Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 5064 / 251,287

### Articles

Brazil Sri Lanka United Kingdom Sweden Editorial United States Latin America Egypt Yemen Jordan

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/10 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07 2011/02/08 2011/02/09 2011/02/10 2011/02/11 2011/02/12 2011/02/13 2011/02/14 2011/02/15 2011/02/16 2011/02/17 2011/02/18 2011/02/19 2011/02/20 2011/02/21 2011/02/22 2011/02/23 2011/02/24 2011/02/25 2011/02/26 2011/02/27 2011/02/28
2011/03/01 2011/03/02

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 86 88 89 90 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1986/05
1988/01
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08
2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/07 2001/10
2002/02 2002/03 2002/11
2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Amsterdam American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Hermosillo Consulate Hamburg
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Ljubljana Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy La Paz Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Mbabane Embassy Maputo Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey
Embassy New Delhi Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Naples
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Consulate Vladivostok
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
ASEC AJ AM AF AR AMGT AE AU AGMT AG AS AORC AFIN APER ABUD ATRN AL AEMR ACOA AO AX AMED ADCO AODE AFFAIRS AC ASIG ABLD AA AFU ASUP AROC ATFN AVERY APCS AER ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG AEC APECO
BTIO BEXP BL BR BM BH BA BE BK BRUSSELS BX BU BO BIDEN BY BG BF BB BC BBSR BMGT BTIU BILAT
CIA CACM CDB CU CH CI CS CVIS CA CO CBW CASC CD CV CMGT CLINTON CE CJAN CG CF CN CAN COUNTER CDG CIS CM CONDOLEEZZA COE CR CY CTM COUNTRY CLEARANCE CPAS CWC CT CKGR CB CACS COM CJUS CARSON CL COUNTERTERRORISM
DEAX DR DA DHS DOE DEA DK DJ DISENGAGEMENT DS DTRA DOD
EI EFIN ECON EAID ETRD EINV ENRG EAIR ELAB EN EAGR ETTC EPET EU EIND EWWT EUN EG ELTN EREL ER EMIN ECIN ECPS EFIS EINT EZ ET EC ECONEFIN ENVR ES ECA ELN EXTERNAL EINVETC ENIV EINN ENGR EUR ESA ENERG EK ENGY ETRO ELECTIONS ECUN EINVEFIN ECIP EINDETRD EUC
FR FINR FAO FTAA FREEDOM FI FARC FBI FJ FMLN
GG GM GH GA GV GE GT GR GTIP GOI GCC GAZA GZ GTMO
HA HU HR HILLARY HUMAN HO HYMPSK HURI HK HSTC
IR IS IZ IT ICTY IV IN IQ ICAO INTERPOL IPR INRB IAEA IRAJ INRA INRO IO IC ID IIP ITPHUM IWC ISRAELI IRAQI ICRC IMO IF ILC IEFIN INTELSAT IL IA IBRD IMF INR IRC ITALY ITALIAN
JAMES JO JA JOSEPH JP JOHNNIE JUS
KPAL KNNP KGCC KSUM KPIN KDRG KTFN KU KPAO KCRM KDEM KWBG KG KBIO KHIV KSCA KAWK KISL KN KS KHLS KCOR KZ KE KSPR KJUS KFRD KTIP KIPR KPKO KNUC KMDR KGHG KPLS KOLY KUNR KIRF KIRC KACT KGIC KRAD KCOM KMCA KV KHDP KVPR KDEV KWMN KMPI KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KCFC KTIA KPRP KAWC KCIP KCFE KOCI KTDB KMRS KLIG KBCT KICC KGIT KSTC KPAK KNEI KSEP KPOA KFLU KNUP KNNPMNUC KOMC KO KTER KHUM KRFD KBTR KDDG KWWMN KFLO KSAF KBTS KPRV KNPP KNAR KWMM KERG KFIN KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KTBT KCRS KRVC KSTH KREL KNSD KPAI KHSA KR KPWR KWAC KMIG KSEC KIFR KDEMAF
LG LH LE LY LU LI LO LOG LT
MOPS MARR MASS MX MCAP MIL MNUC MTCRE MO ML MR MZ MPOS MOPPS MTCR MAPP MU MY MA MG MASC MCC MEPP MK MTRE MP MDC MAR MEPI MRCRE MI MT MQADHAFI MD MAPS MUCN MASSMNUC MERCOSUR
NIPP NATO NU NI NPT NG NL NO NE NS NAR NZ NPG NK NSG NA NT NASA NGO NP NSF NATIONAL
OSAC OAS OPRC OVIP OEXC OIIP ODIP OREP OFDP OPDC OTRA OSCE OPIC OECD OPCW OSCI OIE OIC OTR OVP OFFICIALS
PREL PGOV PINR PTER PINS PHUM PROP PK PARM PINL PL POL PREF PE PBIO PSOE PBTS PHSA PKFK PO PGOF PA PARMS PORG PM PMIL PTERE PF PALESTINIAN PY PGGV PNR POV PAK PAO PFOR PHALANAGE PARTY PRGOV PNAT PROV PEL PINF PGOVE POLINT PRL PRAM PMAR PGOVLO PHUMBA PHUS POLITICS PEPR PSI PINT PU POLITICAL PARTIES PECON POGOV
QA
RS RU RW RP RO RIGHTS RICE ROBERT RF RFE REGION
SOCI SP SY SA SENV SCUL SR SNAR STEINBERG SF SW SU SL SG SMIG SO SN SHUM SZ SYR ST SANC SC SAN SIPRS SK SH SI
TS TU TX TBIO TW TSPA TH TIP TI TRGY TC TR TT TERRORISM TO TFIN TD TSPL TZ TPHY TK TNGD TINT TRSY
UK UNSC UP UG UV US UN UNGA USEU USUN UY UZ UNO UNMIK UNESCO UE UAE UNEP USTR UNHCR UNDP UNHRC USAID UNCHS UNAUS UNCHC
VE VZ VN VT VM VTPREL
WTRO WA WI WZ WMO WTRQ WHO WWARD WB WBG WEU WTO
XM XR XS XL XK XH XA XF XT XY XG XC XZ XW XD XE
YM YI YE
ZB ZI ZF ZP ZK ZANU ZOELLICK ZR ZU ZA ZO ZJ

