US embassy cable - 05BOGOTA4649

UNCLAS BOGOTA 004649 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR, KPAO, OPRC, PREL, SNAR, PGOV, CO 
SUBJECT: COM'S RESPONSE TO EDITORIAL CHALLENGING AERIAL COCA 
ERADICATION IN NATIONAL PARKS 
 
REF: BOGOTA 4612 
 
1.  (U) In response to national leading daily El Tiempo's 
editorial May 16, "Not in the Parks," (Reftel) affirming 
that aerial eradication in national parks would lead to 
irreparable environmental and human damages, COM provided 
the following response published as a letter to the editor 
in the same daily on May 17. 
 
BEGIN TEXT: 
 
"I read your May 16 editorial on coca aerial eradication in 
the parks with disappointment, especially the assertions 
that adequate safety precautions are not taken or that 
glyphosate might be in violation of international treaties 
to protect the environment. 
 
I enclose the Executive Summary of a 143-page, multi-year 
scientific study on glyphosate published by the OAS six 
weeks ago, which is also available on the embassy web site 
(http://bogota.usembassy.gov).  Page 15 contains the key 
conclusin: `el glifosato y el Cosmo-Flux tal y como se usan 
en el programa de erradicacin de Colombia no se presentaban 
un riesgo significativo para la salud humana...se consider 
que para el ambiente y para los animales terrestres los 
riesgos del uso del glifosato y Cosmo-Flux era pocos o 
nulos...se recomienda que se mantengan las prcticas de 
aplicacin actuales de la aspersin para la 
erradicacin....'.  [QUOTE IN ENGLISH: ...glyphosate and 
Cosmo-Flux as used in the eradication program in Colombia 
did not present a significant risk to human health...for the 
environment, risks from the use of glyphosate and Cosmo-Flux 
to terrestrial animals were judged to be small to 
negligible...it is recommended that the current application 
ation 
practices for eradication spraying be retained... END QUOTE 
IN ENGLISH]. 
 
It is difficult to see how a respected international 
organization could recommend continuation of a practice that 
violated international agreements.  More to the point, since 
more than 85 percent of the glyphosate in Colombia is used 
by commercial farmers, not in the eradication program, El 
Tiempo either should call for total ban of one of the most 
popular, environment-friendly herbicides in the world or 
accept the scientific evidence.  Simply opposing its use in 
national parks makes no sense." 
 
END TEXT 
 
 
WOOD