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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LA PAZ 002821 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL BL
SUBJECT: MORALES RAISES EYEBROWS WITH LE MONDE INTERVIEW 
 
 
Summary 
--------- 
 
¶1. (U)  French newspaper Le Monde published an article 
October 17 entitled "Bolivia: Evo Morales and the Terrible 
Conspiracy," in which President Morales said that "the right" 
(the United States and the political opposition in Bolivia) 
are conspiring to topple his government.  Morales discussed 
the recent miners' confrontation in Huanuni, in which 16 died 
and 81 were injured, describing it as resistance from the new 
mining oligarchs rather than from the miners.  Morales also 
mentioned the "terrible conspiracy" against his government 
from the right and from the Embassy.  Morales alleged threats 
to his life and specific affronts to MAS leaders and the vice 
president by the Embassy as "examples" of the U.S.-led 
conspiracy.  While the article's publication comes just four 
days after Ambassador Goldberg's October 13 credentialing 
ceremony, at which Morales promised to tone down his 
anti-American rhetoric, we understand President Morales gave 
the interview before meeting the Ambassador. End summary. 
 
"The Terrible Conspiracy" 
-------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) French newspaper Le Monde published an article October 
17 entitled "Bolivia: Evo Morales and the Terrible 
Conspiracy," in which Morales said that "the right" (the 
United States and the political opposition in Bolivia) are 
conspiring to topple his government.  Local Bolivian 
newspapers and television stations carried reports of the 
interview, giving it widespread coverage. 
 
Domestic Affairs 
------------------ 
 
¶3. (U) Morales first discussed the recent miners' 
confrontation in Huanuni, in which 16 died and 81 were 
injured, describing it as resistance from the new mining 
oligarchs rather than from the miners.  Morales told Le Monde 
that "the cooperative miners want to exclusively exploit the 
Cerro Posokoni (Bolivia's principal tin reserve), which the 
salaried miners of COMIBOL (the state-run company) refused. 
Ambition prevailed over reason, especially on the part of the 
cooperative miners."  He went on to say that "certain 
cooperatives have become the instruments of medium to large 
mining enterprises."  "Now that we have a popular 
government," he added, "resistance does not come from the 
mining unions, but from the oligarchs."  Morales then linked 
the Huanuni conflict to his vision of U.S. policy.  The 
president told Le Monde that "certain social sector movements 
are not instruments of liberation, but factors of oppression. 
 Rather then contributing to the emancipation of the people, 
they serve to perpetuate the empire."  Le Monde provided a 
very short rebuttal from the COB (the Central Workers Union) 
which blamed the president for the Huanuni confrontation. 
An Assassination Attempt? 
--------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) Morales also alleged a "terrible conspiracy" against 
his government from the right and the Embassy.  Morales said 
there is an ideological struggle going on between left and 
right, both in Bolivia and elsewhere in Latin America.  He 
argued that "the right is in a campaign to destroy 
nationalization and the Constituent Assembly."  He further 
stated that "the conflicts that arise occasionally without 
reason are part of an offensive by the right."  He then went 
on to describe a conspiracy to kill him.  "Twenty specialists 
of the old military came to Santa Cruz to assassinate me. I 
had to use a bullet-proof jacket.  With or without Evo 
Morales, the revolution will not end." 
 
Signs of a Plot? 
----------------- 
 
¶5. (U) Morales cited threats to his life and specific 
affronts to MAS leaders and the vice president by the Embassy 
 
LA PAZ 00002821  002 OF 002 
 
 
as "examples" of the U.S.-led conspiracy and participation in 
the "rightist plot."  His first example was the Embassy's 
denial of a visa to Leonilda Zurita, ex-cocalero leader and 
ex-MAS senator, arguing that she was refused because of her 
MAS affiliation.  Morales also said Ambassador Greenlee did 
not attend a GOB reception for ambassadors in La Paz because 
he was holding his own reception to court MAS 
parliamentarians. (Note: Ambassador Greenlee was actually out 
of the country at the time of the GOB reception. End note). 
Additionally, Morales charged that Garcia Linera was not 
allowed to fly on American Airlines to the United States. 
(Note: This point is also false; while Garcia Linera was 
initially denied permission to board, Embassy officials 
transported him to Santa Cruz, where he boarded the American 
flight to Miami.  End note).  Finally, Morales alleged that 
USAID is undermining his government.  He stated that a local 
USAID representative "declared that it is necessary to 
support/sustain the Bolivian opposition."  Morales said 
"despite these provocations and aggressions, we have the 
patience to maintain diplomatic and commercial relations with 
the United States."  (Note: Morales' reference above to the 
"old military" is also a jab at the United States, since 
prior to the Morales administration, Bolivian-U.S. military 
ties were quite strong. End Note). 
 
Comment 
--------- 
 
¶6. (U) The Le Monde article was published just four days 
after Ambassador Goldberg's October 13 credentialing 
ceremony, at which Morales promised to tone down his 
anti-American rhetoric, although we understand President 
Morales gave the interview the morning before he met the 
Ambassador for the first time.  Uncomfortably for Vice 
President Garcia Linera, he had already accepted an 
invitation from the Ambassador to attend an event at the 
USAID mission today.  A clearly defensive Garcia Linera today 
faced tough questioning from the Bolivia press about his 
boss' comments.  Garcia Linera claimed the (accurate) 
Spanish-language translation of the president's comments in 
French-language Le Monde were incorrect, but continued to 
claim that the GOB has "proof" of a conspiracy.  More 
positively, and perhaps optimistically, the vice president 
likened U.S.-GOB relations to a "marriage" with its ups and 
downs.  The vice president concluded that U.S.-GOB relations 
are currently improving.  End comment. 
GOLDBERG