VZCZCXRO2438
RR RUEHGR
DE RUEHPO #0425 1881815
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071815Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8506
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1564

UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000425 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV SOCI VE NS
SUBJECT: Venezuelan Independence Celebrations: a Blooper in 
Suriname 
 
REF: (A)PARAMARIBO 343 
 
¶1. (U) The Venezuelan Embassy in Paramaribo marked the 
195th anniversary of independence with a string of events. 
Celebrations kicked off with an art exhibit on June 30, 
followed by an evening of Venezuelan food and culture and 
the crowning of the Queen of the Venezuelan Cultural 
Institute, a wreath laying at the statute of Simon Bolivar- 
the most honored statue in town as the Venezuelan Embassy 
organizes three wreath events a year.  A July four lecture 
by the Mayor of Caracas on social policy was cancelled, we 
are told by some wags as an expression of Venezuelan pique. 
Last week, a Venezuelan naval vessel was unable to off-load 
its full cargo of fuel offered in response to flooding in 
the interior. 
 
¶2. (U) On July 5 Venezuelan Ambassador Simancas hosted a 
reception attended by approximately 200. The presence of 
convicted narcotics trafficker and former military 
strongman Desi Bouterse surrounded by a coterie of his 
party leadership was notable, as he is persona non grata on 
the diplomatic circuit.  In his remarks, the Venezuelan 
took an obligatory swipe at the United States, although not 
by name. He also touted the benefits of PetroCaribe and a, 
still to be finalized, fishing agreement, announced 
scholarships for Surinamers to study at the Latin American 
School of Medicine and an expansion of The Milagros Mission 
to permit poor Surinamers to receive medical treatment in 
Venezuela.  Vice President Sardjoe representing Suriname 
made innocuous remarks, with the exception of a slightly 
ominous observation that Suriname looked forward to working 
with Venezuela on UN reform. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Comment: The Venezuelan Ambassador's decision to 
invite Bouterse to the national day reception earned him a 
stinging rebuke from a local businessman whose father 
represented Venezuela as an honorary consul before the 
establishment of the Venezuelan Embassy. In a letter to 
Simancas, made available to the Embassy, the businessman 
said he had always enjoyed good relations with Venezuelan 
Ambassadors, but the presence of the murderous putchist 
Bouterse was an insult, and he would therefore limit 
contact with the Venezuelan Embassy. The Dutch Ambassador, 
having been tipped that Bouterse was invited, decided to 
forgo the reception.  The Ambassador and her French and EU 
colleagues maintained a substantial distance from Bouterse 
with their backs to Rupert Christopher, former Surinamese 
Ambassador to Venezuela, a man widely reputed to have blood 
on his hands from the military period. While several 
government officials spoke with Bouterse, a member of 
Parliament, diplomats, the commander of the Armed Forces, 
and members of the business community gave him a wide 
berth.  In little Paramaribo, working a reception crowd can 
require some deft footwork 
 
BARNES