to lead the economy in strategic areas that generate surpluses
so as to distribute these surpluses to the other productive
sectors. If we do not, the surplus will be taken by the foreign
powers again, as they have done for 180 years... The State will be
the central [economic] axis, like a gravitational center, that
articulates the rest of the economy."


9. (U) Morales began his acceptance speech by hailing the
achievements of his first administration, including overall
economic growth, reduction in external debt, increase in the number
and amount of direct cash transfers to Bolivians in need, and
growth in the supply of basic services and educational
infrastructure. Morales sprinkled his speech with accounts of
alleged U.S. interference in Bolivia's internal affairs, and called
for the U.S. to limit its "attacks" on Bolivia and on Morales
himself. "[I hope] the U.S. Embassy will not issue prohibitions
again and try to tell us with which countries we can have
relations... [The U.S. Embassy says it wants good relations] but
they say you can not have relations with Cuba, Venezuela, or Iran.
I tell you, now more than ever, we will strengthen our relations
with these three countries." Still, Morales' attacks on the U.S.
were less than five minutes of his two hour long address.

Presidential Lunch


10. (U) After the inauguration ceremony, Morales and Garcia Linera
hosted a large luncheon, including the delegation members. Sec.
Solis, U/S Otero, and Charge met briefly with President Morales,
who was courteous and responsive, while Vice President Garcia
Linera declined to meet the delegation. (Note: The delegation,
along with other visiting delegations, had been scheduled to meet
Morales before the official inauguration ceremony as part of a
receiving line, but GOB protocol announced the event's cancelation
just before it was to take place. Instead, Morales received only
heads of state and the Colombian vice-president. End note.)

Delegation Departure - January 23


11. (U) The delegation departed early morning on Saturday, January

23.


12. (U) Neither Sec. Solis nor U/S Otero cleared this cable.
Creamer