This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS  CARACAS 001728 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
NSC FOR TOM SHANNON 
STATE FOR INR/R/MR:IMARR AND STHIBEAULT, WHA/AND:HOEY, 
WHA/PDA:CAVANAUGH, PACE/PR/FPCW/WHA:DPRINCE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KPAO OPRC KIRC VE
SUBJECT:  HUGO CHAVEZ' MAY 16 SPEECH 
 
¶1.  The following is a summary of Venezuelan President 
Hugo Chavez' May 9 speech during the Venezuelan 
government's (GOV) "Rally for Peace and against 
Paramilitaries, and in Defense of Sovereignty and the 
Dignity of the Nation" in Caracas, which substituted for 
Chavez' usual Sunday Alo Presidente program.  The speech 
was broadcast in a national "cadena," which all broadcast 
media were legally obliged to transmit.  Bilateral issues 
included the GOV's ultimatum that U.S. military personnel 
vacate their offices at Fuerte Tiuna and other Venezuelan 
bases; GOV accusations that Miami was the epicenter of 
the foiled conspiracy to deploy Colombian paramilitaries 
to Venezuela to assassinate President Chavez; the 
announcement of the "Anti-Imperialist" phase of the 
Bolivarian Revolution; allegations of USG violations of 
human rights in Afghanistan and Iraq; and the alleged USG 
role in the April 2003 coup attempt against Chavez. 
 
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GOV Gives U.S. Military the Pink Slip 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.   President Chavez confirmed his government's decision 
to order U.S. military personnel to vacate their offices 
on Venezuelan Armed Forces headquarters in Fuerte Tiuna 
in Caracas and in other bases in Venezuela.  "I have 
ordered the U.S. military mission to leave Fuerte Tiuna, 
it was time to do so.  What is a U.S. military mission 
doing in the very heart of Fuerte Tiuna?  We have given 
them a deadline to leave . . . these are sovereign spaces 
where we cannot allow the presence of any international 
element, especially those of the North American Empire," 
said Chavez. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
Colombian Paramilitaries - Miami Pulls the Strings 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶3.  Chavez alleged that the recent infiltration of 
Colombian paramilitaries "in the heart of Caracas" was 
part of an international imperialistic conspiracy with 
headquarters in Miami, Colombia (Bogota, Cucuta), and 
Caracas.  "Those who brought this network of accomplices 
here -- which has an epicenter in Miami, another in 
Bogota, in Cucuta, and here in Caracas -- these terrorist 
paramilitaries and the traitorous Venezuelans, who 
planned the invasion of the paramilitaries and whom they 
contracted like mercenaries ... knew very well that these 
paramilitaries couldn't have overthrown the Venezuelan 
government, so their objective was the head of the 
President, to assassinate him, decapitate him," alleged 
Chavez.  The U.S. imperialists and Colombian-Venezuelan 
oligarchies' "simple, macabre plan" would not succeed, 
however, and even if he were killed, Chavez would hear 
from his tomb the cry of the Venezuelan people against 
the "boot of U.S. imperialism" and in defense of 
Venezuela," averred Chavez. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
The Revolution Advances to Anti-Imperialism Stage 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶4.  The Bolivarian Revolution has entered its "anti- 
imperialist" stage, proclaimed Chavez to the audience of 
tens of thousands of government followers.  He then 
proceeded to dictate the three lines of acton to defend 
the country from imperialism: 
-- trengthen the capacity of the National Armed Force 
(FAN).  Chavez said this action was not an armamnt race. 
Rather, the new revolutionary phase called for increasing 
Venezuela's military contingentto augment operational 
capacity and mobility thrughout the country, including 
establishing operaion theaters in some central states. 
"The Hugo Cavez of 2002 (year of the coup d'tat) is now 
part of history; we are ready to face any threat," Chavz 
emphasized. 
 
-- Reinforce the civic-militaryunion.  "It is necessary 
to remain alert and to einforce the civic-military 
 
union.  It is up to every one of us; we have advanced a 
lot, but we still have a way to go," insisted Chavez. 
 
--  Form popular organizations to defend the homeland. 
"The Defense of the Mother Land is everyone's task," 
urged Chavez.  "In each city slum, island, farming area, 
university, factory, forest, in each place where there is 
a group of patriots (...) people taking the leading role, 
together with the Armed Force (...)," Chavez proclaimed. 
"It is necessary to join efforts to ensure the national 
defense, time has come to revolutionize security, to give 
it a new concept, to re-orient it, because we are still 
working with the paradigms of the IV Republic.  I call on 
all Venezuelans to join the defense of the homeland, of 
the national sovereignty ... In the coming weeks, with 
the advisory of the Council of Defense of the Nation 
(Codena) I will start issuing guidelines and 
instructions; I ask for the support of all the local 
powers, social movements, popular movements (...) Men and 
women of age that are not reservists, but who are in 
condition to become soldiers should get military training 
and organize themselves for the defense of the Mother 
land (...) Because nothing nor nobody will be able to 
beat Venezuela or a conscious and organized people," he 
added. 
 
¶5.  Chavez also called on the support of active and 
retired officials, such as Luis Reyes Reyes, Lara state 
Governor; Eliecer Otaiza Castillo, president of the 
National Institute of Educational Cooperation; Diosdado 
Cabello, candidate to Miranda governorship; Jesse Chacon, 
Communications and Information Minister; Hernan Gruber 
Odreman, former Governor of the Caracas area Federal 
District; Ronald Blanco La Cruz, Tachira state Governor; 
Florencio Porras, Merida state governor; and Pedro 
Carreno, National Assembly legislator.  "The evaluation 
of retired officers is underway so that they begin giving 
military training wherever there is a group of patriots, 
with the people taking the leading role, together with 
the Armed Forces, to defend the country," insisted 
Chavez. 
 
----------------------------------- 
U.S. Imperialism: Afghanistan, Iraq 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  U.S. imperialism included flagrant violations of 
human rights, as evidenced by USG policy following 
September 11, in particular its policy on Afghanistan and 
Iraq, Chavez observed.  "We were one of the few 
governments that dared to speak out when U.S. imperialism 
began with the invasion of Afghanistan, the bombing of 
towns and cities.  I recall I showed a photo of a photo 
of dead children.  I protested in the name of the 
Venezuelan people and our government, and this angered 
the government in Washington; we were only asking for 
respect for the life of Afghani children. . . We were 
right, especially after September 11, which the U.S. used 
as an excuse.  U.S. imperialism took off its mask, took 
on the United Nations, disrespected the Security Council, 
to invade Afghanistan, then Iraq," claimed Chavez. 
 
----------------- 
April 11 -- Again 
----------------- 
 
¶7.  Following Chavez' accusations of U.S. imperialism, he 
launched into his usual allegations that the April 2002 
coup attempt against him could only have occurred with 
USG complicity. . .  "There is an important detail, 
September 11, April 11, 2002; the fascist coup occurred 
only seven months after September 11, and everyone knows 
that this coup could only occur thanks to U.S. support 
and the support from groups from other countries," 
asserted Chavez. 
 
Shapiro 
 
 
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      2004CARACA01728 - UNCLASSIFIED