US embassy cable - 05PARIS993

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 000993 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/AND, EUR/ERA, AND S/CT 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/15/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, PREL, FR, VE, CO 
SUBJECT: FRANCE ON U.S. VENEZUELAN CONCERNS 
 
REF: STATE 25063 
 
Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) Poloff delivered reftel demarche to Venezuelan Desk 
Officer Hedi Picquart on February 16.  Picquart did not have 
an immediate formal response to U.S. concerns about Russian 
weapons sales to Venezuela, but indicated that he would pass 
our points to French embassies in Moscow, Caracas, and Bogota 
and elicit their views.  However, he posited that FARC had no 
need for Venezuelan weapons, stating the they were already 
sufficiently well armed and questioning why 100,000 weapons 
would be needed for the approximately 17,000 FARC insurgents. 
 Notwithstanding these considerations, Picquart assured us 
that the GOF would remain vigilant. 
 
2.  (C) In other Venezuela matters, Picquart noted that 
France was pleased with the resumption of dialogue and 
cooperation between Caracas and Bogota.  Picquart underlined 
that it was Castro, at the Colombians' request, who had 
calmed Chavez.  As to allegations of Chavez's influence in 
regional political affairs, Picquart said that France had not 
seen evidence to indicate Caracas was funding Evo Morales in 
Bolivia, whom he characterized as trying to "civilize 
himself" and dismissed as a real threat to Bolivian politics. 
 Franco-Venezuelan cultural relations and technical 
cooperation continued well following Secretary of State for 
Foreign Affairs Renaud Muselier's mid-December visit to 
Caracas, during which he met with the Vice President and 
Minister for Foreign Affairs ( Chavez was in Cuba at the 
time).  Chavez, whom Picquart described as being on an EU 
charm offensive, currently has no official visit scheduled to 
France, but may stop by unofficially in early March while in 
Europe.  Finally, Picquart indicated that the GOF would 
continue to monitor the human rights situation in Venezuela, 
and that the GOF would remain watchful as to how Venezuela 
applies the recently passed press law. 
Leach