US embassy cable - 04BOGOTA9364

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BOGOTA 009364 
 
SIPDIS 
 
GENEVA PLEASE PASS TO JEFF DE LAURENTIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/16/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, ECON, SNAR, KJUS, CVIS, CO 
SUBJECT: U/S GROSSMAN'S MEETINGS WITH PRESIDENT URIBE AND 
VP SANTOS 
 
REF: A. BOGOTA 7901 
 
     B. BOGOTA 8193 
     C. BOGOTA 9192 
     D. BOGOTA 7831 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Milton K. Drucker for reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary.  On September 9, Under Secretary for 
Political Affairs Marc Grossman had separate meetings with 
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Vice-President Francisco 
Santos in Cartagena.  Grossman thanked Uribe and Santos for 
their efforts to secure the safe release of the three 
American hostages held by the FARC.  He also congratulated 
them on progress on human rights cases and called for much 
more.  Grossman said he would not be able to make immediate 
changes on U.S. business visa policies or the travel advisory 
for Colombia.  Both Uribe and Santos asked for additional 
funding for demobilization and said the FARC is showing signs 
of weakness.  The peace process with the AUC remains 
complicated, but there has been some progress toward possible 
talks with the ELN.  Santos said the fall of the U.S. dollar 
was affecting export industries, while Uribe expressed 
concern that the tourism industry in Cartagena was suffering 
because of the U.S. travel warning.  Both said the USG should 
recognize the legitimacy of the Chavez administration in 
Venezuela while maintaining pressure on the GOV regarding 
good governance and relations with the political opposition. 
End Summary. 
 
------------ 
Human Rights 
------------ 
 
2. (C) Grossman congratulated Uribe and Santos on the 
administration's many human rights progress, notably arrests 
in the Arauca union murders case (refs A and B), the effort 
to move the Mapiripan case to Bogota, and the decision to 
hold high-level meetings with NGOs.  Grossman stressed the 
need for even more progress on human rights, highlighting the 
importance of eliminating impunity for military leaders 
guilty of human rights violations or collusion with 
paramilitaries.  He also highlighted U.S. concerns over the 
prosecution of Lieutenant Colonel Orozco in the Mapiripan 
case, providing Uribe with a chronology of events to explain 
the USG's position. 
 
3. (C) Uribe said he would raise the Orozco case with 
Prosecutor General Osorio and pass on our concerns and the 
chronology of events.  (Later that day Osorio provided 
information on two human rights cases reported in ref C.) 
 
4. (C) Uribe expressed frustration that NGOs are not 
interested in hearing his side on human rights issues, but 
are instead promoting their own political agendas.  Grossman 
stressed the important role that NGOs can play and supported 
Uribe's invitation to bring more NGOs to Colombia.  Grossman 
congratulated Uribe on the meeting between the Military High 
Command and the NGO community on August 5, and on Uribe's 
meeting with Amnesty International (ref D).  Both were 
credited in the public eye as successes in improving dialogue 
on human rights. 
 
----------------------------------- 
Humanitarian Exchange with the FARC 
----------------------------------- 
 
5. (C) U/S Grossman thanked Uribe for his efforts to secure 
the safe release of the three U.S. hostages being held by the 
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).  Uribe 
admitted that the offer for a humanitarian exchange with the 
FARC, initiated by Switzerland, was a surprise.  His first 
reaction was to refuse the offer because the FARC wanted to 
obtain the release of high-level leaders convicted of 
atrocities.  He eventually decided, however, that if the FARC 
released all of its political hostages he would be willing to 
release an equal number of low-level FARC members charged 
only with rebellion.  He explained that he does not have the 
legal authority to release those convicted of violent crime. 
He also wants the released prisoners to either be resettled 
in France, or participate in reintegration programs in 
Colombia.  He repeated his earlier commitments to insist that 
any exchange with the FARC include the American hostages. 
Vice-President Santos was pessimistic that Uribe's position 
on reintegration would be feasible, and predicted that the 
return of FARC members to combat would be a demoralizing blow 
to the military.  Santos added that the hostages issue is 
hurting Uribe's image and chances for reelection. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Demobilization and Peace Processes 
---------------------------------- 
6. (C) Uribe was pleased to report that for the first time 
his sources tell him the FARC is under pressure from Plan 
Patriota Phase 2B.  Santos said the COLMIL would soon be 
sending a mobile brigade into Arauca.  Both Uribe and Santos 
said they had overestimated the strength of the FARC. 
Grossman said the USG has been pleased with the number of 
terrorist deserters, but Santos countered that numbers are 
likely to decrease, since the remaining fighters are more 
dedicated to their cause. 
 
7. (C) Santos said peace negotiations with the United 
Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) are not going smoothly 
because the AUC does not really want to demobilize.  He 
opined that AUC leaders are more worried about extradition to 
the U.S. than leaving a power vacuum that could be exploited 
by the FARC.  He expressed concern that if peace talks with 
the AUC break down, "it could get bloody." 
 
