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DE RUEHLI #1593/01 2141550
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 021550Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY LISBON
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INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0052
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LISBON 001593 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV VE PO
SUBJECT: CHAVEZ PLANS OFFICIAL VISIT TO PORTUGAL 
 
REF: LISBON 1572 
 
Classified By: Dana M. Brown, Pol/Econ Officer, State Department 
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: On July 28, local daily "Diario de Noticias" 
reported Venezuelan Ambassador to Portugal, Lucas Rincon 
Romero's comments that President Hugo Chavez is making plans 
to travel to Portugal on an official visit sometime before 
the end of October.  Pol/Econ Officer paid a call MFA Latin 
American Affairs Director Helena Coutinho on August 1 to 
discuss further and relay U.S. concerns.  Coutinho stated 
that the visit, arranged during a July 23 meeting during a 
refueling stop in Lisbon, had been the result of ongoing, 
monthly requests from the Venezuelans since 2005.  She 
indicated that the GOP planned to host the visit to maintain 
a working bilateral relationship with Venezuela.  End 
summary. 
 
Persistence Pays Off 
-------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Subsequent to the July 23 meeting (reftel) between 
Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates and Venezuelan 
President Hugo Chavez during a refueling stop in Lisbon, 
Portugal acquiesced to Chavez's request for an official visit 
to Portugal, suggesting sometime between August and late 
October.  MFA Latin American Affairs Director Helena Coutinho 
emphasized that all meeting requests, both with the current 
and past administrations, had come from the Venezuelans.  She 
reported that the Chavez Administration had repeatedly 
requested an official meeting -- as frequently as once a 
month.  President Sampaio denied the requests in 2005 due to 
Portugal's annoyance over the house arrest in Caracas of a 
Portuguese pilot accused of drug trafficking.  Sampaio 
granted Chavez a pull-aside at the Ibero-American Summit in 
Salamanca in October 2005, only for the opportunity to press 
for a hearing on the pilot's case, according to Coutinho. 
Since then, however, the Portugal-Venezuela relationship has 
normalized when the pilot was acquitted and returned to 
Portugal in December 2005.  When Chavez requested a meeting 
with either the Portuguese President or Prime Minister; PM 
Socrates agreed to meet on July 23. 
 
¶3. (C) Coutinho reported that both the July 23 meeting and 
the planned official visit were approved in an effort to 
maintain the bilateral relationship and thereby protect the 
interests of the roughly 400,000 Portuguese nationals and 
another 100,000 dual nationals in Venezuela.  Coutinho stated 
that the Venezuelan government had submitted most of its 
requests through the Portuguese embassy in Caracas. 
 
Second Official Visit for Chavez 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) The Portuguese President's office and Protocol handle 
the details for official visits and will schedule the timing, 
agenda, and duration of the visit, according to Coutinho. 
MFA will provide political background information and 
"deliverables."  As of right now, we have no information on 
either the timing or which members of the GOP will 
participate in the visit.  Coutinho noted that Chavez first 
traveled on an official visit in October 2001 for two days 
and signed a few "low level" agreements for bilateral 
cooperation.  Coutinho was asked to review the current 
bilateral agreements with Venezuela and list the possible 
agreements that could be signed or renewed during the 
upcoming visit.  She said most of the bilateral agreements, 
signed in the 1950s or 1960s, were no longer in force, 
including air transportation, economic cooperation, cultural 
exchange agreements.  Portugal signed counternarcotics, 
financial, and double taxation agreements with Venezuela in 
the 1990s and a bilateral agreement regarding diplomatic 
passports in 2001.  Coutinho envisioned a similar 
non-controversial agreement as part of the fall visit.  "We 
just want something that makes him feel good, but we don't 
have anything in the pipeline, so it will probably be a 
relatively unimportant document." 
 
Media Attention Likely 
---------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) When asked about the usual media coverage for official 
visits, Coutinho replied that the media usually settled for 
perfunctory coverage, even with a joint press conference. 
However, she expected keen interest by both the official 
press pool and the general media for a Chavez visit.  She 
noted that Chavez was well known to have a dramatic 
presentation style and would draw additional attention. 
 
Portugal Aware of U.S. Concerns 
 
LISBON 00001593  002 OF 002 
 
 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Pol/Econ officer reiterated the Ambassador's July 27 
message to FM Amado (reftel) -- the United States is 
concerned with Chavez and his political actions, both 
domestic and international.  Pol/Econ officer raised the 
USG's concerns with Chavez' denouncements against the United 
States and its allies and his praise for known human rights 
violators and weapon proliferators.  In particular, Pol/Econ 
officer pointed out that on the same trip that Chavez met 
with Socrates, he hailed Belurus as a model state and praised 
Iran, demonstrating his interest in supporting nations that 
Portugal strongly criticizes.  In addition, Pol/Econ officer 
offered the anti-NGO legislation as an example that Chavez is 
undermining democratic and civil society institutions inside 
Venezuela.  Coutinho acknowledged that this visit could be "a 
tough one" but said the interest in protecting the well-being 
of Portuguese citizens in Venezuela had worn down the GOP's 
resistance to hosting Chavez. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶7. (C) Coutinho's candid comments indicate that Portugal is 
viewing the visit as a necessary evil rather than a welcome 
enhancement of relations.  She acknowledged U.S. concerns 
regarding Venezuela, which were stressed both by the 
Ambassador and at the working level, but Coutinho implied 
that the GOP has reached a point where it must accede to the 
request or risk alienating Chavez.  Nevertheless, it is 
curious that Portugal chose to have the Prime Minister meet 
with Chavez rather than selecting President Cavaco Silva, who 
has the title but limited influence over Portuguese politics. 
 For the next visit, the GOP is likely to attempt to balance 
Chavez's desire to visit with U.S. concerns.  End comment. 
 
Hoffman