Cablegate: Venezuelan Government Uses Dca to Justify Arms

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

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