US embassy cable - 04BOGOTA12984

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BOGOTA 012984 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2014 
TAGS: PTER, SNAR, ASEC, PINR, PREL, CO 
SUBJECT: DAS SHAPIRO AND DAS FARRAR MEET WITH DEFENSE 
MINISTER URIBE 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood for reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
 1. (U) December 16, 2004, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Ministry of 
Defense, Bogota 
 
2. (U) Participants: 
 
U.S. 
---- 
 
INL DAS Jonathan Farrar 
WHA DAS Charles Shapiro 
Ambassador William B. Wood 
Al Matano, INL/LP Deputy Director 
David Henifin, Deputy Director for WHA/AND 
Jeff DeLaurentis, POLCOUNS 
Phyllis Powers, NAS Director 
Colonel Simeon Trombitas, MILGRP Commander 
Sarah LaGier, notetaker 
 
Colombia 
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Jorge Alberto Uribe, Minister of Defense 
Jorge Mario Eastman, Vice Defense Minister 
BG Luis Fernando Puentes, Chief of Military Justice 
Vicente Echandia, International Affairs Adviser 
 
 
3. (C) Summary:  MOD Uribe said relations with Venezuela were 
cordial but tense.  He welcomed Venezuela's efforts to secure 
the border but expressed concern that, given Chavez' 
unpredictability, something more serious could be behind it. 
If Venezuela found a pretext to invade Colombian territory, 
the GOC would immediately take the matter to the UN.  Uribe 
said U.S. assistance was key to recent military successes 
against the illegal armed groups.  His objective was to 
improve jointness between the armed services and with other 
ministries responsible for establishing a state presence in 
secured areas.  Uribe agreed that aerial eradication in 
national parks was a high priority.  The incoming Chief of 
Military Justice, General Puentes, provided brief updates on 
four key human rights cases: the Mapiripan paramilitary 
massacre case was moved to a judge in Bogota; the killing of 
five civilians in Cajamarca was moved to the civilian justice 
system;  the crossfire between police and army in Guaitarilla 
was nearing closure in the military justice system; and the 
killing of three trade unionists in Arauca was with the 
civilian justice system.  Uribe said that one his key 
priorities is to reform the military justice system to make 
it more just and transparent.  End summary. 
 
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Underlying Tensions with Venezuela 
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4. (C) Uribe had just returned from what he described as a 
friendly and productive meeting with Venezuelan Defense 
Minister Garcia Carneiro.  The ministers had agreed to send 
two officers to each others' military academies, which Uribe 
characterized as a step forward.  He described Venezuelan 
misperceptions about Colombian attitudes as extraordinary. 
The GOC was treading carefully to avoid anything that 
President Chavez could interpret as an act of aggression. 
Uribe noted that Venezuela was buying weapons and increasing 
radar along the border.  While securing the border was also 
good for Colombia, the GOC had to watch what was coming 
behind the build up.  Uribe said the Venezuelans were also 
upgrading infrastructure such as extending water pipes, 
reinforcing bridges, and paving roads, which could facilitate 
tank movements.  While Colombia would continue to focus on 
its own war at home, he could not rule out that Chavez could 
do something unexpected.  In the event of an attack, Colombia 
had no option but to recur to the UN for help since 
Colombia's capacity to defend itself against Venezuela was 
limited, with only eight combat planes.  Uribe claimed that 
Venezuela was repairing its F-16 planes and buying spare 
parts internationally in order to avoid the difficulty of 
buying them directly from the U.S. 
 
5. (C) Farrar noted that drug trafficking is a growing 
problem in Venezuela.  Uribe agreed and said that there are 
numerous illegal flights from elsewhere in Venezuela to the 
Colombian border to transport arms, precursor chemicals, and 
other illicit products into Colombia, and pick up drugs.  The 
Air Bridge Denial program prevents these illegal planes from 
flying into Colombia.  According to Uribe, Venezuela seized 
25 tons of cocaine this year.  Uribe has warned Garcia 
Carneiro to take counterdrug measures immediately before the 
problem gets out of control. 
 
6. (C) Uribe said that three recent events in particular had 
exacerbated tensions with Venezuela: 
 
- When Colombia was planning to purchase tanks from Spain, 
Venezuela sent numerous officials to Spain to persuade them 
not to go through with the deal. 
 
- The GOC captured Rodrigo Granda Escobar on December 13, one 
of the FARC's senior international representatives, on the 
Colombian-Venezuelan border. 
- Four Colombian police officers were arrested for espionage 
in Venezuela.  Working behind the scenes, Uribe was assured 
by the GOV that they would be released in a few days. 
 
