US embassy cable - 05BOGOTA5287

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 005287 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, CO, ELN 
SUBJECT: COLOMBIA: GROUP OF FRIENDS FOR ELN PEACE PROCESS 
REACTIVATED BY CUBA, THEN DEACTIVATED BY NORWAY 
 
REF: BOGOTA 4466 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
 1. (C) Summary.  Norwegian charge Sigurd Endresen provided 
further details to polcouns about the December 2004 
reactivation of the Group of Friends for the ELN peace 
process and deactivation four months later, as well as about 
Cuban efforts, via the group, to replace Mexico as 
facilitator.  Endresen admitted that the Cuban Ambassador 
deceived his counterparts claiming GOC knowledge and support 
of his ongoing contacts with the ELN when this was not the 
case, particularly regarding the late March ELN proposal for 
direct talks with the GOC in a "mediator country." By early 
April, a fed up Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo asked 
the Norwegians, in their capacity as group coordinator, to 
terminate the group's efforts.  With the consent of the 
others, the Norwegians shut it down.  However, the GOC has 
appealed to these countries, in particular to Norway, to 
support the peace process on a bilateral basis.  End Summary. 
 
 
2. (C) On May 20, Polcouns met with Norwegian Ambassador to 
Colombia (resident in Venezuela) Martin Bjorndal and charge 
Sigurd Endresen to discuss the temporary re-activation of the 
Group of Friends for the ELN peace process at the end of 2004 
and subsequent de-activation by Norway shortly after it 
became coordinator on April 1.  The Group of Friends consists 
of Cuba, France, Norway, Spain and Switzerland. 
 
3. (C) Endresen said the group was revived in 2003 at the 
request of the Swiss, with the support of the GOC and the 
ELN.  Little was accomplished subsequently.  When Mexico was 
designated as facilitator for talks with the ELN in June 
2004, President Uribe told the group it could remain intact 
as passive observers. 
 
4. (C) According to Endresen, at the behest of Cuba, the 
group reactivated itself in December 2004.  France was 
coordinator at the time.  Per reftel, Cuban Ambassador Luis 
Hernandez Ojeda remained in regular contact with ELN 
spokesman "Francisco Galan" (Gerardo Antonio Bermudez 
Sanchez) on behalf of the group.  On March 24, the group 
received a draft communication from the ELN proposing direct 
talks between the ELN's Central Command (COCE) and the GOC in 
a "mediator country."  The ELN proposal became public on 
March 26.  The ELN also wanted Group of Friends' public 
endorsement.  The Cubans repeatedly told the others that the 
GOC already knew of the ELN proposal, had endorsed it, and 
that the ELN communication could be considered a "text 
negotiated with the GOC."  The group subsequently found out 
that this was not the case.  Endresen said the group kept in 
regular contact with the Mexican Embassy but conceded they 
were "a bit late" in informing the GOC about their ELN 
contacts on the statement, mostly because the Cubans had told 
them the GOC was already aware. 
 
5. (C) On April 2, Peace Commissioner Restrepo called the 
Norwegians, in their capacity as coordinator, to express 
concern that the group was meeting ELN representatives 
without consulting the GOC.  According to Endresen, Restrepo 
said the GOC was using Mexico as the official facilitator, a 
different approach from the group of friends format. 
Nonetheless, if the group was being pulled into negotiations 
by the ELN, Restrepo expected it remain in constant touch 
with him, to receive "negotiating instructions."  He asked to 
see Endresen on April 7 and in that follow-on meeting, 
Restrepo pulled the plug.  He told the Norwegian that a group 
of countries was not workable as a facilitator and asked it 
to cease contacts with the ELN and dissolve itself.  He also 
asked Norway to convey to each country individually GOC 
interest in their involvement in the peace process on a 
bilateral basis.  Restrepo suggested that countries support 
the paramilitary demobilization process, demining efforts, or 
reintegration of demobilized combatants.  Endresen told 
Restrepo he would suspend further activity by the group and 
convey the GOC request for bilateral support. 
 
6. (C) Endresen said the group of friends had two meetings 
following the Norwegian-declared suspension.  One was with 
former Mexican facilitator Andres Valencia (the Cubans did 
not attend, Endresen noted), and the second among themselves, 
at which point they decided there was no further reason to 
meet. 
 
7. (C) Endresen said Cuban Ambassador Luis Hernandez Ojeda 
has continued to be in contact with ELN's Galan.  He admitted 
that the other four ambassadors were naive in their initial 
dealings with Hernandez Ojeda because he had been in Colombia 
five years and they "had a tendency to listen to him and 
defer to his judgment."  Following the episode over the March 
26 communication from the ELN, the others reached the 
conclusion that the Cubans were not being transparent.  By 
the time the ELN rejected Mexican facilitation on April 17 
reportedly because of Mexico's vote against Cuba at the UN 
Commission on Human Rights, it became clear what Cuban 
objectives had been.  Endresen said the group had 
contemplated ejecting Cuba but the French made the argument 
that the group had no leverage without the Cubans and their 
close, traditional links to the ELN. 
8. (C) On May 26, Ambassador Bjorndal, the Norwegian MFA 
director for Latin American affairs, and Endresen met with 
Restrepo and Foreign Minister Barco to discuss Norway's 
bilateral role in the peace process.  Restrepo and Barco 
spent 90 minutes with them, reviewing their efforts with the 
ELN, and their reasons for believing the group of friends was 
not workable.  They encouraged Norway to contribute technical 
assistance to the peace process and requested GON 
"acompanamiento" in the months ahead.  Endresen said the GON 
was favorably disposed to considering how it could 
contribute. 
 
9. (C) Endresen agreed to keep the Embassy appraised of any 
further activity on the part of the group and of GON thinking 
regarding its own potential support for the peace process. 
 
10. (C) Comment:  Local Norwegian diplomats remain interested 
in playing a constructive role in the Colombian peace 
process.  Their engagement and support should be encouraged, 
in particular for demobilization and reinsertion efforts. 
WOOD