US embassy cable - 05CARACAS1951

C O N F I D E N T I A L  CARACAS 001951 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
NSC FOR CBARTON 
HQ USSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PREF, VE 
SUBJECT: THE HEIGHTS OF THE VENEZUELAN ANDES - AMBASSADOR'S 
TRIP TO MERIDA 
 
Classified By: DCM STEPHEN G. MCFARLAND FOR REASON 1.4 D 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (C) During a visit to the Venezuelan state of Merida on 
June 9 and 10, the Ambassador met with the governor, a close 
ally of President Hugo Chavez.  This was the first time a 
pro-GOV governor has agreed to meet with him in 2005.  The 
conversation was cordial, with the Governor offering to help 
provide insight into how Chavez thinks, as well as back-door 
communication.  The Ambassador also had a frank conversation 
with the Archbishop of Merida (the leading church figure in 
Venezuela), as well as members of the press, the business 
community, opposition politicians, and the acting mayor of 
the city (also MVR).  Press coverage of the trip was 
positive, including two interviews and reports on 
commemorating USAID donations to a center for street children 
and a Church-supported school for low-income children.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
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POLITICS 
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2. (C) Governor Florencio Porras (MVR, Fifth Republic 
Movement) agreed to meet with the Ambassador on short notice 
- after his arrival in Merida June 9.  The meeting took place 
in his residence (adorned with a portrait of Che Guevara) and 
was cordial, with Porras (a former Army Captain) reminiscing 
about a pair of military visits to the U.S. several years 
prior.  The Ambassador emphasized the importance of open 
communication and offered to assist the Governor's staff in 
finding cultural and work exchanges, through the USG or 
universities.  Porras acknowledged that he was close to 
Chavez, and offered a back-door means of communication with 
him, as well as a sounding board to help understand how 
Chavez thinks.  While discussing the economy, Porras 
mentioned the importance of high-tech sectors in the state, 
and said the ambassadors of several countries had visited to 
explore investment in that area (though apparently, no 
investment has yet to materialize).  Ruben Avila, Electoral 
Policy Director of the MVR, in comments published in "Pico 
Bolivar" June 14 called it a "secret meeting."  Avila 
editorialized that he was certain the Governor had told the 
Ambassador not to intervene in Venezuelan internal affairs 
(NOTE: he did not), and that the purpose of the trip to 
Merida was "to strengthen an opposition that doesn't exist or 
to create one." 
 
3. (C) The Ambassador also met with local opposition party 
representatives: Ramon Guevara of Accion Democratica (AD), 
Carlos Masini of Primero Justicia, and William Davila of 
Movimiento Federal.  (A COPEI member was invited but did not 
attend.)  They noted that Merida, though not a border state, 
had many of the problems associated with the border, such as 
drug trafficking, contraband, and armed groups.  Even with 
such problems, they observed that Merida tended to be ignored 
by the central government.  Davila (former Accion Democratica 
governor of Merida) said problems had been increasing in 
Merida since Porras took office, citing crime (including 
kidnappings in the western part of the state) and economic 
difficulties.  Davila said there has also been harassment, 
such as tax authority SENIAT ordering hotels not to rent 
space for opposition parties to hold events.  Carvajal said 
Merida was essentially an opposition town, but they weren't 
united enough at present to have a chance against anyone from 
the MVR in elections. 
 
4. (SBU) There was also a brief meeting with Manuel Briceno, 
acting mayor (MVR) of Merida.  The Ambassador floated the 
idea of finding a sister city in the U.S., and offered 
assistance in finding one, such as Santa Fe, New Mexico, 
because of its similarities.  (Note: the Mayor, Carlos Leon, 
was in Spain, where according to local press he had signed an 
agreement with a Spanish university for an educational 
exchange.)  Briceno, attired in a natty, bright red, MVR 
revolutionary T-shirt, presented the Ambassador with a Merida 
city pin. A meeting with the local military commander was 
requested, but no response was received.  (Ambassador's note: 
 I am now 0 for 14 with the military.  End note.) 
 
