Page 279 - Argentina - Carter, Regan, and Bush VP

No Objection To Declassification in i-ull 2013/02/04 : NLC-24-69-1-4-4

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Key Foreign Reactions (Pastor)

Venezuela

Venezuelan President Perez praised the President in his March 11
annual address to the Congress. Specific references in the three-hour
presentation included:

reference to the President's February 2'i letter as a "categorical"
refutation of the assertions in the New York Times of CIA payments,
and indicative of the President's "noble moral stature";

a description in glowing terms of the "tremendous progress"
being made in the Panama Canal negotiations and of the President's
emphasis on the global observance of human rights and effort
to bring a halt to nuclear proliferation.

The praise reflects the extent to which Administration initiatives have
struck a responsive chord with Perez. The Venezuelan leader not only
refrained from criticizing us, an action always popular in nationalistic
Venezuela, but showed himself willing to take international flak — Brazil
reportedly has already postponed a May Foreign Minister visit over his
nuclear proliferation remark — in order to identify ideologically with
specific policies of the Administration.

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