US embassy cable - 05BOGOTA8284

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BOGOTA 008284 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, SNAR, MASS, PREF, EAID, KJUS, CO 
SUBJECT: PLAN COLOMBIA MONTHLY HIGHLIGHTS - JULY 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood 
Reasons: 1.4 (b & d) 
 
 1. (U) The following is an update of Plan Colombia 
activities reported during July 2005. 
 
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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE/JUDICIAL SECTOR REFORM PROGRAM 
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2. (U) The Department of Justice Judicial Sector Reform 
Program (JSRP) provided training to police officers, judges 
and prosecutors in the following general courses: 
 
--JSRP sponsored "Criminal Trial Advocacy" training in 
Medellin and Bucaramanga for 120 prosecutors and 60 
investigators.  This two-week course is designed to prepare 
police for the implementation of the new Criminal Procedure 
Code and the new role of the police investigator, covering 
topics such as preserving evidence, report writing and 
testimony in court.  This course combines classroom 
instruction with mock court proceedings and other practical 
exercises. 
 
--"Investigator As a Witness" training was provided to over 
800 police officers in eight cities: Bogota, Villavicencio, 
Bucaramanga, Medellin, Ibague, Cali, Tunja, and Yopal.  This 
intensive two-week course provides training in handling crime 
scenes, writing police reports, and testimony in court. 
Classroom training is combined with practical exercises, 
including mock courtroom proceedings.  Colombian prosecutors 
participate in the mock court proceedings as both defense 
attorneys and prosecutors. 
 
--The "Police Instructor" course was offered to 180 officers 
in Medellin.  The two-week course is designed to prepare them 
as instructors in training patrol officers in the accusatory 
system and the new Criminal Procedure Code. They were 
instructed in how to handle crime scenes and deliver 
testimony in court.  Instructor training was provided to 
patrol officers, who will in turn train other officers, in 
Medellin, Bucaramanga, and Tunja. 
 
--Accusatory system training was provided to 25 police 
executives in an after-hours course in Bogota. 
 
3. (U) The Anti-Corruption seminar was provided to directors 
and assistant directors from National Police (CNP), 
Department of Administrative Security (DAS) and The 
Prosecutor General's Office Technical Investigative Corps (In 
Spanish, "Cuerpo Tecnico de Investigaciones" or CTI) in San 
Andres. 
 
4. (U) JSRP provided assistance to the Anti-Terrorism 
Assistance Program (ATA), a Plan Colombia program lead by the 
Regional Security Office, with material for the 
anti-kidnapping courses for Army Anti-kidnapping Officers (in 
Spanish, "Grupo de Accion Unificada para la Libertad 
Personal" or GAULA), involving instruction on the accusatory 
system and the new Criminal Procedure Code. 
 
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MILITARY GROUP 
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5. (C) The change of command for the 18th Brigade took place 
on July 8.  Brigadier General Gustavo Matamoros Comacho 
relinquished command of the 18th Brigade, and moved to Bogota 
to become the 13th Brigade Commander.  The 13th Brigade has 
the responsibility for the Bogota region and is considered 
one of the most challenging Brigade assignments.  Brigadier 
General Gutierrez, the former COLAR E-2, will become the new 
18th Brigade Commander.  Gutierrez has had a productive 
working relationship with the Military Group (Milgroup) and 
Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).  He has worked on various 
military activities (CIME, CITEC, and the COLAR RIMEs, for 
example) during his tenure as E-2.  Milgroup does not expect 
any negative impact to the Infrastructure Security Strategy 
(ISS) or Infrastructure Protection Strategy. 
 
6. (C) The new Colombian presidential aircraft arrived in 
Colombia on July 2, and pilot training began on July 3.  The 
official inauguration ceremony was held July 6.  The aircraft 
flew its first mission to Costa Rica on July 7, and President 
Alvaro Uribe traveled to Spain in the new aircraft on July 9. 
 
7. (U) Ambassador Wood, COL Graves (DAO), and COL Trombitas 
(Milgroup) met with new Minister of Defense (MOD) Camilo 
Ospina on July 9, prior to his oath of office on July 18, 
2005.  Ospina stated he hopes to improve the military justice 
system and neutralize High Value Targets (HVTs).  He is 
committed to continuing a productive working relationship 
with his USG interlocutors. 
 
8. (U) CAPT Pete Husta, interim Milgroup commander, was in 
Cartagena from July 21-25, to participate in naval training 
activities (UNITAS Exercises). 
 
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Narcotic Affairs Section 
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9. (U) The Narcotic Affairs Section (NAS) sponsored a series 
of training seminars titled "Handling Chemical Substances and 
Bio-Safety in the Destruction of Illegal Drug Manufacturing 
Labs."  The Colombian Government's National Drug Directorate 
(DNE) facilitated the seminars for members of the Colombian 
Army's Counter Drug Brigade at Larandia (Caqueta).  The 
course offers instruction in identification, proper handling, 
and destruction of precursor chemicals.  Additionally, they 
were instructed how to complete reports of their findings to 
authorities for appropriate judicial processing. 
 
