US embassy cable - 04CARACAS3220

C O N F I D E N T I A L  CARACAS 003220 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
NSC FOR CBARTON 
HQSOUTHCOM FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/14/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINR, VE 
SUBJECT: COPEI PRESIDENT FAVORS US/GOV RAPPROCHEMENT 
 
REF: CARACAS 03167 
 
Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ABELARDO A. ARIAS FOR 1.4 (D) 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (C)  Summary:  Christian Democratic Party (COPEI) 
president Eduardo Fernandez offered the Ambassador on October 
14 his views on US policy in Venezuela and on best strategies 
to implement it.  Fernandez supported current efforts to 
improve the bilateral relationship and urged respect for 
Venezuelan sovereignty.  He struck a moderate tone on 
President Hugo Chavez, criticizing his antidemocratic 
practices while conceding that he would recognize him as a 
democratically elected President.  Fernandez's "counsel" 
accords with the USG approach, although he urged perhaps too 
much caution in the face of Venezuelan sovereignty concerns. 
Fernandez's moderation, nonetheless, will not ingratiate his 
party with the GOV.  End summary. 
 
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An Opposition Opinion of US Policy... 
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2.  (C)  Christian Democratic Party (COPEI) president Eduardo 
"El Tigre" Fernandez told the Ambassador during a courtesy 
call October 14 that the Embassy's job in Venezuela was to 
procure the best possible relationship with both the GOV and 
the Venezuelan people.  He submitted that the Embassy had 
influence in supporting Venezuelan democracy, human rights, 
and government institutions.  The USG, he said, should speak 
in defense of principles--such as democratic and press 
freedoms--with "pugnacity." 
 
3.  (U)  According to Fernandez, the Embassy could bolster 
its image by respecting Venezuelan sovereignty and by not 
becoming a "political actor" or an opposition party. 
Fernandez recommended couching US discourse in terms of an 
esteem for Venezuelan political experience and a refusal to 
intervene in its internal processes.  In a later aside, he 
mentioned having told every US ambassador he had met that 
baseball was a "secret weapon" that the US could use to 
influence Venezuelan public opinion.  Calling himself a 
"fanatic of dialog," Fernandez valued the Boston Group, a 
bipartisan exchange effort of Venezuelan and US legislators. 
 
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...And the GOV 
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4.  (C)  Fernandez said improving the bilateral relationship 
would be complicated because the GOV's words and actions were 
often different.  The GOV, he said, presented a bellicose 
image, but it had been an exemplary debtor and a trustworthy 
energy supplier.  He added that investors in the petroleum 
sector have had no complaints.  Prompted by the Ambassador, 
Fernandez conceded that the GOV decision on October 10 to 
increase royalty payments on heavy crude projects (REFTEL) 
was an exception. 
 
5.  (U)  Fernandez warned that many radical opposition 
elements wanted Chavez overthrown, but he recognized that 
Chavez was elected by majority vote.  He acknowledged that 
his party could not disavow the referendum after the OAS and 
the Carter Center had legitimized it.  According to 
Fernandez, the outcome of the referendum was his party's 
problem, not that of the United States; multilateral accords 
obligated both Washington and the Venezuelan public to accept 
the results. 
 
6.  (U)  Turning to criticism, Fernandez said President Hugo 
Chavez's administration had roots in military culture rather 
than in democratic, juridical tradition.  He noted that the 
National Assembly and the judiciary were controlled by a 
government accustomed to issuing orders rather than engaging 
in dialog.  Referring to the proposed Media Law, he lamented 
that the judicial system was in dangerous straits. 
 
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Comment 
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7.  (C)  Although Fernandez resists Chavez-bashing, his 
moderation will not save COPEI from drawing fire from the 
GOV, which brands opposition groups as traitors to the 
revolution.  Accordingly, any high-profile US encounters with 
such parties will afford Chavez anti-US fodder.  True to his 
non-confrontational nature, Fernandez had relatively 
innocuous suggestions for packaging US policy.  His counsel 
about honoring Venezuelan sovereignty is prudent, but we 
would not translate respect for sovereignty into silence and 
inaction on controversial issues.  Otherwise, Fernandez's 
"advice" sounds much like the USG's current operating 
strategy.  End Comment. 
 
8.(U)  Bio Note:  Fernandez spoke fondly of American culture 
and his two years at Georgetown University, where he received 
a master's degree in political science, according to the 
official COPEI website.  He jokingly mentioned having trouble 
receiving a US visa for 20 years after he wrote to advise 
former President Nixon against visiting Venezuela because of 
political instability.  He said US Immigration had mistakenly 
identified him as a communist. 
 
 
McFarland 
 
 
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      2004CARACA03220 - CONFIDENTIAL