Après le crash du 16 août 2005…où 152 passagers originaires de Martinique ont trouvé la mort, Wikileaks mentionne dans un câble US l’opportunité pour la France d’accélérer les échanges commerciaux avec Hugo Chavez (Armes, Avions, transport, pièces détachées, échanges d’étudiants…). Sans commentaire mais comment taire ?
(C) France sees no downside for now in pushing its
economic interests over human rights and other
considerations, especially since U.S.-Venezuelan tensions
offer possibilities for new sales. We thus can expect the
French to continue to pursue investment and arms sales
opportunities. French toughness on Iran is more a reflection
of its own involvement in the EU3 negotiations than its
concerns about Venezuela per se. The only surprise was just
how warmly Chavez seems to have been welcomed. Pinard
attributed this to a friendship that has developed between
members of the GoF and Chavez, as well as genuine
appreciation for Venezuelan assistance following the deaths
of 162 French passengers of an airliner that crashed in
Venezuela over the summer. There are also personal factors:
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin spent part of his
childhood in Venezuela, and Chavez's back-slapping,
"Caribbean" expansiveness is a match for Chirac's, according
to Pinard.
