By: KENNETH MAXWELL

Folha de São Paulo - Op-ed section - page A2     

Among the secret documents obtained by Valor under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, in addition to the cable on Dilma Rousseff discussed last week, there is another worthy of note: A cable from the Secretary of State Condolezza Rice to the American Embassy in Brasilia providing a detailed account of her meeting with Jose Dirceu on March 3, 2005. All of the text was intended to be censored. However, the entire text was inadvertently released and is accessible as document E 144 at www.valoronline.com.br/PDF/20050307Washington.pdf

In a private one on one session Dirceu and Rice discussed Venezuela. "In response to the Secretary's comment that Brazil needs to send a frank message to Venezuelan president Chavez, Dirceu stated that Lula had already counseled Chavez on the need to be more careful in his rhetoric (telling Chavez he was "playing with a loaded gun") and to focus on economic and social priorities.

He added that Brazil did not believe that Chavez is supporting the FARC." Well, this week Chavez belatedly took Lula's advice. Most probably this was the result of the quiet threat by Colombia to release The full details of another set of secret documents: those found in FARC laptops after Columbia attacked and killed FARC commander Raul Reyes in a cross border air and commando strike into Equador last April. There seems no doubt that the information the Colombians obtained from these laptops about Venezuelan financial and military support for FARC was accurate, despite Venezuela's continuing denials.

But one thing is clear: this week Chavez dramatically backtracked from his role as the prominent political supporter of the idea that the FARC should be recognized as legitimate force. In response to the killing of several FARC commanders and the death of its long-term commander Manuel Marulanda as well as the capture by Colombia of a Venezuelan national guard officer in eastern Colombia who was carrying 40,000 AK-47 assault rifle cartridges intended for the FARC, Chavez now says FARC should end its guerrilla war.

Chavez's less belligerent does offer the potential for one very positive diplomatic outcome: the release of the long-suffering hostages held by the FARC, including Ingrid Betencourt. Lets hope.

KENNETH MAXWELL is a weekly op-ed columnist (every Thursday) for Folha de São Paulo, Brazil's leading newspaper