US embassy cable - 05CARACAS1706

C O N F I D E N T I A L  CARACAS 001706 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
CODEL 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, VE 
SUBJECT: CODEL DAVIS VISITS CARACAS 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR WILLIAM R. BROWNFIELD FOR REASON 1.4 D 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (U)  Representative Tom Davis (R-VA), Chairman of the 
House Government Reform Committee, led a Congressional 
delegation to Venezuela on May 31 and June 1.  The delegation 
which included Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI), Rep. Dutch 
Ruppersberger (D-MD), Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), and Rep. 
Carolyn Maloney D-NY) focused on regional and bilateral 
cooperation in fighting narcotics trafficking and terrorism. 
The delegation met with Minister of Interior and Justice 
Jesse Chacon, Vice-President Jose Vicente Rangel, and members 
of Venezuela's National Assembly.  The Delegation also took 
part in the dedication of a joint U.S.-Venezuelan X-ray 
operator training center at Caracas' Maiquetia Airport.  End 
Summary. 
 
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Minister of Interior and Justice 
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2. (C) On May 31, the delegation met with Venezuelan Interior 
and Justice Minister Jesse Chacon for about an hour.  The 
Ambassador was excluded from the meeting, but the delegation 
did share elements of the conversation.  They said that the 
meeting was generally positive if not particularly 
productive.  According to Rep. Maloney, the delegation felt 
there was common ground between the two countries for 
cooperation on fighting drugs, terrorism, and trafficking in 
persons.  Rep. Davis told Emboffs that Chacon had confirmed 
that he was aware that the GOV had not yet completed the 
necessary paperwork for the request to extradite alleged 
terrorist Luis Posada Carriles. 
 
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Vice President Rangel 
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3. (C) On June 1, in a last-minute meeting called by the GOV, 
the delegation met with Venezuelan Vice President Jose 
Vicente Rangel in his office.  Reps. Davis, Maloney, Miller, 
and Ruppersberger attended. (Note: At the same time Rep. Wolf 
attended a previously scheduled meeting at the National 
Assembly).  The Ambassador was initially invited to the 
meeting but was informed en-route to the Vice President's 
office that he would not be included.  Emboff attended the 
meeting which lasted for about 45 minutes. 
 
4. (C) Rep. Davis presented Rangel with some of the gifts 
that he had originally brought to present to President Hugo 
Chavez.  Rep. Davis talked about lowering the level of 
rhetoric in the bilateral relationship, and Rangel insisted 
that he was very interested in working with the U.S. on 
improving relations since the two countries have historically 
had good relations.  Rangel insisted that "we have no hostile 
attitude towards the U.S." and that he was not anti-U.S. but 
instead was an admirer of the U.S. 
 
5. (C) Rangel identified the petroleum trade, drug 
trafficking, and fighting terrorism as areas where the U.S. 
and Venezuela can work together. Rangel highlighted the 2002 
strike as the only interruption in Venezuelan oil supply to 
the U.S., referring to the strike as "sabotage" and 
"terrorism."  The Vice President complained to the delegation 
about President Bush's meeting with Maria Corina Machado of 
Sumate, a leading Venezuelan civil society NGO, a day 
earlier.  Rangel asked why President Bush had received her 
when he would not receive GOV figures, saying that "she 
doesn't represent anyone in Venezuela" and that the meeting 
was "an affront to President Chavez."  He added that Bush 
probably met with her "because she has a pretty face and 
pretty legs."  Rangel said Machado had been part of the coup 
attempt against Chavez, had signed the decree promulgated by 
the short-lived government of Pedro Carmona in April 2002, 
and was an indicted criminal. 
 
6. (C) Regarding GOV interest in extraditing alleged 
terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, Rangel claimed that Venezuela 
had no interest in magnifying the case or using it for 
anti-American politics.  He said extradition would guarantee 
a fair trial with due process, and that if he comes to 
Venezuela, Posada "won't be sent to Cuba- absolutely not!" 
He also said that since Posada is over 70 years old, he 
wouldn't be subject to prison, but would only be subject to 
house arrest. 
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Ambush at the National Assembly 
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7. (U) While other members of the delegation were meeting 
with Vice President Rangel, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and 
delegation staff faced a room full of reporters in what the 
Embassy had scheduled as a private discussion of Venezuela's 
proposed Organized Crime Law at the National Assembly.  After 
exchanging formalities with Boston Group deputies and members 
of the Internal Policy Committee, Rep. Wolf said he was 
concerned that undemocratic actions by the GOV were 
threatening the historically friendly ties between the United 
States and Venezuela.  Warning that Sumate leader Maria 
Corina Machado was becoming a "folk hero," he said his 
subcommittee would commit additional funds to Sumate in 
response to GOV actions against the organization. 
 
8. (U) MVR deputy Calixto Ortega responded that the Sumate 
issue was too complicated to resolve in such a meeting but 
invited Rep. Wolf to investigate the facts, which Ortega said 
would show Machado had been involved in the attempted coup 
against President Chavez in 2002.  MVR deputy Iris Varela 
entered the chamber, demanded the microphone, and began 
loudly denouncing U.S. foreign policy.  Varela called 
President Bush's meeting with Machado the preceding day a 
"smokescreen" aimed at distracting the Venezuelan public from 
Washington's "protection" of Luis Posada Carriles.  She 
called Machado a fugitive, a coup-plotter, and a CIA agent 
who had participated in electoral fraud.  She criticized the 
delegation for sending only one member of Congress to the 
meeting.  Rep. Wolf responded to Varela by inviting those 
present to the House-Senate prayer breakfast and apologizing 
that the other members were unable to attend because of their 
last-minute meeting with VP Rangel. 
 
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NAS Facility Dedication 
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9. (U) The delegation wrapped up its visit at a ceremony at 
Caracas' Maiquetia Airport to dedicate a new X-Ray Operator 
Training Facility that is being funded by the Embassy's 
Narcotics Affairs Section.  At a brief ceremony, Ambassador 
Brownfield, Rep. Davis, and Jorge Gonzalez, head of Maiquetia 
airport security each gave brief remarks followed by a ribbon 
cutting and a short tour of the facility. Non-official press 
was banned from the ceremony by the GOV, though Ambassador 
Brownfield and Rep. Davis were able to speak to the press in 
another location at the airport shortly before the delegation 
departed. 
 
10. (U) Codel Davis was unable to clear this cable before 
departure. 
Brownfield 
 
 
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      2005CARACA01706 - CONFIDENTIAL