US embassy cable - 01BOGOTA5460

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 005460 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/18/11 
TAGS: PHUM, PTER, PGOV, PREL, PINS, MARR, CO 
SUBJECT: COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT/FARC BEGIN HUMANITARIAN 
EXCHANGE/FARC MANIPULATES EVENT 
 
1. CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR ANNE W. PATTERSON. REASONS: 
1.5(C,D). 
 
2. (U) ON JUNE 16, THE COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT AND THE FARC 
BEGAN THE PLANNED EXCHANGE OF CAPTURED SOLDIERS AND 
POLICEMEN FOR IMPRISONED FARC GUERRILLAS WITH THE FARC 
RELEASE OF 29 POLICEMEN AND SOLDIERS AND THE GOC RELEASE 
OF 11 FARC GUERRILLAS.  ON JUNE 17, THE FARC RELEASED AN 
ADDITIONAL FOUR POLICEMEN IN A SEPARATE CEREMONY.  BY JUNE 
18, A TOTAL OF 47 SOLDIERS AND POLICEMEN HAD BEEN 
RELEASED.  THE NEXT STEP IS FOR THE FARC TO UNILATERALLY 
RELEASE SOME 100 ADDITIONAL POLICEMEN/SOLDIERS IN THE VERY 
NEAR FUTURE.  MANY OF THE RELEASED POLICEMEN AND SOLDIERS 
HAD BEEN HELD BY THE FARC SINCE THEIR CAPTURE DURING THE 
DISASTROUS ARMY AND POLICE DEFEATS AT MIRAFLORES AND MITU 
(1998) AND PUERTO RICO (1999). 
 
3. (C) THE FARC RENEGED ON ITS WORD TO THE GOC THAT IT 
WOULD KEEP THE EVENT AT A LOW PROFILE BY BRINGING 
INTERNATIONAL PRESS TO THE RELEASE OF THE 
SOLDIERS/POLICEMEN AND CREATING A LARGE INTERNATIONAL 
MEDIA EVENT.  ARMED FORCES COMMANDER GEN. FERNANDO TAPIAS 
CALLED THE FARC MEDIA DISPLAY A "SPECTACLE," AND ADDED 
THAT THE FARC RELEASE IN NO WAY MADE UP FOR THE INHUMANE, 
CONCENTRATION-CAMP TYPE CONDITIONS THE SOLDIERS/POLICEMEN 
WERE HELD IN FOR YEARS.  ALTHOUGH MOST RELEASED 
SOLDIERS/POLICEMEN RESERVED COMMENTS, ONE SOLDIER'S 
COMMENT THAT THE FARC "TREATED THEM LIKE ANIMALS" WAS 
WIDELY DISSEMINATED BY THE LOCAL PRESS.  (NOTE: EMBASSY 
SOURCES SAY THAT THE MILITARY HIERARCHY HAD INSISTED TO 
THE GOC THAT THE EXCHANGES BE DONE VERY LOW KEY TO KEEP 
THE FARC FROM GAINING POLITICAL MILEAGE FROM THE EVENT. 
ALTHOUGH THE GOC HAD APPARENTLY REACHED AGREEMENT WITH THE 
FARC ON THIS ISSUE, THE FARC DID AN END-RUN ON THE GOC BY 
BRINGING THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS TO COVER THE EVENT.  END 
NOTE.) 
 
4. (C) SEPARATELY, OF THE 12 FARC GUERRILLAS WHO WERE DUE 
FOR RELEASE ALSO ON JUNE 16, ONLY 11 WERE RELEASED WHEN 
ONE OPTED TO COMPLETE HIS SENTENCE AND LEAVE THE FARC. 
DESPITE WIDESPREAD SPECULATION THAT THIS GROUP WOULD 
INCLUDE SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT UPPER AND MID-LEVEL 
FARC COMMANDERS IN COLOMBIA'S JAILS, NONE OF THE RELEASED 
BELONGED TO THE FARC POLITICAL OR MILITARY HIERARCHY, AND, 
IN FACT, MOST WERE NO MORE THAN FOOT SOLDIERS OR LOW-LEVEL 
URBAN MILITIAS.  HOWEVER, MILITARY INTELLIGENCE SOURCES 
TOLD POLOFF ON JUNE 18 THAT THREE OR FOUR ADDITIONAL FARC 
PRISONERS ARE DUE TO BE RELEASED SOON, AND THAT THIS GROUP 
MAY CONTAIN SOME HIGHER RANKING FARC MEMBERS. 
 
5. (C) COMMENT: PREDICTABLY, THE FARC USED THE 
HUMANITARIAN EXCHANGE TO STAGE A MEDIA SHOW, PROBABLY TO 
TRY TO REPAIR ITS BADLY-TARNISHED INTERNATIONAL IMAGE. 
FOR ITS PART, THE GOC DESERVES CREDIT FOR HAVING FOUGHT 
OFF FARC PRESSURE TO INCLUDE SOME OF THE FARC'S IMPORTANT 
CADRES AND MORE NOTORIOUS PERPETRATORS OF ACTS OF EXTREME 
VIOLENCE AMONG THE RELEASED.  HOPEFULLY, GOC PEACE 
COMMISSIONER CAMILO GOMEZ WILL REJECT ANY ATTEMPT BY THE 
FARC TO INCLUDE SOME OF THESE INDIVIDUALS IN THE LAST 
GROUP TO BE RELEASED.  ALTHOUGH MOST COLOMBIANS REJOICED 
OVER THE RELEASE OF THE POLICEMEN/SOLDIERS, AND HOPED FOR 
MORE RELEASES, IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THIS ACT, IN AND OF 
ITSELF, WILL RENEW GENERAL CONFIDENCE IN THE PEACE 
PROCESS.  THAT MAY ONLY COME IF THE FARC BEGINS SERIOUS 
NEGOTIATIONS ON DOWNGRADING THE LEVEL OF VIOLENCE AND 
COMMITS TO ABIDING BY INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW. 
 
 
PATTERSON 
 
 
>