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Regional Security Office 
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10. (U) The Regional Security Office (RSO) has conducted a 
host of activities in support of the Anti-Kidnapping 
Initiative.  To date, a total of 271 GAULA personnel have 
completed training. 
 
11. (U) In July, the CNP GAULA in Neiva/Pereira, composed of 
24 members, officially received its equipment.  This group 
completed training March 4. 
 
12. (U) The Army GAULA Santander, composed of 24 members, 
graduated from the tactical training course at Sibate.  The 
equipment for this group has entered the final certification 
process, and should be ready for donation soon. 
 
13. (U) The equipment for donation to CNP GAULA in 
Bucaramanga, Manizales, and Valledupar (CRT-6), composed of 
31 members, and Army GAULA Casanare (CRT-7), composed of 33 
members, is awaiting the final certification for donation. 
It is anticipated that the donations will be completed at the 
end of August. 
 
14. (U) With the final donation of equipment mentioned above, 
ATA Bogota will have finally resolved all the outstanding 
issues related to equipment donation.  The delay in 
delivering equipment, unfortunately, had created 
misunderstanding between the GOC and the USG.  With the 
remaining final donations scheduled, all the ATA-trained 
GAULA groups will have their donated equipment. 
 
15. (U) With the delivery of the equipment for GAULAs 1-9, 
these units will have received equipment valued at 
approximately $2.3 million. 
 
16. (U) The ATA began training the first Colombian Military 
naval group, GAULA Sucre, comprised of 28 individuals.  This 
group is scheduled to complete training in September 2005. 
 
17. (U) The Integrated Extortion and Kidnapping Information 
(in Spanish, "Sistema Integrado de Informacion Extorsion y 
Secuestro" or SIIES) Team has continued its effort to link 
the databases of several Colombian government entities.  The 
participating entities include the CNP, Fiscalia, Medicina 
Legal, and National Registry, Financial Investigation and 
Analysis (in Spanish, "Unidad Investigacion y Analisis 
Financiero" or UIAF), but does not include the DAS. The SIIES 
Team has completed the linking of the CNP and Fiscalia 
databases to SIIES.  Currently, the SIIES team is working to 
link the existing shared databases with the UIAF database. 
 
18. (U) The GAULA Cundinamarca Pilot continued initial 
training for its first group of users.  Installation of WAN 
software at the first ten GAULA units was completed.  The 
Legal Assistance Module Pilot was begun in conjunction with 
the Case Management Module Pilot. 
 
19. (U) The Presidential Security Protection Program (PSP) 
staff conducted two advanced dignitary protection courses for 
members of President Uribe's protective details. 
 
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USAID 
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20. (U) USAID's Agriculture and Alternative Development 
Program (AD) completed planting of a total of 69,187 hectares 
of licit crops as of June 30, 2005.  The original five-year 
goal was to support 65,042 hectares through FY2005.  However, 
due to accelerated implementation in FY05, USAID is working 
to support 19,270 hectares for a cumulative total of 74,341 
by the end of the fiscal year.  The AD program promotes a 
broad range of economic and social alternatives to illicit 
crop production and is particularly active in the 
agricultural, small and medium enterprise, and commercial 
forestry sectors.  Program activities are underway in 17 
departments nationwide. 
 
21. (U) On June 24, USAID's Internally Displaced Persons 
program, through its implementing partner the Pan American 
Development Foundation, inaugurated a cassava (a root that is 
grown in the tropics, eaten as a staple food after drying and 
leaching, and is the source of tapioca) processing plant in 
Mutata (Antioquia).  The project will improve the incomes of 
roughly 240 families from the municipalities of Mutata, 
Chigorodo and Carepa.  USAID's US$83,127 contribution to the 
total project cost leveraged US$293,834 from the Fundacion 
Social de Uniban, the Department of Antioquia, and the 
municipality of Mutata, among others. 
 
22. (U) USAID's Internally Displaced Persons Employment and 
Recycling project, implemented through the Pan American 
Development Foundation and Co-Development Foundation (in 
Spanish, "Fundacion Codesarrollo"), signed strategic alliance 
agreements with three cooperatives in Bucaramanga 
(Santander), Pereira (Risaralda), and Cartagena (Bolivar) to 
expand its Plastic Recycling Network.  To date the project 
has benefited 140 individuals in five municipalities, and 
will eventually serve 210 new beneficiaries as a result of 
the agreements.  Project beneficiaries currently earn an 
average monthly income of US$230 (150% of the Colombian 
minimum wage) for selling the recyclable material they 
collect. 
 
23. (U) Through implementing partners CHF International and 
the Colombian Social Solidarity Network (RSS), USAID 
completed the construction of an Indigenous Center in San 
Juan del Cesar (La Guajira).  The Center will provide the 
Wiwa tribe a temporary place in which to live.  It will 
additionally serve as a meeting center, and a central 
location where persons can obtain medical attention and other 
support as required during temporary displacement.  Due to 
violence generated by illegal armed groups, many leaders and 
members of this tribe have been killed or displaced.  This 
situation has weakened the cultural roots of the Wiwas and 
other indigenous groups.  By providing this center, it is 
expected the tribe will be able to continue to practice its 
rituals and maintain its rich cultural heritage. 
WOOD