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 07LIMA2129, REFORM WITHOUT REVOLUTION: THE VIEW FROM PUNO

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #07LIMA2129.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
07LIMA2129 | 2007-06-19 17:05 | 2011-02-25 12:12 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Lima

`

    VZCZCXYZ0000
    PP RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHPE #2129/01 1701712
    ZNR UUUUU ZZH
    P 191712Z JUN 07
    FM AMEMBASSY LIMA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5894
    INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 1681
    RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 4772
    RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7409
    RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0477
    RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JUN MONTEVIDEO 9201
    RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 1284
    RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 1330
    RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
    RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
    RHMFIUU/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

` `

    UNCLAS LIMA 002129

    SIPDIS

    SENSITIVE
    SIPDIS

    USEU PASS TO MCKINLEY

    E.O. 12958: N/A
    TAGS: CU PE PGOV PINR PTER SNAR VE
    SUBJECT: REFORM WITHOUT REVOLUTION: THE VIEW FROM PUNO

    REF: A. LIMA 1841

         ¶B. LIMA 2000
         ¶C. LIMA 2...
    id: 112682
    date: 6/19/2007 17:12
    refid: 07LIMA2129
    origin: Embassy Lima
    classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
    destination: 07LIMA1841
    header:
    VZCZCXYZ0000
    PP RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHPE #2129/01 1701712
    ZNR UUUUU ZZH
    P 191712Z JUN 07
    FM AMEMBASSY LIMA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5894
    INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 1681
    RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 4772
    RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7409
    RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0477
    RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JUN MONTEVIDEO 9201
    RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 1284
    RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 1330
    RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
    RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
    RHMFIUU/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

    ----------------- header ends ----------------

    UNCLAS LIMA 002129

    SIPDIS

    SENSITIVE
    SIPDIS

    USEU PASS TO MCKINLEY

    E.O. 12958: N/A
    TAGS: CU PE PGOV PINR PTER SNAR VE
    SUBJECT: REFORM WITHOUT REVOLUTION: THE VIEW FROM PUNO

    REF: A. LIMA 1841

         ¶B. LIMA 2000
         ¶C. LIMA 2009
         ¶D. LIMA 2026

    Sensitive But Unclassified, Please Handle Accordingly.

    ¶1.  (SBU) Comment: Despite grinding poverty, bumbling local
    government, and flaring racial animosities, revolutionary
    political action in the altiplano department of Puno is
    unlikely, even though Puno is an historic center of Peruvian
    radicalism.  Regional officials describe themselves as
    pragmatic leftists in desperate need of funds to build
    schools, roads, and medical clinics.  The opposition, NGOs,
    the press, and political analysts say the real issue is
    competence, not money or ideology, with an inept and
    increasingly unpopular regional president, Hernan Fuentes,
    attacking opponents in an attempt to hold on to office.
    Enough smoke exists to suggest Venezuelan agents are trying
    to exploit the unrest, but in Puno, as in much of Peru,
    long-standing local grievances predate Venezuelan meddling.
    The example of Puno suggests Bolivarian propaganda carries
    little weight for dissatisfied citizens seeking tangible
    benefits from local governments.  In spite of the glaring
    failures of democratic representatives to deliver services,
    most citizens of Puno are seeking reform, not revolution.
    End Comment

