US embassy cable - 05CARACAS299

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 000299 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
NSC FOR SHANNON/BARTON 
USCINCSO ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/30/2014 
TAGS: PREL, KDEM, VE 
SUBJECT: VENEZUELA: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH NEW VICE 
FOREIGN MINISTER 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William R. Brownfield 
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) The Ambassador and DCM met with Vice Foreign Minister 
for North America, Maria Pilar (Mari Pili) Hernandez, January 
26 at the Foreign Ministry.  It was the Ambassador's first 
meeting with Hernandez, and the DCM's first meeting with her 
since being appointed Vice Minister. 
 
2.  (C) Noting that he had a request pending for an 
appointment with Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez, the 
Ambassador expressed to Hernandez our serious concern about 
President Hugo Chavez's extremely personal attack on the 
Secretary-designate January 23.  The Ambassador also 
 
SIPDIS 
reiterated the Department spokesman's comments regarding our 
concern about the dispute over the capture of FARC leader 
Rodrigo Granda, the need for the GOV to clarify its position 
on the FARC, and our hope for a positive response from the 
GoV to the GOC's request for assistance on other FARC 
believed to be in Venezuela.  The Ambassador added that we 
hoped the GoV would cooperate with GOC as well as the USG on 
counter terrorism issues in general. 
 
3.  (C) Hernandez responded that President Chavez's comments 
answered our own public comments and "provocation" the week 
before during the Secretary-designate's Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee hearings.  As a Venezuelan woman, 
Hernandez said, she might not agree with Chavez's use of 
words, but she did not agree with the Secretary-designate 
either.  She offered no response on Granda, FARC, or CT 
cooperation, but said she would ensure that Foreign Minister 
Rodriguez was aware of our concerns.  She added that 
Rodriguez was busy resolving the Venezuela-Colombia crisis, 
and might not be available for awhile. 
 
4.  (C) The Ambassador noted that he, and the USG, would 
continue to say things in public that were clear, frank, and 
critical on matters of principle.  Similarly, the Ambassador 
added, he expected that Hernandez and the GoV would continue 
to make anti-US pronouncements.  Speaking of maintaining 
communication between our two governments, the Ambassador 
told Hernandez that since, after 5 months in country he still 
did not have areliable private channel into the Foreign 
Ministy, he hoped she could play that role.  Hernandez 
agreed that we should try to serve as a conduit for 
communication between USG and GOV.  The reason the Ambassador 
did not have ministerial contacts in the GoV, she said, was 
because Venezuelan Ambassador to the U.S. did not have senior 
contacts in Washington.  Hernandez reiterated the GoV's in 
maintaining contact and communications with the USG, and she 
stressed that the channel to the GoV through her was always 
available. 
 
5.  (C) Hernandez called the Ambassador January 27 to report 
she had passed our message to Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez. 
 She said the Foreign Minister was deeply engaged in 
resolving the Granda crisis with Colombia, and might not be 
available for some time to come.  The Ambassador was stunned. 
 
BROWNFIELD 
 
 
NNNN 
      2005CARACA00299 - CONFIDENTIAL