Viewing cable 07STATE156011, PDAS KELLY CALLS IN BOLIVIAN AMBASSADOR GUZMAN

VZCZCXRO5968
OO RUEHAG RUEHROV
DE RUEHC #6011/01 3181455
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O R 141437Z NOV 07
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ IMMEDIATE 9397
INFO EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 3440
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 6224
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 2637
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 6808
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 9934
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 0984
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 7532

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 156011 

SIPDIS 

SIPDIS 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2017 
TAGS: BO EUN KDEM PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: PDAS KELLY CALLS IN BOLIVIAN AMBASSADOR GUZMAN 

REF: LA PAZ 2974 

Classified By: PDAS Craig Kelly, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 

SUMMARY 
------- 

¶1. (C) PDAS Craig Kelly called in Bolivian Ambassador Gustavo 
Guzman November 9 to express USG dissatisfaction about the 
Bolivian Government's (GOB) repeated verbal attacks against 
the USG. PDAS Kelly warned Guzman that GOB actions could 
negatively impact Bolivia's requests for trade preferences 
and development assistance. Note: Department hopes EU 
members resident in La Paz will support our appeal for calmer 
rhetoric; details to follow via septel. End Summary. 

HELP US HELP YOU: END THE ATTACKS 
---------------------------------- 

¶2. (C) PDAS Kelly told Ambassador Guzman (who was accompanied 
by Bolivian DCM Raul Barrios, First Secretary Davalos, and 
First Secretary Ayllon) that the USG wanted an open and 
positive relationship with Bolivia and was committed to 
helping Bolivia address poverty and counternarcotics 
challenges; however, the tone and frequency of the GOB,s 
political rhetoric and attacks against the USG caused us 
serious concern. Kelly said the baseless attacks against 
USAID and allegations of a USG conspiracy against the GOB 
were counterproductive and made it difficult to sustain 
positive will. Actions have consequences, Kelly admonished, 
and the GOB,s actions threatened MCC, ATPA, and future AID 
programs. Kelly specifically noted MCC President 
Danilovich,s and other high level officials, negative 
reaction to the GOB,s attacks against the USG. 

¶3. (C) Kelly also said that the personal attacks against 
Ambassador Goldberg, who enjoys an excellent reputation 
throughout the USG, must stop immediately. Recent 
accusations that Ambassador Goldberg was working with 
Colombian paramilitaries were not only groundless and 
offensive but also made light of the USG's support for the 
Government of Colombia's success in reining in illegal armed 
groups and our overall policy against narcoterrorism. 
Department hopes EU members resident in La Paz will support 
our appeal for calmer rhetoric; details to follow via septel. 


DON'T PICK ON EVO, HE'S JUST A COCALERO 
--------------------------------------- 

¶4. (C) Ambassador Guzman assured PDAS Kelly that he would 
convey USG concerns to President Morales via the MFA and 
expressed his commitment to overcoming these challenges. He 
attempted to explain away Morales, behavior, recalling 
Bolivia's conflictive history, Morales, indigenous 
background and cocalero base of support, and the Bolivian 
President's belief that Bolivian elites and one former USG 
ambassador in particular had worked actively to undermine 
him. Guzman said that Morales, rhetoric played to his 
cocalero constituency which viewed him as their champion 
against imperialism. His campaign for social inclusion 
represented an important democratic movement not only for 
Bolivia, Guzman stressed, but for all of Latin America -- 
particularly the heretofore excluded indigenous population. 
PDAS Kelly interjected that the USG shared Morales, vision 
for eradicating poverty and social inclusion; however, it was 
offensive and unacceptable to seek to portray the U.S., which 
was an important ally of Bolivia's in this regard, as 
imperialist. 

¶5. (C) Guzman said his objective was to build trust and 
confidence between the U.S. and Bolivia and agreed that 
bilateral disagreements should be resolved privately through 
diplomatic channels, not in the press. He lamented the lack 
of coordination between Bolivia's MFA and office of the 
Presidency, and said that FM Choquehuanca continued to 
promote a one-on-one breakfast for Morales and Ambassador 
Goldberg to help resolve outstanding differences and put the 
bilateral relationship on a more solid footing. 

GOB RADAR: TRADE, DRUGS, AND THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY 

STATE 00156011 002 OF 002 


--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
¶6. (C) Guzman said that like Peru and Colombia, Bolivia 
sought an open commercial relationship with the U.S.; to that 
end, Minister of Economic Development Cecilia Sosa was 
planning to visit Washington to lobby for an extension of 
Bolivia's ATPA benefits and would request appropriate 
appointments in the Department. Regarding pending removal 
proceedings for Bolivian drug trafficker Arce Gomez, Guzman 
reiterated his request that the Department support efforts to 
prevent Arce Gomez from being deported to a third country 
instead of Bolivia when he completed his jail sentence. 
Kelly said this was a DHS matter and promised the Office of 
Andean affairs would continue to facilitate the Bolivian 
embassy's contacts with the appropriate USG officials. In 
closing, Guzman offered his thoughts on Bolivia's troubled 
Constituent Assembly, noting that its probable demise would 
represent a major failure for the opposition as well as the 
GOB. He predicted that if the Constituent Assembly did not 
succeed, Morales would likely put the issues under 
consideration directly to the people in a referendum. 
RICE