US embassy cable - 05BOGOTA4131

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 004131 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/29/2015 
TAGS: ASEC, PTER, MOPS, PREL, CO 
SUBJECT: MOD MEMO ON VENEZUELAN ARMS PURCHASE 
 
REF: BOGOTA 03929 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood for reasons 
1.5 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (C) A week after the Senate Second Committee conducted a 
public hearing on Venezuelan arms purchases (reftel), an 
undated memo from the Colombian Defense Ministry responding 
to congressional inquiries on Venezuelan arms purchases was 
leaked to the press. The secret memorandum was addressed to 
the Secretary General of the Senate and noted that the 
purchase would deepen the military imbalance in the region. 
An unofficial translation of the memo follows: 
 
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Unofficial Translation: 
----------------------- 
 
2. (C) Begin Text: 
 
Dear Sir: 
 
In the most attentive and cordial manner I send you the reply 
to the questions in Proposition No. 197 of 2005, presented by 
the Honorable Senators Manuel Ramiro Velasquez Arroyave, 
Hernan Andrade Serrano, and Jimmy Chamorro Cruz. 
 
I hope the information supplied will be useful in your 
legislative work. 
 
Cordially, 
Jorge Alberto Uribe Echavarrria 
Minister of National Defense 
 
Minister of National Defense Jorge Alberto Uribe Echavarria's 
response to the questions of Proposition No. 197 of 2005, 
Senate of the Republic 
 
Proposition No. 197 
 
1. What is the official position of the Colombian Government 
with respect to the massive sale of arms and war equipment on 
the part of the Venezuelan Government? 
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is exclusively responsible 
for this answer. 
 
2. Does the Colombian Government consider that this massive 
sale represents a danger to the peaceful equilibrium of the 
Andean region? 
 
It is an undeniable fact that the rearming of the Venezuelan 
military deepens the military imbalance in the Andean region. 
At this time there is no clear justification for the 
acquisition of certain types of arms with strategic range in 
a region that has led efforts to limit military spending on 
external defense, as has been spelled out in the "Lima 
Agreement--Andean Accord for Peace and Security; Limitation 
and Control of Expenditures Destined for External Defense," 
written by the Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministries of the 
member countries of the Andean Community on 17 June 2002. 
 
3. Does the Colombian Government consider that this sale 
breaks the military balance between Colombia and Venezuela? 
 
The sales announced by the Venezuelan Government only add to 
the military imbalance with Colombia that was initiated with 
Venezuela's purchase of F-16 planes, Lupo Frigates from 
Spain, and French AMX-30 tanks. 
 
4. Does the Colombian Government believe that Spain is 
maintaining its neutrality towards Colombia-Venezuela 
relations, despite the deal for corvettes and other equipment 
that the Venezuelan Government has already made? 
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is exclusively responsible 
for this answer. 
 
5. What is Colombia's current military balance with Venezuela? 
 
(1) Marked aerial superiority of combat readiness. Venezuelan 
advantage of 2.3 to 1 when considering all functioning 
equipment. 47 Venezuelan planes, 20 Colombian planes 
 
(2) Relative Venezuelan superiority of combat support planes. 
46 planes versus 13 Colombian planes. Ratio of 3.5 to 1 
 
(3) Venezuela possesses a superior personnel transport 
capability of 1.936 to 1.399 pax with all available equipment 
functioning. Colombia possesses an actual available transport 
capacity of 700 pax. 
 
-- 7 C-130 aircraft, 90 troop capacity each 
-- 10 C-295 aircraft, 71 troop capacity each 
-- 3 G-222 aircraft, 53 troop capacity each 
-- 23 M-28 aircraft, 19 troop capacity each 
-- Total troop capacity: 1,936 
(4) Venezuela possesses a superior unloading capacity of 
personnel and equipment that makes amphibious operations 
limited to 4 Marine Battalions possible. 
(5) Naval power is considered relatively superior, with a 
Venezuelan advantage of two missile frigates and a capacity 
to arm submarines. 
(6) Venezuela possesses a marked superiority in armored 
combat vehicles that allows it to conduct offensive 
long-range operations with the support of self-propelled and 
aimed artillery, available to the border 24 hours after 
initiating a move. Venezuela has 274 AMX30, AMX13, Scorpion, 
and M18 tanks, while Colombia has none. 
 
(7) Colombia has a numerical superiority of men and combat 
experience in irregular warfare, but not in regular war. 
Venezuela has conducted combined, double-action exercises. 
 
(8) There is a greater concentration of Venezuelan troops on 
the border. 
 
6. Does the Colombian Government know the destination of the 
thousands of old weapons that will be replaced by the 
Venezuelan Government? If the answer is no, will Colombia ask 
for a response from Venezuela regarding this issue? 
 
The government of President Hugo Chavez intends to provide 
the guns that will be replaced to the national militias, a 
new reserve force created with an initial force of 100,000 
men. 
 
The Colombian Government is worried about the destination of 
the arms that will be replaced by the AK-103 arms. The 
Minister of Defense and the Minister of Foreign Affairs have 
both expressed this concern. 
 
7. Will the Colombian Government deliver a statement to the 
Venezuelan Government regarding the acquisition of arms? 
 
The National Government raised its concerns about the 
acquisition at the Summit of Presidents in Puerto Ordaz. 
 
8. What concrete results has the Government of Venezuela 
presented with respect to Colombia's denunciations of the 
presence of important guerrilla commanders in Venezuelan 
territory? 
 
The Venezuelan Government has not presented concrete reports 
with respect to the denunciations, but it has publicly stated 
that it does not support Colombian guerrillas and that it 
will conduct operations against illegal armed groups that 
enter Venezuelan territory. 
 
Cordially, 
 
Jorge Alberto Uribe Echavarria 
Minister of National Defense 
 
End Text 
WOOD