VZCZCXYZ0016
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSP #0456/01 1291051
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 091051Z MAY 07 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8176
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RHMCSUU/DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC

UNCLAS PORT OF SPAIN 000456 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL EPET PGOV VZ TD
SUBJECT: VENEZUELA WITHDRAWS T&T INVITATION TO SOUTH AMERICAN ENERGY 
SUMMIT 
 
REF: (A) CARACAS 00781 
 
     (B) PORT OF SPAIN 00389 
 (C) 2006 CARACAS 1712 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - HANDLE ACCORDINGLY 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY: After first inviting Prime Minister Patrick Manning 
to a South American energy summit in Venezuela, Hugo Chavez 
unexpectedly withdrew the invitation on April 17, attributing the 
disinvitation to a lack of consensus among the summit participants 
regarding arrangements for Manning's attendance.  Coincidentally, 
the GOTT announced that Chavez would not be visiting T&T in April, 
as originally planned, to consolidate what Manning had called "the 
T&T/Venezuelan energy alliance".  Speculation is rife as to why the 
invitation to Manning was withdrawn, why the Chavez visit was 
postponed, and to what extent a so called "energy alliance between 
T&T and Venezuela is in fact on the cards".  Some commentators and 
anti-government politicians have said that possible reasons for the 
apparent friction in the relationship are Manning's initial 
opposition to the Petrocaribe initiative, T&T's unwillingness to 
participate in any South American gas cartel, and Mercosur's 
resistance to Port of Spain as a headquarters for an FTAA.  However, 
the likelihood is that the publicly stated reason of a lack of 
consensus about Manning's attendance at an otherwise exclusively 
South American gathering is in fact on the mark.  Post will continue 
to monitor any progress or lack thereof in Manning's efforts to 
promote energy cooperation between T&T and Venezuela. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U) On April 17, Prime Minister Patrick Manning canceled his 
trip to Margarita Island, Venezuela reportedly because BRV 
authorities were unable to finalize appropriate arrangements for 
him.  Manning had been invited to attend a two-day South American 
Energy Summit.  Minister of Foreign Affairs Arnold Piggott received 
a diplomatic note from the BRV Foreign Minister stating that due to 
a lack of consensus among attending South American countries, 
arrangements could not be organized in time for Manning, according 
to media reports.  The Prime Minister's office tried to downplay any 
impression that this might set back Manning's effort to promote 
bilateral energy cooperation with the BRV by stressing that GOTT and 
BRV energy Ministries continue to work on a bilateral energy 
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), with the goal of having it ready 
for the next Manning/Chavez Summit. 
 
¶3.  (U) Efforts to downplay the canceled trip, however, were 
undercut when Energy Minister Lenny Saith revealed at an April 26 
post-Cabinet news conference that Manning and Chavez had not yet set 
a date for Chavez's prospective visit to T&T to continue discussions 
on regional energy cooperation between the two countries.  The 
remark came as a telling departure from initial statements made by 
Manning and Piggott that Chavez would come to T&T in April, leading 
many to conclude that the GOTT was diplomatically snubbed by the 
BRV.  Moreover, with national elections in view the issue is 
becoming politicized.  On May 2, Opposition Party United National 
Congress (UNC) Deputy Political Leader Jack Warner publicly asserted 
that Manning was disinvited to the Summit because MERCOSUR members 
were opposed to Manning's bid for the FTAA seat. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Initially, speculation was that GOTT's disinvitation to 
the Summit was because of comments made by Saith at the April 9 Doha 
Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Doha that the GOTT would not 
participate in a Western Hemisphere gas organization. 
 
¶5.  (U) However, another set of possible explanations was put forth 
by Basil Ince - a local columnist and former GOTT Minister of 
Foreign Affairs - in an April 25 op/ed in the Trinidad Express. 
Ince concluded that GOTT was snubbed by BRV for three reasons: 1. 
GOTT's reluctance to support Venezuela's Petrocaribe initiative; 2. 
GOTT's negative stance on Venezuela's ALBA initiative, Chavez's 
effort to undermine the FTAA, and; 3. The fact that the Summit was 
drawn up as a South American affair. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) COMMENT: Post doubts that Petrocaribe factored into the 
BRV's equation given that Manning muted his criticism of Petrocaribe 
before visiting Caracas on March 20 and is now angling for a 
supporting role in the initiative (reftel C).  However, Manning's 
publicly stated strong support for the FTAA process and his 
reluctance to sign on to ALBA during his meeting with Chavez could 
have weighed in the decision to disinvite the GOTT, since Chavez 
used the Energy Summit meeting to push his own Venezuela-centric 
vision of regional integration.  Also, it is too early to tell 
whether Jack Warner's criticism of Manning's FTAA stance will have 
legs.  Even if opposition criticism continues, Post does not expect 
Manning to moderate his support for FTAA. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED: All told, the likelihood is that GOTT 
was disinvited because it fell outside the Summit's South American 
framework.  Chavez's verbal off-the-cuff invitation to Manning at 
the hastily arranged March 20 meeting probably was not seconded by 
other members, all South American nations.  But the timing of the 
 
disinvitation, as well as the continued postponements in Chavez's 
prospective visit to T&T raise doubts as to where Manning and Chavez 
really stand on Manning's proposed bilateral energy cooperation, 
which on April 16, he described to CODEL Engel as an "energy 
alliance" intended to temper Venezuela's influence in the region 
(reftel B).  Post will continue to monitor as the matter unfolds. 
END COMMENT. 
 
 
 
AUSTIN