US embassy cable - 05BOGOTA3040

UNCLAS BOGOTA 003040 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
DEPT FOR INL, WHA/AND 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR, KCRM, PTER, CO 
SUBJECT: GOC "READY" TO SPRAY IN PARKS 
 
1. (SBU) GOC Minister of Defense Jorge Alberto Uribe 
Echavarria informed the Ambassador on March 29 that the 
Government of Colombia is ready to initiate aerial 
eradication operations in Colombia's national parks and 
natural reserves.  Spraying in the parks has been a 
particularly contentious counter-narcotics issue and a step 
that the GOC has avoided to date despite mounting evidence 
of increasing illicit cultivation within park boundaries. 
 
2. (SBU) Spraying coca with glyphosate in national parks has 
been politically sensitive in Colombia.  NAS Director will 
work closely with Colombian National Police Antinarcotics 
Director General Gomez Heredia to reduce the political cost 
of this important step forward.  The NAS Director will also 
work closely with General Gomez to ensure that all necessary 
preparations are made in advance of final clearance from 
President Alvaro Uribe.  A GOC inter-institutional 
scientific committee is finalizing environmental and social 
assessments for each park, as required by Colombian law 
before spraying may commence.  The GOC continues to explore 
alternatives to spraying and plans to continue both forced 
and voluntary manual eradication in the parks when security 
conditions permit such operations. 
 
3. (SBU) The next step is to prepare and forward a 
determination by the Secretary to Congress on spraying in 
the parks, as required by U.S. law before any Andean 
Counterdrug Initiative funds are used for such purposes. 
According to the 2004 Consolidated Appropriations Act, the 
Secretary must determine that spraying in the parks "is in 
 
SIPDIS 
accordance with Colombian laws and that there are no 
effective alternatives to reduce drug cultivation in these 
areas."  Embassy has forwarded draft text to the Department 
via other channels. 
 
WOOD