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CHURCH AND CHARITY 
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5. (C) Archbishop Baltazar Porras, the highest-ranking figure 
in the Catholic Church in Venezuela, offered some frank 
insights to the Ambassador.  He compared the current 
situation in Venezuela to that of Nicaragua in the early 
Sandinista period, and said that members of the Church in 
Bolivia had "convincing proof" that the GOV had provided 
support to "Evo Morales and his group."  Ambassador offered 
Embassy assistance to collaborate on charitable projects, not 
just in Merida but throughout the country, and asked for help 
in identifying worthwhile projects.  Porras expressed his 
willingness to work with the Embassy. 
 
6. (U) The Ambassador also visited two charitable projects. 
The first was an activity center for street children, which 
received brand-new kitchen equipment.  There was massive 
press coverage.  One of the staff told Emboff that the 
donation would allow them to greatly increase the number of 
children the center could handle on a daily basis.  The 
second donation was to a Catholic school for low-income 
children run by the Jesuit NGO Fe Y Alegria.  The 
contribution was to increase poultry and milk production, 
both to aid the school's self-sufficiency and to provide 
skill training for its students. 
 
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PRESS AND THE UNIVERSITY 
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7. (U) The trip received positive press coverage, with two 
dailies providing extensive reports on the donation to the 
street children's center.  The Ambassador also gave 
interviews to "Diario Frontera" (considered an opposition 
newspaper) and "Pico Bolivar" (thought to be pro-GOV - a 
principal owner was an MVR congressman until his recent 
appointment to the Supreme Court) which were published nearly 
in their entirety.  (NOTE: Frontera was attacked late June 12 
by a group of students from the local university.  It appears 
to have been incited by anger over Frontera's report of a 
student's shooting death, which was accompanied by his police 
record, and not associated with the Ambassador's visit.  END 
NOTE.)  Pro-Chavez website aporrea.org, however, published an 
opinion piece June 16 that linked the violence to the 
Ambassador's visit, calling the trip a "bald-faced political 
tour." 
 
8. (C) In a meeting with the Vice-Rector of Administration at 
the University of the Andes (ULA), Mario Bonucci, the 
Ambassador encouraged ULA staff and students to participate 
in more educational and cultural exchanges with U.S. 
universities.  He also expressed a desire to discuss 
U.S.-Venezuelan relations with ULA students.  Ambassador 
noted we had a longstanding relationship with ULA but had to 
avoid the violence that greeted former Rep. Klug's visit 
early this year if it was to continue.  One of the deans 
present suggested arranging a DVC for that purpose, which 
post will explore.  (NOTE: ULA students have a strong 
reputation for favoring left-wing ideas.  Archbishop Porras 
called ULA "a pressure cooker ready to explode" from the 
growth of "Marxist thought.") 
 
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DOING BUSINESS IN MERIDA 
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9. (U) The Merida Chamber of Commerce and the Merida 
FEDECAMARAS (joint association of all business chambers) 
co-hosted a lunch for the Ambassador, attended by about 50 
members of the business community.  Some present expressed 
the opinion that Merida was ignored by the central 
government, and the need for increased investment in the 
region was raised several times.  The problems in Merida are 
similar to those faced throughout Venezuela, though perhaps 
worse due to the geographical isolation. 
 
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COMMENT 
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10. (C) The meeting with the Governor was a surprise, given 
the reticence of previous pro-Chavez governors to meet the 
Ambassador, as was the positive tone.  It has, however, 
 
 
created at least a small stir within the MVR, which may not 
be a bad thing.  The visit was positive, giving the 
Ambassador numerous opportunities to express - publicly and 
privately - the themes of increased communication and 
exchange between the two countries. 
Brownfield 
 
 
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      2005CARACA01951 - CONFIDENTIAL