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C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 000021 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/01/26 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PHUM PINR SNAR OVIP ODIP BL
SUBJECT: SOLIS, OTERO DISCUSS BILAT RELATIONS WITH BOLIVIAN FM 
 
DERIVED FROM: DSCG 05-1 B, D 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, U/S for Global 
Affairs Maria Otero, and Charge met with Foreign Minister David 
Choquehuanca and Vice Minister for Social Defense Felipe Caceres on 
January 21 and reiterated the USG's desire to improve bilateral 
relations.  Choquehuanca thanked the delegation for their 
attendance, and said the GOB remains committed to concluding a 
framework agreement with the USG.  He identified the issue of 
government-to-government assistance as the major sticking point, 
and proposed a high level meeting to advance the talks. 
Choquehuanca and Caceres reviewed GOB concerns regarding 
counternarcotics funding.  Charge pledged to forward Choquehuanca's 
proposal to restart bilateral discussions, but requested a written 
GOB counterproposal on the assistance issue prior to further talks. 
U/S Otero reviewed the USG's role in Haiti aid and reconstruction 
efforts, emphasizing that the USG was working under the aegis of 
the UN, in coordination with other countries, and at the request of 
the Haitian government.  End summary. 
 
Delegation Meeting with FM Choquehuanca 
 
¶2. (C) Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and U/S for Global Affairs Maria 
Otero arrived January 21 as members of a presidential delegation to 
attend President Evo Morales' inauguration ceremonies (septel). 
Sec. Solis, U/S Otero, Charge, and poloff (notetaker) met with FM 
Choquehuanca and Vice Minister Caceres at the Foreign Ministry on 
January 21.  MFA Director of Bilateral Relations Jean Paul Guevara 
attended as notetaker. 
 
¶3. (C) Solis opened the meeting with congratulations for Morales' 
successful re-election campaign.  Solis noted she is a child of 
immigrants -- as is President Obama -- and that she appreciates the 
importance of improving bilateral ties.  Solis cited ongoing Labor 
Department programs in Bolivia and the region to eliminate 
exploitation of child labor and increase educational opportunities 
for marginalized children as potential opportunities for increased 
cooperation. 
 
Choquehuanca Focuses on Framework Talks 
 
¶4. (C) Choquehuanca thanked Sec. Solis and U/S Otero for coming to 
Bolivia and underscored the importance of better bilateral ties 
based on "mutual respect."  He stressed that the GOB wanted good 
relations with the United States, contrasting the crush of 
photographers that appeared for the U.S. meeting with the one that 
appeared for his session with the Canadians, and reiterated GOB 
interest in resuming talks on a framework agreement.  Choquehuanca 
said the second round of talks in Washington had made significant 
progress.  Still, the GOB felt the USG position in follow-up 
technical discussions in November was a step backwards. 
Choquehuanca said the GOB found our proposed trade language 
basically acceptable.  The principal sticking point was the issue 
of government-to government assistance. 
 
¶5. (C) Choquehuanca proposed a "high level" meeting to evaluate 
progress, review outstanding issues, and identify a way forward. 
He said the framework agreement should establish general principles 
and leave the details to working groups or sub-agreements.  Most 
important, he said, was to quickly devise a plan that both sides 
could agree to.  If a high level meeting were successful, 
Choquehuanca added, GOB representatives could travel to Washington 
to finalize the deal.  He joked, however, that this time we would 
not make the mistake of publicly setting a date for signing an 
accord.  (Note: Last October, both sides publicly committed to 
trying to reach an agreement by the end of November. End note.) 
 
¶6. (C) U/S Otero relayed to Choquehuanca the Secretary's continued 
desire to realize an agreement.  Otero agreed that a framework 
agreement did not need to go into great detail on all areas, but 
stressed that the US faces serious constraints on the 
government-to-government assistance issue.  She noted the many 
areas in which we already have agreement, and suggested that we 
might work together to address GOB concerns in specific areas even 
in the absence of a framework agreement.  Charge noted previous GOB 
 
commitments to provide us written alternative language on the 
government-to-government issue, and said the provision of such 
language prior to any new talks would facilitate further progress. 
 
Concerns Over Narcotrafficking Funds 
 
¶7. (C) Choquehuanca said the GOB appreciated U.S. assistance in the 
fight against narcotrafficking, which he called a "scourge of 
mankind."  The GOB was disappointed by the recent cut in U.S. 
assistance from $26 to $22 million, but understood that this was 
the U.S. prerogative. Still, Choquehuanca questioned whether the 
proposed distribution of funds outlined in the amendment to the 
Letter of Agreement (LOA) would produce the best results.  He 
suggested that if the GOB were given greater flexibility in 
handling the funding, its counternarcotics efforts would be more 
successful. 
 
¶8. (C) Vice Minister Caceres said that with a growing foreign 
narcotrafficking presence, especially Colombians, the GOB needed 
increased flexibility in spending anti-narcotics funding.  Caceres 
pledged that the GOB was ready to fight narcotrafficking "from the 
heart," noting President Morales' instruction to eradicate more 
than 7,000 hectares of coca in 2010 and to halt the expansion of 
coca planting into new parts of the Yungas valley area.  He decried 
pervasive corruption among prosecutors and judges, noting that 
narcotaffickers detained by the police are frequently released only 
hours later, and said funding for the judiciary might be better 
used for police interdiction units. 
 
¶9. (C) U/S Otero said appropriations were determined by the U.S 
Congress, noting that constant GOB rhetorical attacks on the U.S. 
made it difficult to sustain congressional support for funding. 
Charge proposed a meeting with Caceres the week of January 25 to 
discuss his specific concerns, but said that significant changes to 
the LOA could result in disbursement delays.  This, in turn, would 
affect our capacity to support GOB plans to initiate eradication on 
January 25.  He noted that any information the GOB could share on 
its CN funding would enable us to better coordinate our activities 
and maximize results.  Charge also proposed meeting with other 
ambassadors to facilitate a multilateral counternarcotics effort, 
to which Caceres and Choquehuanca readily assented. 
 
US Involvement in Haiti Reconstruction Efforts 
 
¶10. (C) U/S Otero reviewed the USG's role in Haiti reconstruction 
efforts.  Otero stated that she was personally involved in 
coordinating the US response and that Secretary Clinton had made 
great efforts to speed and increase our assistance in the relief 
effort.  Our presence, Otero underlined, was wholly at the request 
of the Haitian government and our efforts were coordinated with the 
United Nations, Brazil, and the Europeans.  Charge added that we 
were in no way trying to supplant the role of the UN.  Choquehuanca 
said foreign ministers of the ALBA countries would meet in Caracas 
on January 24 to discuss assistance to Haiti, noting that the 
information provided by U/S Otero would be useful. 
 
¶11. (C) In a press conference on January 22, Choquehuanca said the 
GOB appreciated the US "gesture" in sending such a senior 
delegation to President Morales' inauguration.  He briefly reviewed 
the history of the framework agreement talks, and reiterated GOB 
interest in resuming talks on the accord. 
 
¶12. (C) Neither Sec. Solis nor U/S Otero cleared on this cable. 
 
 
Creamer