8. (C) Santos said incipient peace negotiations with the 
National Liberation Army (ELN) are going more smoothly.  The 
GOC sent a letter to the ELN in June regarding terms for a 
peace settlement.  (Note: The ELN responded to the GOC in 
writing on September 6 (septel).  End note). 
 
9. (C) Uribe said the GOC needs the USG's help to reintegrate 
former fighters from illegal armed groups.  Roughly 6,000 
members of the FARC, ELN, and AUC have voluntarily 
demobilized and need to be reintegrated into Colombian 
society.  Grossman assured Uribe that demobilization is a 
high priority for the USG, that we have committed USD 275,000 
towards demobilization, and plan to add another USD 300,000. 
 
-------------------- 
Free Trade Agreement 
-------------------- 
 
10. (C) Grossman told Uribe the U.S. supports efforts to 
attract U.S. investors to Colombia, including events such as 
promotions in New York City on September 29 and Miami on 
September 30.  Uribe said he has been criticized recently for 
his support of the free trade agreement (FTA) with the U.S., 
specifically because of the difficulty many Colombian 
nationals have obtaining business visas to the U.S.  Charge 
d'Affaires informed Uribe that Embassy officers would be 
meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the following 
day to discuss business visas.  Grossman said the Embassy 
would do what it could to facilitate the visa application 
process, but added that it would not be helpful to link an 
FTA and visa issuances. 
 
11. (C) Uribe said he believes the biggest obstacle to 
implementing the FTA will be agreement on agricultural 
exports.  Santos said the fall in the value of the dollar 
against the peso was putting pressure on agricultural 
exporters in the coffee, banana, cotton, and finished textile 
export sectors, which have all laid off workers because of 
decreases in production.  Otherwise, said Santos, the 
Colombian economy is doing well.  He said the growing deficit 
in the pension system is the only major fiscal policy issue 
at the moment. 
 
----------- 
Extradition 
----------- 
 
12. (C) Uribe reiterated his support for extradition of 
criminals to the U.S., but said he did not want it to become 
an issue in his campaign for reelection.  He asked that the 
USG ensure that prison sentences for criminals extradited 
from Colombia not be longer than allowed under Colombian law, 
and that extradited individuals be convicted for acts that 
considered crimes in Colombia.  Grossman said we had received 
the message delivered to Secretary Powell in Panama and that 
we are working to improve our mutual understanding of both 
legal systems.  Uribe accepted Grossman's suggestion of a 
visit by a senior DOJ official to Bogota. 
 
--------- 
Venezuela 
--------- 
 
13. (C) Grossman asked for Uribe's and Santos' views on 
engagement with the administration of Venezuelan President 
Hugo Chavez.  Both stressed the importance of recognizing 
Chavez as president, but also noted the need to pressure him 
privately on good governance and keeping doors open with the 
political opposition.  Uribe said we need to cooperate with 
Venezuela on counternarcotics and counterterrorism where we 
can.  Santos said we should work hard to assure that the 2006 
elections are free and fair.  He also asked the USG to work 
with the GOV on security and border issues, as kidnappers 
tend to move easily across the border and police/military 
cooperation is weak, especially at higher levels. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
Security in Cartagena and the USG Travel Warning 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
14. (C) President Uribe took advantage of the venue to 
comment on overall improvements to security in Colombia and 
his desire to see U.S.-flag cruise ships return to Cartagena. 
 He asked Grossman if it would be possible to make an 
exception to the travel warning for Colombia to highlight the 
relative security of Cartagena.  Grossman said our first 
priority is the safety of U.S. citizens and did not commit to 
change the travel warning in the near term, but agreed to 
convey these concerns in Washington.  Uribe said that the 
population of Cartagena has swollen from 500,000 in 1990 to 
almost 1 million people today, mostly reflecting internally 
displaced persons (IDPs).  Unemployment is high, and Uribe 
would like to attract more international visitors to 
Cartagena and stimulate tourism. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
Request for Assistance with Money Laundering Education 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
15. (C) Santos passed a request to Grossman from the Ministry 
of Finance for USG assistance.  The MOF's financial 
intelligence unit (UIAF) is seeking funding for a program to 
educate the public about money laundering.  The program would 
elicit phone calls through posters or handbills offering 
pesos at a favorable exchange rate.  Callers would be 
informed that they are playing a dangerous game, and told how 
money laundering affects the economy.  Santos said the 
campaign is important, because many Colombians do not 
consider purchasing currency on the black market to be a 
crime.  Ignorance of money laundering's real consequences was 
a major reason why public reaction to "Operation White 
Dollar", a sting operation that led to several high-profile 
arrests on money laundering charges, was overwhelmingly 
negative. 
DRUCKER