    --------------------
    The Problems in Puno
    --------------------

    ¶2.  (SBU) The southern highland province of Puno, with a
    regional capital of the same name, has long been one of
    Peru's most isolated and singular areas, noted for fiercely
    independent Aymara communities in the south, wide-open
    smuggling across the long border with Bolivia, and an
    affinity for far-left radicalism.  The region is 80 per cent
    indigenous.  Regional president Hernan Fuentes of the Advanza
    Pais party won elections in November 2006, with the smallest
    plurality of any candidate in the country -- 20 per cent of
    the popular vote; runner-up Jose Bautista received 19 per
    cent.

    ¶3.  (SBU) Fuentes told poloff June 7 that his government is
    pragmatic, not ideological, and would accept help from anyone
    who offered it.  In his words, "If the United States would
    give me money, I would be a capitalist."  Fuentes added that
    the number one issue facing the government was unsafe and
    poorly maintained roads -- trips of less than 300 kilometers
    can take as long as 24 hours -- and he lambasted the Garcia
    administration for ignoring the province and for failing to
    provide the funds necessary to repair crumbling
    infrastructure.  He also criticized NGOs, who he said "have
    not completed one public work in the last 20 years."  Fuentes
    plans to convoke NGOs to obtain a clear accounting of how
    they have spent funds, and he is looking into the possibility
    of requiring international donors to give aid directly to the
    regional government.

    ¶4.  (SBU) The Director General of education in Puno, Saul
    Bermejo, described the quality of public education in Puno as
    "dismal."  Many classes are held in condemned buildings that
    pose a safety threat to schoolchildren.  Eighty-six percent
    of students are unable to perform at the appropriate grade
    level, and no bi-lingual programs exist, even though most
    children entering school do not speak Spanish.  Local schools
    follow a curriculum dictated by the central government, which
    emphasizes memorization of literary classics, a pedagogy that
    Bermejo says fails to interest the children of poor farmers.
    Bermejo noted that 40 per cent of public school children in
    Puno's sister city of Juliaca attend private schools, a clear
    repudiation of the provincial public school system.

    ¶5.  (SBU) The director of the Bolivarian Alternative for
    Latin America (ALBA) center, Maricail Maydana, and the
    regional director for decentralization, Cesar Esquivel,
    complained that 70 percent of Puno's citizens live in
    poverty, but the central government fails to provide the
    funding needed to offer adequate health care.  Maydana said
    the regional government, in desperation, had turned to
    Venezuela for help, and Venezuela had responded by
    subsidizing medical treatment for Puno residents in the
    nearby town of Copacabana, Bolivia.  Esquivel emphasized that
    Venezuela offered pragmatic not ideological support, and he
    said the regional government was socialist only in the sense
    that it sought a fairer distribution of resources.  Esquivel
    said Fuentes was a leftist, but a "Puno leftist," who would
    create a from of government independent of the model offered
    by either Venezuela or Cuba.

    ------------------------
    Politics without Results
    ------------------------

    ¶6.  (SBU) Fuentes' critics -- and they are many -- have
    complained that the problem in Puno is not lack of money but
    Fuentes' inability to govern.  After six months in power, the
    government has spent less than one percent of the annual
    funds earmarked for public works and has yet to announce
    plans for social development.  The only jobs filled in the
    regional government have gone to eight members of Fuentes'
    immediate family, including his sister and uncle.  Fuentes
    has clashed openly and repeatedly with the provincial
    assembly over plans to reduce municipal salaries, and
    relations have deteriorated to the point that the
    administration and regional legislature  no longer meet
    regularly.

    ¶7.  (SBU) NGOs and members of the press say there is a darker
    side to Fuentes' incompetence.  They allege that Fuentes has
    organized local thugs to intimidate political opponents and
    has threatened to dissolve the regional  assembly.  Fuentes'
    complaints about NGOs, they say, represent a thinly-disguised
    attempt to muzzle civil society and to divert international
    aid to governmental coffers.  Javier Torres of the NGO
    Servicios Educativo Regales says Fuentes is also a racist.
    In the November 2006 elections, he made overt appeals to
    Quechan nationalism to counter the Aymara-supported campaign
    of Bautista.  Torres says Fuentes is heavily influenced by
    the "ethnocacerism" of Antauro Humala, a murky philosophy
    that seeks to return Peru to a past when only indigenous
    persons wielded political power (reftels A and C).

