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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 000185 
 
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E.O. 12958: DECL: 2035/02/12 
TAGS: PGOV PREL VE
SUBJECT: Unofficial Emissary Suggests Possibility for Improved 
Bilateral Dialogue 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Robin D. Meyer, Political Counselor, State, POL; 
REASON: 1.4(B), (D) 
 
¶1.       (C)  Summary.  Rene Arreaza, who is closely tied to senior 
Chavista officials, told the Ambassador on February 3 that, despite 
President Chavez' hostile rhetoric, the GBRV was willing to have a 
dialogue with the United States.  Arreaza noted two initiatives 
promoting dialogue, one bilateral and one regional, sponsored by 
the Carter Canter.  Carter Center Director Hector Vanolli said the 
Andean Forum, which President Carter will inaugurate on February 
23-24 in Atlanta, had the blessing of Venezuelan Ambassador to the 
United States Bernardo Alvarez but not yet of Foreign Minister 
Maduro.  Arreaza and Chavez-allied National Assembly Deputy Jose 
Albornoz indicated that Foreign Minister Maduro might be replaced 
with Vice Minister Francisco Arias Cardenas.  End Summary. 
 
 
 
Some Like Dialogue 
 
 
 
¶2.       (C)  On February 3, Rene Arreaza, the former Director 
General of the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, met with the 
Ambassador, a meeting Arreaza said he had been authorized to 
request by Jose Vicente Rangel, and through him Chavez.  Arreaza 
urged the Ambassador to listen to the Venezuelan government (GBRV) 
message that was more "convenient," rather than only Chavez' 
hostile rhetoric (likening this approach to President Kennedy's 
decision to accept the first rather than the second message from 
Khruschev during the Cuban Missile Crisis).  Arreaza suggested the 
Ambassador focus on the positive messages showing a willingness to 
cooperate, such as the GBRV's decision to deport drug traffickers 
to the United States.  He offered to serve as a channel for the 
Ambassador to the GBRV. 
 
 
 
¶3.       (C)  Arreaza noted two new initiatives to improve the 
bilateral and regional dialogue.  The first, a U.S.-Venezuela 
Friendship Group, had been proposed by Ambassador Alvarez as a "non 
political, non-business" group composed of representatives from 
universities, cultural institutions, business, and think tanks. 
According to Arreaza, the ultimate purpose of this group is to 
facilitate government-to-government dialogue. 
 
 
 
¶4.       (C)  Arreaza said the second initiative was the Carter 
Center's new Andean Forum, in which Arreaza will participate and 
which President Carter will inaugurate in Atlanta on February 
23-24.  Hector Vanolli, the Carter Center Director in Venezuela, 
told Polcouns on February 11 that the Andean Forum had the 
enthusiastic support of Ambassador Alvarez, who had even proposed 
potential Venezuelan participants.  Alvarez reportedly met with 
Maduro on February 9 to seek his support for the Forum.  According 
to Vanolli, Jose Vicente Rangel is the leading advocate for 
dialogue with the United States within Chavista circles; Chavez, 
according to Vanolli, does not believe he needs dialogue - with the 
United States or anyone else - in order to advance his "Bolivarian" 
project. 
 
 
 
The Carter Center's Search for Dialogue 
 
 
 
¶5.       (C)  According to the Carter Center's Latin America 
Director Jennifer McCoy, who met with Polcouns in November, 
President Carter had raised with President Chavez and other Andean 
leaders the idea of an Andean Forum to establish unofficial 
channels of communication between and among the Andean countries 
and the United States.  The proposal is based on the Carter 
Center's experience facilitating dialogue between Ecuador and 
Colombia through groups of opinion-makers in both countries.  The 
proposal envisions the establishment of "core groups" of 5-6 
opinion-makers who would meet over a 2-year period to discuss 
issues that affect regional relations as well as the relationship 
between the region and the United States. 
 
CARACAS 00000185  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.        (C) Vanolli said the presidents of the four other Andean 
governments (Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador) had all 
personally agreed to this proposed Forum.  Foreign Minister Maduro, 
however, had refused to meet with McCoy during her November visit 
to Caracas.  Nevertheless, President Carter decided to go ahead 
with the proposal.  Because of the polarization in Venezuela, the 
Carter Center decided it would only consider Chavistas for 
membership in Venezuela's delegation since they believed the 
inclusion of "opposition" representatives would prevent Chavistas 
interested in dialogue from participating.  The Embassy has 
consistently urged the Carter Center to include non-Chavistas in 
the Venezuelan delegation. 
 
 
 
¶7.       (C)  Vanolli said Ambassador Alvarez' suggestions for 
possible participants had largely coincided with their own list and 
includes: 
 
 
 
a.       Rene Arreaza, former Director General of the Foreign 
Ministry 
 
b.      Maria Clan Stelling, Executive Director of CELARG (Centro 
de Estudios Latinoamericanos Romulo Gallegos) and Director of 
Global Watch Media 
 
c.       Eleazar Diaz Rangel, a prominent Chavista journalist and 
Director of "Ultimas Noticias," the highest-circulation newspaper, 
owned by the opposition Capriles family 
 
d.      Ana Maria Sanjuan, director of the Peace Center at the 
Universidad Central de Venezuela 
 
e.      Bishop Mario Moronta, a priest who apparently had opposed 
the 2002 coup 
 
 
 
¶8.       (C)  Vanolli said the Carter Center was considering other 
Venezuelan participants, including possibly Alberto Vollmer, a 
member of the family that owns Santa Teresa Rum and runs 
rehabilitation and training programs for former gang members. 
 
 
 
Maduro Out? 
 
 
 
¶9.        (C) Both Arreaza and National Assembly Second Vice 
President Jose Albornoz said that Foreign Minister Maduro would 
likely be joining the "campaign" (for the September legislative 
elections) and that Francisco Arias Cardenas, currently the Vice 
Minister for Latin America, would become the Foreign Minister. 
Albornoz noted that Arias Cardenas and Maduro "clashed." 
 
 
 
Comment 
 
 
 
¶10.   (C) With the currently proposed Venezuelan participant list, 
the Embassy is concerned that the Carter Center's Andean Forum 
could burnish the reputation of the Chavista "project" and 
undermine the democratic opposition and regional partners, since 
the Peruvian and Colombian delegations will include both government 
supporters and critics while the Venezuelan delegation will be 
solely Chavista.  Embassy believes that official U.S. participants 
in the February 23-24 event should encourage a more balanced 
Venezuelan delegation that better reflects the range of views 
within Venezuela. 
DUDDY