US embassy cable - 04CARACAS3711

C O N F I D E N T I A L  CARACAS 003711 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
NSC FOR CBARTON 
USCINCSO ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE FOR INR/B 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/24/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINR, VE 
SUBJECT: VENEZUELA'S NEW FOREIGN MINISTER:  ALI RODRIGUEZ 
ARAQUE 
 
REF: CARACAS 3638 
 
Classified By: Abelardo A. Arias, Political Counselor, 
for Reasons 1.4(b). 
 
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Summary 
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1. (U) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez swore in Ali 
Rodriguez Araque as Foreign Minister on November 21, 
replacing outgoing Minister Jesus Perez.  Rodriguez was most 
recently president of the state-run oil company PDVSA. 
Rodriguez, who served one year as the Secretary General of 
OPEC, was a congressman for the Causa Radical party and later 
for the pro-Chavez Patria Para Todos (PPT).  During the 60's 
and 70's, Rodriguez was a communist guerrilla fighter. 
Rodriguez has commented that he will conduct a "multi-polar" 
foreign policy, fight terrorism, and promote Latin American 
integration.  End summary. 
 
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Chavez Names Fifth Foreign Minister in Six Years 
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2. (U) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez swore in Ali 
Rodriguez Araque as Foreign Minister on November 21. 
Chavez's fifth foreign minister since he took office in 1998, 
Rodriguez's focus has been energy.  He was most recently 
president of the state-run oil company PDVSA, a position he 
had held since July 2002 (ref).  From January 2001 to June 
2002, Rodriguez was Secretary General of OPEC.  He was 
Chavez's first Minister of Energy and Mines between February 
1999 and January 2001.  Before joining the executive branch, 
Rodriguez served as a congressman representing Bolivar State 
between 1983 and 1999 and served briefly as a senator in 1999 
before the Senate was abolished by the new constitution.  He 
was elected on the tickets of leftist parties, including 
Causa R and Patria Para Todos (PPT), a Causa R offshoot 
created in 1997 that later joined in political alliance with 
Chavez. 
 
3. (U) During his tenure in the Chamber of Deputies, 
Rodriguez served as the president of the Energy and Mines 
Committee.  He also served on the Latin American Parliament's 
Energy and Mines Commission.  Rodriguez opposed the opening 
of PDVSA to foreign investors, authoring a book in 1997 
challenging the legalities of PDVSA's privatization process. 
As Energy Minister and OPEC Secretary General, Rodriguez 
pressed for Venezuela's strict adherence to OPEC quotas. 
 
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Better U.S. Relations, While Respecting Sovereignty 
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4. (U) Upon taking office as Foreign Minister, Rodriguez 
accompanied Chavez on a trip to Spain, Libya, and Iran. 
Rodriguez told reporters his objectives will be to fight 
terrorism, promote Latin American integration, and pursue 
Chavez's "multi-polar" vision of the world.  On this last 
point, Rodriguez called for the "democratization" of 
international organizations such as the UN and OAS.  On 
U.S.-Venezuela relations, Rodriguez acknowledged the 
long-standing oil relationship, called for respect for 
Venezuelan sovereignty, and promised to work to "reduce 
friction" between the two countries. 
 
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Personal Data 
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5. (U) Rodriguez was born on September 9, 1937 in Lara State, 
Venezuela.  He received a law degree from Venezuelan Central 
University in Caracas in 1961.  He also studied economics and 
energy issues at the University of the Andes in Merida State. 
 Rodriguez was active in communist guerrilla organizations 
during the 60's and 70's.  Before beginning his political 
career, Rodriguez worked as a lawyer specializing in labor 
law.  He is reportedly married but separated.  He does not 
speak English. 
 
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Comment 
 
 
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6. (C) Rodriguez is a serious and responsible policy maker 
and will probably be an improvement over his bumbling 
predecessor, Jesus Perez.  As PDVSA president, he maintained 
discreet contact with the Embassy.  It is too soon to tell 
whether Rodriguez will continue the purge at the Foreign 
Ministry of diplomats who do not fully support the 
revolution, though we note it was Rodriguez in charge of 
PDVSA when 18,000 employees were fired for joining the 
2002-2003 national strike.  Rodriguez has been a senior 
adviser to Chavez since his election as president, though at 
times Chavez has expressed frustration with the 
independent-minded Rodriguez.  Rodriguez is also rumored to 
have his own ties to Fidel Castro, a holdover from the 
former's guerrilla days. 
 
Brownfield 
 
 
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      2004CARACA03711 - CONFIDENTIAL