US embassy cable - 04BRUSSELS3339

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 003339 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/AND, WHA/PDA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, VE, KPAO, EUN, USEU BRUSSELS 
SUBJECT: EU AHEAD OF THE CURVE ON VENEZUELA DEMARCHE 
 
REF: STATE 168747 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Maren Smith for reasons 1.4 (b/d). 
 
1.  (C) We spoke about Venezuela with Karl Buck, director of 
the Council Secretariat's Latin America unit, on August 5. 
The Dutch Presidency's August 3 declaration on the referendum 
-- in which the EU encouraged active participation by all 
voters and "expresses its support for international missions 
that will deploy observers to the forthcoming referendum, in 
particular the role of the Carter Center and the OAS" -- had 
already addressed most of our points.  Buck reiterated that 
the EU was extremely disappointed at not being able to send 
an observer team, but the conditions imposed on observers 
were unacceptable to the EU.  He added that he had just 
received a readout of the most recent meeting between EU 
heads of mission and the OAS, which was aware that, in 
agreeing to be present, it had accepted something that was 
not in accordance with its usual standards -- but that it 
intended to do the best it could.  Buck commented that the 
OAS and other observers faced a lose/lose situation in which 
they risked "being abused" while they were there, but that 
their absence would risk making the situation even worse. 
 
2.  (U) USEU PA will be monitoring the Brussels-based media 
for coverage of this issue in the run-up to the referendum 
and will be prepared to offer U.S. views as appropriate.  PA 
has posted on the Mission's Internet site an article about EU 
Presidency's Venezuela statement.