US embassy cable - 04ASUNCION232

S E C R E T ASUNCION 000232 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
STATE FOR WHA/BSC AND WHA/AND 
STATE PASS TO USAID LAC/AA 
NSC FOR KIM BREIER 
SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD DAN JOHNSON 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/14/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, PINR, KCRM, SNAR, CO, PA 
SUBJECT: PARAGUAY'S ATTORNEY GENERAL PUBLICIZES FARC LINKS 
TO CUBAS KIDNAPPING 
 
REF: A. ASUNCION 00211 
 
     B. DOD 271441Z AUG 04 
 
Classified By: DCM Kevin M. Johnson, reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
1. (U) On 2/14, Paraguayan Attorney General Oscar Latorre 
held a press conference (ref A) during which he released the 
following evidence linking Patria Libre party member Osmar 
Martinez to FARC leader Rodrigo Granda and implicating the 
FARC in supporting the kidnapping of Cecilia Cubas, daughter 
of former President Raul Cubas: 
 
-- An email message from a Hotmail account bearing the 
moniker "musguero" connects Martinez to the account.  The 
author listed his cell phone number as 0971-416-997, the cell 
phone Martinez used to communicate with the press prior to 
his surrender, and the author signed the message "Osmar". 
 
-- An email message between the "musguero" account and a 
Yahoo account bearing the moniker "cantagrillo2000" connects 
Martinez to the kidnapping.  The kidnappers established the 
"cantagrillo2000" account for purposes of conducting ransom 
negotiations with the Cubas family.  The kidnappers and the 
Cubas family used the account to post messages to each other. 
 On at least one occasion, prior to the kidnapping, someone 
emailed the "musguero" account from the "cantagrillo2000" 
account. 
 
-- Various email messages from the "musguero" account to a 
Yahoo account bearing the moniker "trotador505" connect 
Martinez to Granda.  Colombian authorities have established 
that the "trotador505" account belongs to Granda.  In 
addition to the email messages between the two accounts, 
Paraguayan authorities found Martinez in possession of a 
business card with the "trotador505" address written on the 
back of it. 
 
-- Messages between the "musguero" account and the 
"trotador505" account indicate that, five days after the 
kidnapping, Martinez requested that Granda put him in contact 
with an advisor to assist with the ransom negotiations. 
Messages between the two accounts referred to "la fruta" 
("the fruit"), the same code word the kidnappers later used 
when referring to the victim in messages posted on the 
"cantagrillo2000" account.  The email message dated five days 
after the kidnapping referred to the seed having been 
planted, alluded to a harvest, and requested the services of 
an "agronomo" ("agronomist"), believed to be a reference to 
the advisor. 
 
-- Additionally, stamps in Martinez's passport indicate that 
he traveled to Venezuela in July 2004.  The authorities 
believe he did so to meet with Granda in Caracas. 
 
2. (S/NF) Note: Per ref B, Granda was in Venezuela in July 
2004.  End Note. 
 
3. (S) Comment: Much of the evidence Latorre presented 
derives from email messages provided by sensitive Colombian 
reporting.  Embassy has reviewed evidence beyond what Latorre 
released to the public and agrees with the assessment that 
the information connects Martinez to Granda and implicates 
Granda and the FARC in supporting the kidnapping.  End 
Comment. 
KEANE