    -------------------
    The Aymara Response
    -------------------

    ¶8. (SBU) Fuentes' direct appeals for Quechua support have not
    gone over well in Aymara-speaking regions of southern Puno,
    which contain the majority of the population.  (These regions
    split their vote in the 2006 elections, allowing Fuentes to
    win.)  In mid-May the Aymara mayors of four districts in the
    south formed the Union of Municipalities (UMA), a political
    party seeking greater social development in local villages
    and advocating closer ties with Aymara communities in
    northern Bolivia.  According to Woodrow Andia, the director
    of CARE in Puno, this kind of Aymara nationalism flares
    periodically in Puno when social tensions rise.  Andia says
    Felipe Quispe, an Aymara leader from Bolivia with ties to
    terrorism, makes periodic trips to UMA areas to try to win
    support.

    ---------------------------
    Where is the Bolivarianism?
    ---------------------------

    ¶9.  (SBU) Javier Molina of the NGO Peru Network in Puno says
    Venezuelan operatives have approached UMA representatives
    with offers of support (Molina has no direct evidence of
    this, but has heard it is the case).  Molina insists the
    Venezuelans have met a cold reception, because the Aymaras
    seek social development in geographically limited areas and
    are uninterested in socialism or in larger questions of
    international politics.  Fuentes' close association with
    Caracas, moreover, has discredited Venezuela in the eyes of
    many Aymara leaders.

    ¶10. (SBU) Political analysts and reporters estimate that less
    than 25 percent of voters are sympathetic to Bolivarianism,
    and analysts note that the ruling APRA party pulled 16
    percent of the vote in provincial elections.  (Evo Morales is
    widely popular, but he is admired for his poor, indigenous
    background, not for his political views.)  Andia calls the
    regional government's calls for socialism and public embrace
    of Venezuelan diplomats a "marketing ploy" designed to draw
    attention away from Fuentes' inability to get anything done.
    Political analyst Percy Medina says that Puno is a
    traditional stronghold of radicalism, but a radicalism that
    lacks ideological content and represents a repudiation of all
    things Lima.  According to Medina, Ollanta Humala won
    widespread support in the 2006 presidential elections by
    portraying himself as the anti-establishment candidate, but
    one year later, his support has dropped to less than 10 per
    cent of the population, because Puno residents doubt his
    radical nationalism can improve their lives.

    --------------------------------------------- ------
    Comment: Decentralization, Venezuela, and Democracy
    --------------------------------------------- ------

    ¶11.  (SBU) A politically clumsy regional president lacking
    the technical skills to run government presents hard choices
    for the ambitious decentralization plans of President Garcia
    (reftel D).  If Garcia sends funds to Puno, the money may be
    wasted or strengthen a regional president with a lukewarm
    commitment to democracy.  If Puno is starved of funds, social
    discontent could find outlet in one of the many forms of
    radicalism present in Puno.  For now, most residents blame
    Fuentes for doing nothing to fix bad schools and bad roads,
    but if provincial inaction continues, the smoldering distrust
    and resentment that exists towards local government is likely
    to be redirected towards Lima.  Former president Alberto
    Fujimori won over the province by funding social development
    directly from Lima, bypassing local officials, an
    anti-democratic option unavailable to Garcia.

    ¶12.  (SBU) The widespread media coverage in Lima of the
    Bolivarian threat in Puno (reftel B) shows the danger of
    viewing all conflict through the lens of Venezuelan
    agitation.  Many in Puno say Venezuelan diplomats are handing
    over cash to campesino leaders in the countryside to foment
    protests -- though hard facts are missing -- but the
    ubiquitous poverty of the region provides sufficient reason
    for unrest without Venezuelan meddling.  Puno's long history
    of smuggling makes most residents practical opportunists
    uninterested in ideology.  Campesinos will take Venezuelan
    money, but it is doubtful that cash will buy long-term
    support or allow Bolivarianism to gain ascendance in the
    swirling currents of Puno radicalism.

    ¶13.  (SBU) Finally, in spite of a regional government on the
    verge of failure six months into a five year term, the anger
    in Puno remains focused on holding local officials
    accountable for substandard services, not on a desire for
    revolutionary change.  Few want to return to the turmoil that
    marked the 10-year struggle against terrorism, and the demand
    for social and political transformation voiced by Bolivarian,
    communist, nationalist, and ethnocacerist leaders in Puno is
    not shared by the general populace.  Fuentes is likely to
    face mounting protests in the coming months, but protests
    that  focus on the need to find more doctros and teachers.
    Radicals are popular because the central government is often
    seen as indifferent to local needs, but even radicals, at
    some point, will have to make sure the trains run on time.

    STRUBLE

    =======================CABLE ENDS============================

`