US embassy cable - 04ROME561

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000561 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR WHA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2014 
TAGS: PREL, CO, IT, HUMAN RIGHTS 
SUBJECT: ITALY: COLOMBIA NEEDS TO BE BETTER UNDERSTOOD 
 
REF: ROME 00427 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: POL M/C TOM COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY. IN THE ITALIAN MFA'S VIEW, COLOMBIA'S 
PRESIDENT URIBE RETURNED TO BOGOTA WITH MIXED RESULTS FROM 
HIS EUROPEAN VISIT. HIS ADDRESS TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 
WAS NOT WELL RECEIVED DUE TO CONTINUED EUROPEAN INSISTENCE ON 
    BETTER PERFORMANCE ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND RULE OF LAW ISSUES. 
ALTHOUGH HE WAS ABLE TO PRESENT THE REALITIES OF COLOMBIA'S 
PROBLEMS AND EXPLAIN GOC POLICIES, HE DID NOT GAIN THE 
SUPPORT HE DESIRED FOR A DONORS CONFERENCE AND GREATER 
FUNDING AND COOPERATION FROM THE EUROPEANS. IN ITALY, URIBE 
WAS BETTER RECEIVED, GAINING COMMITMENTS FOR FUNDING IN 
SPECIFIC PROGRAMS, RECOGNITION FOR HIS EFFORTS AND SUPPORT 
FOR GREATER BILATERAL COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2. (C) DANIELE RAMPAZZO, MFA SOUTH AMERICA OFFICE DIRECTOR, 
STATED THAT, ALTHOUGH URIBE MAY NOT HAVE ACHIEVED TANGIBLE 
RESULTS IN BRUSSELS, HE DID ACHIEVE ONE OF HIS PRIMARY GOALS 
BY GIVING GREATER EXPOSURE TO COLOMBIA'S SITUATION, 
PRESENTING THE REALITIES OF COLOMBIA'S CHALLENGES AND 
EXPLAINING THE GOC'S POLICIES. RAMPAZZO FELT THAT URIBE'S 
FAILURE WITH THE EUROPEANS WAS MORE A RESULT OF A LACK OF 
UNDERSTANDING ON THE PART OF THE EUROPEANS RATHER THAN ERRORS 
COMMITTED BY URIBE. EUROPEANS ARE SWAYED BY MEDIA AND PUBLIC 
OPINION WHICH, IN RAMPAZZO'A OPINION, DO NOT ACCURATELY 
REPRESENT THE REALITIES OF COLOMBIA'S PROBLEMS AND POLICIES. 
FURTHERMORE, RAMPAZZO FELT THAT THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT WAS 
NOT PREPARED TO RECEIVE URIBE WHICH WAS EVIDENCED BY THE 
DIVISIONS AMONG THE PARLIAMENTARIANS. 
 
3. (C) ALTHOUGH THE ITALIANS SHARE THE GENERAL EUROPEAN 
CONSENSUS THAT THE URIBE GOVERNMENT HAS TO SHOW GREATER 
PROGRESS AND ASSURANCES IN HUMAN RIGHTS AND RULE OF LAW 
ISSUES, THE ITALIANS HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE 
COLOMBIAN SITUATION DUE TO CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL 
SIMILARITIES. DUE TO THIS UNDERSTANDING, ITALY APPRECIATES 
    THE CHALLENGES FACED BY THE URIBE GOVERNMENT, UNDERSTANDS THE 
NEED FOR STRONG GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND PREFERS TO TAKE AN 
APPROACH OF PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION RATHER THAN 
CONDEMNATION, RAMPAZZO STATED. ALONG WITH THE UK, SPAIN AND 
TO A LESSER DEGREE FRANCE, ITALY BELIEVES THAT THE 
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOULD APPROACH COLOMBIA AS A PARTNER 
IN ITS FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS AND TERRORISM AND PROVIDE THE 
ENCOURAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION NEEDED TO ENSURE GREATER 
DEMOCRACY AND RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND RULE OF LAW. 
 
4. (C) RAMPAZZO STATED THAT ITALY RECOGNIZES URIBE'S EFFORTS 
AND BELIEVES HE IS THE BEST HOPE FOR COLOMBIA EVEN IF THE GOC 
IS STILL NOT IN LINE WITH INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS. URIBE'S 
VISIT MAY HAVE BEEN OVERSHADOWED BY PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY 
HEAD ABU ALA'S CONCURRENT VISIT, BUT URIBE NEVERTHELESS HAD 
THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, 
PARLIAMENTARIANS AND ECONOMIC LEADERS AND SUCCESSFULLY 
ADVANCED THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP. RAMPAZZO REPORTED THAT 
ITALY IS COMMITTED TO ONGOING FUNDING A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS 
THROUGH THE UN, INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND BILATERALLY 
INCLUDING 250,000 EURO THROUGH UNODC FOR AN ALTERNATIVE CROPS 
AND FOREST RANGER PROGRAM, 1.14 MILLION EURO THROUGH IOM FOR 
A SOCIAL REINTEGRATION OF CHILD SOLDIERS PROGRAM, 20,000 EURO 
THROUGH THE OAS FOR A DEMINING PROGRAM AND 10-15,000 EURO IN 
SUPPORT OF THE SRSG FOR COLOMBIA. IN ADDITION TO THIS 
FUNDING, ITALY IS WORKING BILATERALLY ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION 
BETWEEN SMALL AND MID-SIZE COMPANIES IN TARGETED SECTORS SUCH 
AS TEXTILES, FASHION AND JEWELRY. 
SEMBLER 
 
 

 
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	2004ROME00561 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL