VZCZCXRO9520
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHCV #1226 2611947
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 181947Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY CARACAS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3717
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1036
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS

UNCLAS CARACAS 001226 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER VE CO
SUBJECT: VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT USES DCA TO JUSTIFY ARMS 
PURCHASES 
 
REF: CARACAS 1209 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Following the fractious September 15 UNASUR Summit 
in Quito, President Chavez declared victory, claiming on a 
September 17 television broadcast that Colombia had been 
"completely isolated."  He said it was "embarrassing" that 
the Colombians could not even show the Defense Cooperation 
Agreement (DCA) to the UNASUR members without U.S. 
permission. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Chavez stressed that the DCA was a "threat" to 
Venezuela.  Speaking from Quito, Venezuelan Foreign Minister 
Nicolas Maduro claimed that the USD 2.2 billion arms deal 
with Russia (reftel) was needed to defend Venezuela against 
the threat from the DCA.  Referring to media reports of 
comments by Secretary Clinton on September 15, Maduro charged 
that Secretary Clinton had "no moral standing" to criticize 
Venezuela's defense plans.  Venezuela's OAS Ambassador Roy 
Chaderton called Secretary Clinton's concern over Venezuela's 
arms deals a "false threat" and noted that the U.S. was the 
only country to ever use atomic bombs against other human 
beings.  Chaderton added that the DCA, when combined with the 
FOURTH FLEET and SOUTHCOM, are a "threat to the security and 
peace" of South America. 
 
 
DUDDY