[Editor’s note: The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1978CARACA11175_d.html.]
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CARACA 11175 272046Z
ACTION ARA-15
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 SCS-06 SS-15 SSO-00 CA-01 H-02 DODE-00 /040 W
——————098791 272059Z /61
O 272013Z NOV 78
FM AMEMBASSY CARACAS
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4784
INFO AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN IMMEDIATE
UNCLAS CARACAS 11175
E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: CASC, OREP RYAN, LEO), GY, VE
SUBJECT: SMALL AIRCRAFT REQUIREMENTS FOR GUYANA
REF: A) STATE 295945; B) CARACAS 11112
1. EMBASSY WAS ABLE TO CONTACT PRESIDENT OF LINEA AEROPOSTAL VENEZTLANA (LAV) AIR FORCE BRIGADIER GENERAL OSCAR ALI ARAQUE. CONTRARY TO EMBASSY’S EARLIER IMPRESSION. LAV EOES, IN FACT, HAVE SOME TWIN OTTERS.
2. GENERAL ARAQUE STATED THAT AFTER THE LOSS OF ONE UNIT IN A CRASH, LAV NOW HAS AVAILABLE ONLY FIVE TWIN OTTERS WHICH ARE IN DAILY SERVICE FLYING TO SMALL AIRPORTS SOUTH OF THE ORINOCO. IT WOULD THEREFORE BE VERY DIFFICULT TO MAKE AVAILABLE TWO UNITS. HOWEVER, THE GENERAL PROMISED TO BRING MATTER UP WITH MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS AFTERNOON OF NOV. 27, AND, WHILE NOT MAKING ANY COMMITMENTS, SEES THE POSSIBILITY OF MAKING AVAILABLE ONE UNIT FOR A LIMITED PERIOD OF TIME. IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER THIS WOULD BE LOAN OR LEASE
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BUT PROBABLY THE LATTER.
3. THE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS OPERATES TWO SHORTS SKYVANS, MAINLY IN LIAISON AND IN NAVAIDS MAINTENANCE WORK. THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF AIR TRANSPORT AND TRAFFIC, GENERAL SUAREZ, IS ON LEAVE FOR ANOTHER TWO WEEKS; HIS DEPUTY IS FLYING IN THE INTERIOR OF THE COUNTRY. IN ANY CASE, THE FINAL DECISION ON THE SKYVANS WOULE HAVE TO BE MADE BY THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT COMMUNICATIONS.
4. EMBASSY WILL APPROACH THE MINISTER REGARDING THE LAV TWIN OTTER AND THE MINISTRY’S SKYVANS.
5. FOREGOING PASSED TO GUYANESE AMBASSADOR.
6. ARE AIRCRAFT STILL DESIRED?
LUERS [William Luers, American Ambassador to Venezuela]
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