US embassy cable - 05ASUNCION161

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASUNCION 000161 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/BSC AND WHA/AND 
NSC FOR TOM SHANNON/KIM BREIER 
SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD DAN JOHNSON 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINR, PA 
SUBJECT: PARAGUAYAN FM TRYING TO TURN OFF VENEZUELAN STATE 
VISIT 
 
REF: ASUNCION 00152 
 
Classified By: Charge Kevin M. Johnson for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
1. (U) On January 28, just prior to a meeting with FM Leila 
Rachid on other matters, MFA Bilateral Affairs Director 
Ceferino Valdez advised Charge that Venezuelan President Hugo 
Chavez was going to visit Paraguay February 27-28.  Valdez 
said that the visit was being planned in conjunction with 
Chavez's trip to Uruguay for the upcoming presidential 
inauguration. 
 
2. (C) During the meeting that followed, Rachid reiterated 
President Duarte's support for Colombian President Alvaro 
Uribe in the Colombian-Venezuelan dispute (reftel), and told 
Charge that she had been in touch with the Paraguayan Embassy 
in Caracas to try to turn off the Chavez visit.  Rachid went 
on to voice rather harsh criticism of Chavez, calling him 
"vulgar," "a thorn in the side," and "Fidel Castro's envoy in 
Latin America."  She added that she rejects Chavez's 
"messianic" ambition to "lead the Latin American community." 
JOHNSON