US embassy cable - 04DUBLIN1200

UNCLAS DUBLIN 001200 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/AND AND WHA/PDA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, KPAO 
SUBJECT: IRELAND SUPPORTS EU ON VENEZUELA REFERENDUM 
 
REF: STATE 168747 
 
 1.  On August 11, Post delivered reftel's requested demarche 
to Brian Muldoon, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) First 
Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean.  Muldoon noted 
 
SIPDIS 
that Ireland had participated in extensive EU consultations 
on Venezuela and endorsed the August 3 EU declaration on the 
importance of the August 15 referendum.  He observed that the 
EU declaration supported the observer mission that the OAS 
and Carter Center would perform.  He added that Ireland 
concurred with the EU's decision not to play an observer's 
role, given the restrictions that the Chavez Government 
attempted to place on the size of the EU observer team, its 
freedom of publicity, and the duration of its mission.  An 
observer team acting under such conditions would have lacked 
credibility, explained Muldoon.  He added that Ireland, 
having no embassy in Caracas, would likely not make a 
national-level statement on the referendum. 
 
2.  An August 9 Irish Times report on Venezuela had a 
pro-Chavez slant, with the journalist comparing Venezuelan 
opposition activists in Miami to the anti-Castro Cuban 
population in the city.  The report noted that, under Chavez, 
life expectancy in Venezuela had increased, infant mortality 
rates had dropped, school attendance had risen, and civil 
rights had expanded.  The report concluded that the 
opposition faced an uphill battle to unseat Chavez. 
KENNY