US embassy cable - 04BOGOTA2840

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 002840 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2014 
TAGS: PREL, ECON, PTER, PREF, CO, EC 
SUBJECT: ECUADOR PRESIDENT GUTIERREZ VISITS COLOMBIA 
 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor E. Alex Lee, Reasons: 1.4 B & D. 
 
1.  (SBU) Summary:  In a two-day visit to Colombia, Ecuador's 
President Lucio Gutierrez met with President Alvaro Uribe, FM 
Carolina Barco, Bogota Mayor Lucho Garzon, and business 
leaders; spoke to a joint session of Congress; and was 
honored with Colombia's highest medal.  Border control, 
immigration, and trade were the public themes of the visit. 
While many issues between the two nations are thorny, the two 
heads of state enjoy an amicable relationship.  Gutierrez 
made a surprise endorsement of reelection for Uribe.  End 
summary. 
 
2.  (SBU) President Lucio Gutierrez made his first official 
visit to Colombia March 16-17.  Uribe and Gutierrez signed a 
44 point joint declaration (emailed to WHA/AND) which, inter 
alia, called for additional efforts to combat terrorism, 
information sharing along the border, and a new association 
agreement between the Andean Pact and Mercosur.  Uribe and 
Gutierrez also announced installation of a Colombian Marine 
Corps base at the confluence of the San Miguel and Putumayo 
Rivers and the continuation of stationing GOC citizen 
soldiers (soldados campesinos) along the border.  Gutierrez 
was circumspect regarding the capture of FARC leader "Simon 
Trinidad" in Quito in late December.  Gutierrez recognized 
the problem of flow of arms from Ecuador to Colombia, but 
stressed that the weapons were of foreign origin.  (Note: 
Gutierrez's comment spoke to GOC public speculation last year 
that a rocket used in a FARC assassination attempt in Bogota 
came from an Ecuadorian Army arsenal.  End Note.) 
 
3.  (SBU) Uribe formally thanked Gutierrez for humanitarian 
protection for Colombians seeking refuge in Ecuador. 
(Comment: During a PRM visit in early March to Ecuador, a GOE 
Foreign Ministry official lamented that the GOC had never 
publicly thanked Ecuador for the assistance they have 
provided to Colombian citizens seeking refuge.  End Comment.) 
 Gutierrez lamented that undocumented Colombians working in 
Ecuador were exposed to exploitation.  (Comment: The flow of 
asylum seekers from Colombia to Ecuador this year is 900 per 
month, down from 1200 per month last year but still up from 
2002.  End Comment.)  The Presidents agreed to take the 
following steps to address migration and refugee issues: 
 
--Beginning April 1, Colombians entering Ecuador will be 
required to present a document verifying their good standing 
with the GOC, after a security background check is conducted. 
--Beginning December 31, 2005, Colombians will be required to 
present an Andean passport, or, failing that, a Colombian 
passport. 
--After analyzing the large displacement of Colombians to 
Ecuador, both Presidents will request that international 
organizations provide assistance to this population, 
including arranging voluntary return to Colombia.  The GOC's 
Social Solidarity Network, which coordinates assistance to 
the displaced, will assist them in Colombia. 
 
4.  (SBU) Colombia is Ecuador's second largest trading 
partner, and Gutierrez expressed hope that Ecuador's 
bilateral trade deficit might be reduced.  In a speech to 
local businessmen, Gutierrez asked them to buy Ecuadorian 
products.  He said that he hoped to see Colombian investment 
in oil production, hydroelectric development, agriculture, 
highways, and tourism.  GOC MFA Director of Multilateral 
Economic, Social, and Environmental Affairs, Ambassador Fabio 
Ocasiones, characterized the Presidents' agreement to work 
toward lowering the cost of electricity as one of the visit's 
most important outcomes.  Ocasiones explained that in the 
two-way market for electricity, Ecuador is the primary 
consumer and that Colombia charges more per unit sold. 
According to Ocasiones, Ecuador will be the primary 
beneficiary of the agreement.  At the same meeting with 
businessmen, Gutierrez unexpectedly endorsed reelection for 
Uribe. 
 
5.  (C) Comment:  The December Simon Trinidad arrest was a 
major boost for Ecuador in the minds of both the GOC and the 
Colombian public.  In more than one meeting with us during 
the last two months, President Uribe praised Gutierrez for 
the arrest and stressed that while working-level strains 
continued, he and Gutierrez maintained a strong and cordial 
relationship.  Regarding illegal flow of arms, in a private 
discussion with poloff, Ocasiones (protect) expressed concern 
that some of the 8,000 Ecuadorian troops stationed near the 
border are currently involved in the trafficking of arms and 
chemical precursors. 
DRUCKER