Venezuelans Criticize U.S.'s Ambassador-Designate

By DAN MOLINSKI

CARACAS—The likely next U.S. ambassador to Venezuela has been criticized by supporters of President Hugo Chávez following remarks about "morale and equipment problems" in the Venezuelan military and about an alleged "clear" link between people in the Chávez government and Marxist Colombian guerrillas.

The comments by Larry Palmer, who was nominated by President Barack Obama in June to be the U.S.'s top diplomat in Venezuela, are likely to further strain testy relations between Caracas and Washington.

"Larry Palmer hasn't even arrived in Venezuela and he's already casting stones," Andrés Izarra, Venezuela's former communications minister and the current president of the pro-Chavez television network Telesur, said on TV on Tuesday night. "His comments reveal a negative prejudice against Venezuela."

Other backers of Mr. Chavez also have publicly criticized Mr. Palmer's comments.

A confirmation vote in the U.S. Senate for Mr. Palmer's nomination will likely take place in September.

Ahead of that vote, Mr. Palmer has been answering written questions from individual U.S. senators about the state of affairs in Venezuela and the often-tense relations between Caracas and Washington.

(note to Senators, send question to KRY Agoracom, we know everything about Venezuela)

Trade relations between the two countries are strong. Venezuela is the fourth-biggest supplier of crude oil to the U.S., while Venezuela is the U.S.'s third-largest export market in Latin America.

But diplomatic ties are problematic. Mr. Chávez, a firebrand socialist in power for 11 years, criticizes the U.S. government for its capitalist and "imperialist" policies. He kicked the current U.S. ambassador, Patrick Duddy, out of Venezuela in September 2008 for nearly a year in a show of solidarity with Bolivia after Bolivian President Evo Morales removed the top U.S. diplomat in La Paz for allegedly inciting violence.

Mr. Palmer says he'd like to see bilateral relations improve, though his recent comments suggest he is nonetheless willing to criticize the Chávez government.

In response to questions last week from Sen. Richard Lugar (R., Ind.), Mr. Palmer criticized the Chávez government's handling of Venezuela's armed forces, citing weak morale and equipment maintenance problems. He also asserted that the promotion of officers has become a politicized affair.

"There has been a noted preference for political loyalty over professional talent," Mr. Palmer said. "Morale is reported to be considerably low, particularly due to politically oriented appointments."

Telesur's Mr. Izarra said Venezuela's ambassador to Washington would never be able to make similar comments about the U.S. military.

Mr. Palmer's remarks come at a sensitive time for Venezuela's armed forces. Last month, Mr. Chávez said he was mobilizing troops for possible war with neighboring Colombia.

Regarding the Colombia-Venezuela row, Mr. Palmer noted that Venezuela hasn't fought a foreign war since its independence nearly 200 years ago. (talk talk talk Chavez)

Colombia's battle-hardened military has been fighting the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, for more than 40 years, and is considered highly professional.

Last month, Mr. Chávez broke off diplomatic relations with neighboring Colombia after Bogota's envoy to the Organization of American States made a case that FARC rebels were taking refuge in Venezuela with the de facto consent of the government in Caracas.

Mr. Chávez denies providing a safe haven to Colombian rebels or supporting them in any way.

Ambassador-designate Palmer suggested he has a different take on the issue. "I am keenly aware of the clear ties between members of the Venezuelan government and Colombian guerillas," he said. "The Venezuelan government has been unwilling to prevent Colombian guerillas from entering and establishing camps in Venezuelan territory."

Mr. Palmer, a former U.S. ambassador to Honduras under President George W. Bush, also noted his worries about Cubans seeded within the Venezuelan military, saying that as Cuba and Venezuela increase their military-to-military ties, he is worried that "Cuba's influence within the Venezuelan military will grow."