US embassy cable - 04CARACAS3203

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 003203 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/18/2014 
TAGS: PREL, VE 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S PRESENTATION OF CREDENTIALS 
 
REF: 10/15 BROWNFIELD/NORIEGA E-MAIL 
 
Classified By: A/DCM Abelardo A. Arias for reason 1.4 (D) 
 
1.  (C) I presented my credentials to President Hugo Chavez 
October 15.  We were a package of four ambassadors (Barbados, 
US, Norway, South Korea) handled in assembly line fashion. 
The President devoted roughly 15 minutes per country 
separately.  Each ambassador took DCM plus four.  In my case, 
the four were POL, DATT, FCS, and MGT.  Chavez was 
accompanied by Foreign Minister Jesus Perez plus two others. 
We all remained together for the entire meeting.  Chavez and 
I did all the talking. 
 
2.  (C) Chavez offered a few pleasantries to start the 
meeting, informing me that he likes the Cincinnati Reds and 
inviting me to La Orchila island to go fishing.  The 
President then told me he wants better bilateral relations 
with the US.  He noted my comments to FM Perez from my 
meeting with the Foreign Minister two weeks earlier, and said 
they were a good starting point.  Not all bilateral issues 
had to be politicized, Chavez said.  He recalled that when he 
was denied a US visa from 1992-98 he never tried to 
politicize that fact in Venezuela.  Chavez told me he was 
watching the US election and he was ready to work with 
whoever won.  The President acknowledged that there are areas 
and issues on which we inevitably would not agree, but he 
reiterated that he wanted to improve the relationship. 
 
3.  (C) I told Chavez that, as the Secretary had stated, we 
also wanted better relations.  I noted, however, that the 
process had to be step by step, starting with current reality 
and small steps at that.  We would maintain our positions on 
democratic institutions and human rights, I emphasized, and 
we would maintain positions on regional and security issues. 
These would be issues on which we might continue to disagree, 
in public and in private, I told the President, but there 
should be areas where we could engage in pragmatic 
cooperation. 
 
4.  (C) Suggesting our approach, I said the first step would 
be to change the tone and volume of the bilateral dialogue; 
also to avoid gratuitous provocation as well.  We could not 
resolve problems, I told the President, if we did not have 
good communication and access.  If the optics of the 
relationship improved, I said, I could explore with his 
ministers more cooperation on drugs, terrorism and energy.  I 
cautioned again that we had to do this one step at a time, 
and tone down the rhetoric.  Chavez agreed with that 
approach, and offered his presidential staff to address and 
resolve problems.  He told me he would also be available to 
meet with me. 
Brownfield 
 
 
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      2004CARACA03203 - CONFIDENTIAL