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### Viewing cable 05MADRID1604, SPANISH DEFENSE MINISTER: VENEZUELA DEAL DESIGNED

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
05MADRID1604 | 2005-04-26 06:06 | 2010-12-08 21:09 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Madrid

`

    This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 001604

    SIPDIS

    STATE FOR EUR/WE, EUR/RPM, WHA/AND AND WHA/CCA
    DEFENSE FOR OSD/ISP (P. GRAFF)

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/26/2015
    TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER MOPS SP
    SUBJECT: SPANISH DEFENSE MINISTER: VENEZUELA DEAL DESIGNED
    TO SAVE SHIPYARD

    Classified By: Charge d,Affaires J. Robert Manzanares,
    reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

    ¶1. (C) Summary: In a meeting with Charge April 22,
    Minister of Defense Jose Bono said the only reason Spain was
    selling military ships to Venezuela was to help troubled Izar
    shipyard. Protesting Izar workers had put a lot of pressure
    on the Zapatero government, said Bono. He assured Charge
    that none of the ships would have offensive capabilities. He
    said Spain "is with the U.S." on international security
    issues, such as Afghanistan, but it seems the U.S. only
    focuses on the problems in the Spain-U.S. relationship. Bono
    hopes his May 3 meeting with SecDef Rumsfeld is very positive
    and shows Spanish voters the countries' defense relations are
    excellent. End summary.

    ¶2. (C) On the sale to Venezuela, Bono asked Charge not to
    pay attention to press accounts of the sale because "every
    time the press talks about it we're selling something
    different." The opposition Popular Party is interested in
    ruining relations between the Zapatero and Bush
    administrations and so fuels inaccurate media accounts of the
    sale. Spain, said Bono, is selling a total of eight patrol
    ships to the Chavez government and 12 transport planes. The
    planes will have no armaments and the patrol ships will have
    only machine guns. Neither the planes nor the ships will be
    used offensively. Charge countered the notion that the USG's
    concern about the sale was related to U.S. commercial
    interests. The U.S. believed the sale would contribute to
    Chavez' military might and political credibility and would
    make him more able to destabilize the region and continue his
    anti-democratic maneuvers in his own country.

    ¶3. (C) Bono said that if he spoke English he would have
    called Rumsfeld himself to explain why Spain was making this
    sale. He said it boiled down to saving the ailing
    state-owned shipyard Izar. Izar's workers have been
    protesting against Zapatero government, clamoring for a fix
    for the company's financial woes. Bono said the Venezuela
    sale was one way the Zapatero government could significantly
    help Izar. The sale would be Izar's biggest in the last 10
    years. Bono added that he had informed Colombian president
    Uribe of the sale, and he raised no objections.

    ¶4. (C) In addition, said Bono, other European countries with
    good relations with the U.S. sell military equipment to
    Venezuela, such as Sweden. Also, the U.S. does not limit
    military sales only to democratic countries -- the U.S. sells
    military equipment to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco and
    Pakistan.

    ¶5. (C) Bono said Spain is "with the United States," and has
    demonstrated this by deciding to lead a provincial
    reconstruction team and forward support base in western
    Afghanistan. He noted that even though the Aznar government
    wanted to take Spanish troops out of Kosovo, the Zapatero
    government has decided to leave them there. He also cited
    Spain's troop presence in Haiti as another example of Spain's
    willingness to cooperate with the U.S. on international
    security matters. When considering how loyal Spain has been
    as an ally, the U.S. should also look at the access Spain has
    continued to give U.S. troops at Rota and Moron military
    bases. "It seems," Bono said, "that we are doing everything
    the U.S. wants, but the U.S. still doesn't like what we're
    doing."

    ¶6. (C) Bono said he hopes his visit to Washington will show
    the Spanish public that relations with the U.S. are
    excellent. "I have to show my clients the trip was worth it,
    was very productive" commented Bono. Bono reminded Charge
    that he was the only minister to attend the Embassy's
    election night party in November. "We would like to be
    rewarded for our cooperation with the U.S., not required to
    pay a toll," said the minister.

    ¶7. (C) Turning to the S-80 submarine weapons system
    contract, Bono said the Spanish government is nearing a
    decision on the deal. He said the two American companies
    vying for the deal are well positioned, but French president
    Chirac has asked Zapatero to give the contract to a French
    company. Bono intimated that the S-80 contract had the
    potential to improve U.S.-Spain relations and is "not just a
    project to build four submarines," said Bono, "but will
    involve future contracts for 35-40 years." If awarded to an
    American company, the contract would also increase
    interoperability between the Spanish and U.S. navies.

    ¶8. (C) Bono also said he hoped he could get closure from
    Secretary Rumsfeld on the releasability to Spain of the

    SIPDIS
    Tomahawk missile. Charge mentioned that Embassy had the
    impression based on meetings with high-ranking members of the
    Spanish military that Spain was undecided about purchasing
    the missile if it were made available. "We want the
    Tomahawk," said Bono, "I want to be clear on that."

    ¶9. (C) Comment: Bono is a Socialist Party "baron" whom
    Zapatero narrowly beat out in 2000 to lead the party. He is
    one of the Socialists' main Catholic conservatives and
    remains one of the most popular political figures in Spain.
    He thus has considerable influence and popularity if not
    lengthy experience with substantive defense issues. And
    while the chief of defense is well respected, he defers to
    Bono, as do the services.

    ¶10. (C) Comment continued: Bono took pains to convince us
    the only reason Spain was selling military equipment to the
    Chavez government was to help ailing Izar. Although saving
    Izar is likely the principal reason for the sale, Zapatero's
    interest in engaging Chavez is no doubt another goal.
    Zapatero believes that by engaging Chavez, he can gain some
    influence over him. Bono's remarks also show he believes
    Spain has not gotten enough credit from the U.S. for its
    cooperation in Afghanistan and other areas, and that the U.S.
    government is focusing only on the problem areas in our
    relations with Spain, not on the positives.

    MANZANARES

`