-------------------------- 
Counterterrorism Successes 
-------------------------- 
 
7. (C) Shapiro congratulated Uribe on military success 
against the illegal armed groups, noting that he was 
particularly impressed with his trip to San Jose del Guaviare 
to observe counternarcotics operations and meet with Plan 
Patriota Commander General Fracica.  Uribe credited U.S. 
assistance as a key element to GOC success.  His objective 
was to improve jointness, not only between the armed services 
but also with other ministries, such as health and education, 
which were responsible for establishing a presence in secured 
areas.  He expressed confidence that the FARC were being 
pressured by Plan Patriota.  For example, in a recent 
operation, the security forces discovered the beret worn by 
FARC Commander Mono Jojoy, suggesting he was forced to leave 
in a hurry.  Uribe said the military was locating and 
destroying luxurious FARC facilities with king-sized beds and 
pools during Plan Patriota operations.  The Ambassador 
praised Uribe for a recent presss article about Plan 
Patriota, noting that it was important to publicize military 
successes. 
 
8. (C) Farrar underscored the importance of keeping open the 
option of aerially eradicating coca in national parks.  Until 
permission is granted to spray in parks, operations 
increasingly are focused on hard to reach, small plots of 
coca.  There are five parks, including ones in the Sierra 
Nevada de Santa Marta, Catatumbo, and the Sierra Nevada de 
Macarena, that are known to have extensive coca fields. 
Uribe agreed, but expressed concern about the international 
and domestic reaction if Colombia started spraying national 
parks.  During a trip to Europe in February, Uribe will 
emphasize the importance of aerial eradication.  Manual 
eradication is too time-consuming and labor-intensive to be 
effective in large fields. 
 
9. (C) Uribe said the GOC is already beginning to prepare for 
a post-conflict period.  Internal reform of the military is a 
priority.  For example, he is working to expand the role of 
the Defense Ministry's Aeronautic Industrial Corporation of 
Colombia (CIAC) to conduct maintenance on planes, 
helicopters, and other equipment.  His goal is to decrease 
dependence on the U.S. for equipment and maintenance.  Farrar 
noted efforts to create an Armed Forces/CNP joint helicopter 
maintenance facility would improve efficiency, and that the 
GOC needed to weigh operations and maintenance costs in 
deciding on new aircraft purchases. 
 
--------------------------------- 
Human Rights and Military Justice 
--------------------------------- 
10. (C) Shapiro reminded Uribe that, in order for Congress to 
release funding for Colombia, the USG needed to report 
progress on human rights cases.  He raised four problematic 
cases that needed satisfactory resolutions: the 1997 
Mapiripan paramilitary massacre, the April 2004 killing of 
five civilians in Cajamarca, the April 2004 crossfire between 
Army and police forces that resulted in the death of seven 
police and four civilians in Guaitarilla, and the August 2004 
killing of three labor unionists in Arauca Department. 
Farrar stressed that resolution of the Mapiripan case was 
overdue when he was in WHA in 2000, and further delay 
undermined the GOC's progress in other areas.  Uribe said he 
is working to reform the military justice system to make it 
transparent, just, and efficient.  He instructed incoming 
Military Justice Commander General Puentes to follow the 
cases closely, give the Embassy a detailed report on their 
status, and to work with the U.S. MILGRP on reform of the 
military justice system.  Puentes reported that: 
- Mapiripan: General Jaime Umberto Uscategui was tried on six 
charges and convicted for the crime of omission for the 
massacre by the military justice system.  The Constitutional 
Court overruled the conviction on the grounds that the 
military justice system did not have jurisdiction over the 
case and transfered it to the civilian justice system. 
Uscategui is under house arrest at the Army's cavalry school. 
 Several pre-trial motions delayed the case from going to 
trial.  It is now before a judge in Bogota and should go to 
trial soon. 
 
- Cajamarca: The case is with the civilian justice system. 
One noncommissioned officer and six professional soldiers 
have been detained for alleged involvement in the incident. 
Uribe added that he personally believed the Army's claim that 
it mistook the civilians for guerrillas.  He visited the site 
one day after the incident occurred and said the thick fog in 
the area would make it difficult to determine someone's 
identity even at close range. 
 
- Guaitarilla: The case is with the military justice system. 
Puentes asserted the judge was close to a decision but was 
trying to clarify the cause of a bone fracture of one of the 
victims.  Two noncommissioned officers and 12 professional 
soldiers have been detained for alleged involvement.  Uribe 
added that President Uribe has repeatedly urged him to find 
and reveal the truth of the incident as quickly as possible. 
 
- Arauca: The case is with the civilian justice system. 
Uribe added he believed the Army's report that the three 
unionists faced arrest for involvement in guerrilla activity. 
 All soldiers involved are in detention. 
 
11. (U) DAS Shapiro and DAS Farrar cleared on this cable. 
WOOD