US embassy cable - 04CARACAS3426

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 003426 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
NSC FOR CBARTON 
HQSOUTHCOM FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, KDEM, VE 
SUBJECT: BOSTON GROUP PLANS DECEMBER MEETING 
 
Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ABELARDO A. ARIAS FOR 1.4 (D) 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (U)  During a meeting at the Ambassador's residence on 
October 28, Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-NC) accepted an invitation 
from Venezuelan National Assembly deputies to return to 
Venezuela for a plenary Boston Group meeting in early 
December.  The legislators also discussed a potential 
National Assembly television channel and two new 
non-governmental associations mimicking the Boston Group. 
End summary. 
 
2.   (U)  US. Representative Cass Ballenger (R-NC) met with 
Venezuelan National Assembly members of the Boston Group, a 
bipartisan exchange initiative of US and Venezuelan 
legislators, at the Ambassador's Residence on October 28. 
The Venezuelan deputies invited Rep. Ballenger to return to 
Caracas later this year for a plenary Boston Group meeting to 
discuss a proposal for a National Assembly television channel 
and to meet with two local Boston Group offshoots.  Rep. 
Ballenger agreed to append a trip to his 1-3 December visit 
to a coffee growers' association in Colombia.  Rep. Ballenger 
accepted the Ambassador's offer to help invite Reps. Bill 
Delahunt (D-MA) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY) to the December 
plenary. 
 
3.  (U)  Proyecto Venezuela deputy Pedro Diaz Blum told Rep. 
Ballenger that the political situation had forced the 
National Assembly to put aside an initiative to create a 
"C-Span"-like channel for Venezuelan television until after 
the October 31 regional elections, but the idea had not been 
scrapped.  Indeed, the National Assembly had made several 
proposals concerning the project, and the alternate to 
National Assembly president Francisco Jose Ameliach (MVR) 
told Diaz Blum he would support it.  The administration 
agreed that the channel should be balanced, representing both 
the government and the opposition.  Rep. Ballenger said he 
could procure the support of US television stations that 
would donate used equipment. 
 
4.  (U)  The Venezuelan party briefed Rep. Ballenger on the 
positive results of a Harvard Conflict Management Center 
workshop sponsored by USAID aimed at fostering mutual respect 
among government supporters, opposition supporters, and 
citizens disillusioned with both sides.  The workshop has 
since flourished, expanding into a "Group Boston-Valencia" 
and a "Group Boston-Caracas," each of which comprises more 
than 40 citizens, including journalists from both 
pro-government and opposition media outlets.  In addition to 
stimulating respectful dialog, the groups have cooperated on 
issues of mutual concern, such as trash removal, and have 
created educational and cultural programs.  The deputies 
planned to propagate such groups in the other Boston Group 
members' home states of Bolivar, Lara, Sucre, and Zulia. 
 
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Comment 
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5.  (U)  US support for such civil society groups is a small 
step towards lessening Venezuela's political polarization and 
combating its culture of relying on government to solve its 
problems.  A National Assembly television station, meanwhile, 
could begin to help hold Venezuela's legislators accountable 
to a public that tends to shun political involvement because 
of its suspicion of politicians.  End comment. 
 
6.  (U)  Rep. Ballenger did not review this message before 
transmittal. 
Brownfield 
 
 
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      2004CARACA03426 - CONFIDENTIAL