US embassy cable - 05BOGOTA7590

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 007590 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/2015 
TAGS: PTER, PREL, CO, ELN, FARC 
SUBJECT: NATIONAL CONCILIATION COMMISSION: SLOW PROGRESS 
WITH FARC AND ELN 
 
REF: BOGOTA 7358 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood for reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
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Summary 
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1. (C) On August 8, PolCouns met with Father Dario Echeverri 
(protect), Secretary General of the National Conciliation 
Commission (CCN).  He predicted the FARC would agree to a 
humanitarian exchange after the Constitutional Court had 
ruled on re-election because -- regardless of the ruling -- 
the FARC's political prisoners, possibly including the three 
U.S. hostages, would no longer provide the group leverage 
over the Uribe administration.  Echeverri will travel to 
Europe on August 12 to examine Spanish, Swiss, and French 
efforts to facilitate FARC talks.  He expressed optimism the 
CCN could work with the Spanish and Swiss.  He said jailed 
ELN spokesman Francisco Galan's communiques were 
uncompromising, but that Galan insisted the ELN was willing 
to consider talks. 
 
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FARC: Waiting for Ruling on Re-election 
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2. (C) Echeverri told PolCouns the CCN was continually trying 
to facilitate humanitarian exchange talks between the FARC 
Secretariat and the Government.  On July 5, newly appointed 
 
SIPDIS 
Cardinal Monsenor Luis Castro directed Echeverri to send a 
letter to the FARC Secretariat with three points: (1) the CCN 
was committed to opening space for a peace process; (2) it 
was eager to facilitate talks between the FARC and Peace 
Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo about a humanitarian 
exchange; and (3) Cardinal Castro wanted to meet personally 
with the Secretariat to discuss the Church's goal of having 
peace in Colombia by 2010.  As of August 8, the FARC had not 
responded. 
 
3. (C) Echeverri predicted the FARC would not agree to a 
humanitarian exchange or any kind of meeting with the GOC 
until after the Constitutional Court had ruled on 
re-election.  Regardless of the Court's decision, Echeverri 
predicted the FARC would release its political hostages after 
the ruling.  If the Court ruled that President Uribe could 
not run again, the FARC would not have to worry about giving 
Uribe a political boost by releasing the prisoners.  If the 
Court ruled in favor of Uribe's re-election the FARC would 
not want the burden of maintaining the hostages for five more 
years. 
 
4. (C) In response to PolCouns' inquiry about efforts by 
other politicians and countries to reach out to the FARC, 
Echeverri said he would travel to Europe on August 12 to 
learn more about Spanish, Swiss, and French efforts.  He 
expressed optimism that the CCN could work with the Swiss and 
Spanish to facilitate talks but was wary of French efforts 
(reftel).  Echeverri warned that former Minister Alvaro Leyva 
and former President Ernesto Samper were trying to force 
themselves into a peace process for political gain and had 
been pressuring the CCN for support.  He said the CCN might 
consider working with former President Alfonso Lopez but not 
with Leyva or Samper. 
 
5. (C) Echeverri noted that military operations in Putumayo 
Department had forced the Secretariat to abandon its efforts 
there and flee the area.  On July 28, the CCN issued a public 
communique urging the FARC to cease all hostilities against 
the civilian population of Putumayo.  (Separately, senior 
Colombian military officials told the Embassy they feel they 
are making progress against the FARC in Putumayo.) 
 
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ELN: Some Hope 
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6. (C) Echeverri said the recent, seemingly uncompromising 
communiques from the ELN to the GOC were drafted by jailed 
ELN representative Francisco Galan at the direction of the 
ELN Central Command (COCE).  Although the communiques were 
tough, Galan continued to insist his message was that the ELN 
was open to a peace process.  Echeverri noted that the press 
was incorrect when it claimed he had attended a meeting 
between Galan and members of the Civil Society Facilitating 
Commission for ELN Talks.  He would not get involved in 
politically motivated efforts to start a peace process. 
 
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Comment 
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7. (C) Regardless of Echeverri's assessment that the FARC 
will seek to release the hostages following the 
Constitutional Court ruling, no matter how it comes out, the 
Government continues to press its intelligence and military 
efforts on the hostages. 
 
 
WOOD