US embassy cable - 05BOGOTA7922

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 007922 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2015 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, PTER, SNAR, KJUS, CO, Hostages 
SUBJECT: ICRC ON PROSPECTS FOR TALKS ON HUMANITARIAN 
EXCHANGE 
 
REF: A. BOGOTA 7712 (NOTAL) 
     B. BOGOTA 7590 (NOTAL) 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Anne T. Callaghan 
Reasons: 1.4 (b,d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C) ICRC Head of Delegation Juan Pedro Schaerer (protect) 
said August 18 that he was not optimistic about the prospects 
for a GOC agreement with the FARC on an humanitarian 
exchange.  He said the ICRC is prepared to accompany FARC 
members to a meeting place with the GOC and remain with them 
for up to three days following the meeting to ensure GOC 
security guarantees are kept.  In Schaerer's view, the FARC 
is interested in an humanitarian exchange because it wants to 
boost its international credibility as a "political" 
organization.  Schaerer said Spain, unlike France, could play 
a constructive role in the GOC's efforts to secure hostages' 
release and with the EU on paramilitary demobilization.  In 
Schaerer's view, there are too many players engaged in trying 
to secure an agreement on humanitarian exchange talks and 
their efforts are not coordinated.  End summary. 
 
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ICRC OFFERS TO ACCOMPANY, REMAIN WITH FARC 
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2.  (C) Schaerer told D/PolCouns and Refugee Coordinator 
August 18 that the FARC would call him to discuss logistics 
if and when they were to reach agreement with the GOC on a 
meeting place for humanitarian exchange talks.  The ICRC had 
previously offered to accompany FARC members to the meeting 
place.  The ICRC would be prepared to remain with FARC 
members for up to three days following the end of a meeting 
to ensure that the GOC's security guarantees were effective. 
 
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FARC WANTS POLITICAL RECOGNITION, SECURITY GUARANTEES 
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3.  (C) Schaerer said the FARC is interested in a 
humanitarian exchange primarily to bolster its credibility as 
a political organization that exchanges "soldiers for 
soldiers" with the government.  Schaerer said FARC leader 
Marulanda has wanted such international recognition for 
years. 
 
4.  (C) In Schaerer's view, the municipalities of either 
Florida or Pradera in the Valle del Cauca are viable meeting 
places for the FARC because they are close to traditional 
FARC spheres of influence.  The issue of "demilitarizing" 
such areas is something of a red herring, he said, because 
the municipalities contain few GOC military personnel. 
Schaerer suggested that an agreed meeting place would require 
a "security perimeter" which the GOC and FARC would commit to 
keep free of military forces. 
 
5.  (C) Schaerer said the FARC would insist on security 
guarantees for its members who attend any meeting with the 
GOC.  The FARC's concern is less about its members' arrival 
at an agreed meeting place than with their departure. 
According to Schaerer, the FARC fears that the military could 
attack at the conclusion of a meeting. 
 
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COMPARING ROLES OF FRANCE AND SPAIN 
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6.  (C) Schaerer stated that France is "overly emotional" on 
the hostage issue and is not playing a constructive role in 
discussions associated with a humanitarian exchange.  For 
example, the ICRC asked the FARC to release all hostages who 
are suffering from physical or mental ailments, and then 
France complicated matters by immediately adding, "and all 
the women".  In Schaerer's view, France has some credibility 
with the FARC but none with the GOC.  Spain, on the other 
hand, has credibility with the GOC and appears to be playing 
a more useful role.  Schaerer said Uribe's recent meeting 
with Zapatero raised the possibility of an informal deal, in 
which the GOC's progress on humanitarian exchange would be 
met by Spain's efforts to persuade the EU to back 
implementation of the Justice and Peace law. 
 
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HOW COURT RULING COULD AFFECT HUMANITARIAN EXCHANGE 
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7.  (C) In Schaerer's view, the FARC would remain interested 
in an humanitarian exchange even if the Constitutional Court 
rules in favor of Uribe's right to seek immediate reelection. 
 Schaerer discounted the view that the FARC is likely to 
attack to undermine Uribe's image as a president who has 
delivered both security and government services.  Such a FARC 
offensive would, he said, be counterproductive because it 
would almost certainly strengthen, not diminish, Uribe's 
popularity. 
 
8.  (C) If the Court rules against Uribe's right to seek 
immediate reelection, Schaerer said the FARC would probably 
wait until a new president was inaugurated in August 2006 to 
restart "talks about talks."  He reasoned that the FARC would 
not want to give Uribe a "parting gift" of hostages released. 
 Schaerer thought it possible, albeit unlikely, that the FARC 
would "thank" the Court for such a ruling by releasing some 
hostages. 
 
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MEETING COULD BE BEST CASE SCENARIO IN SHORT TERM 
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9.  (C) Schaerer is not optimistic about the prospects for an 
humanitarian exchange at this point.  He said there are too 
many actors involved in the "talks about talks," and too many 
public statements.  (Note: as reported ref B, Father Dario 
Echeverri, Secretary General of the National Conciliation 
Commission, is in Europe this week to meet with Spanish, 
Swiss, and French authorities and try to coordinate better 
the various peace efforts.  End note.)  The "best case 
scenario" in the short term, according to Schaerer,  would be 
an agreement for the GOC and FARC to meet.  He expects the 
FARC to insist on the return of some of its heavyweight 
operatives (he mentioned Rodrigo Granda) and the GOC to 
resist. 
CALLAGHAN