US embassy cable - 05BOGOTA10232

UNCLAS BOGOTA 010232 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, MARR, MOPS, PHUM, SNAR, CO 
SUBJECT: CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS JUDGED TO BE IMPROVING 
 
 
Summary 
------- 
1. (U) Colombian government officials, academics, and 
international military speakers discussed civil-military 
interaction at an Embassy co-sponsored seminar on October 26. 
 Vice Minister of Defense Andres Penate reported that the 
civilian-military relations were "mature" and improving under 
the Uribe Administration.  Other GOC speakers offered 
suggestions to improve Colombia's civilian-military 
understanding, while international speakers offered examples 
of their respective nation's relationship-building 
activities. 
 
Civilian-Military Relationship Matures 
-------------------------------------- 
 
2. (U) "Civilian-military relations are much more mature than 
the Colombian public perceives," said VM Andres Penate during 
the first Embassy Bogota co-hosted seminar on civil-military 
relations.  He praised the Colombian military and police for 
their work on informing civilian leadership decisions in 
recent years, and stressed the military was not a 
policy-making entity.  Penate also hailed the military's 
effort to engage with citizens across Colombia through 
"jornadas" (military-coordinated medical operations) and said 
such public outreach had helped sustain public support.  He 
asserted that media and Congress portrayed disagreements 
between civilian and military leadership as an indication 
that the relationship is strained, but Penate contended that 
debate kept the relationship healthy.  (Note: the most recent 
Gallup polls indicate that the military has an approval 
rating of 81% among the general population.) 
 
3. (U) Penate, one of two civilian Vice Ministers of Defense, 
contrasted the U.S. and Colombian experiences with the 
military and noted that relations had only recently improved. 
 Unlike the United States, Colombia had considered the 
military anti-democratic and civilians viewed the military as 
an entity used only on special occasions despite its 40-year 
internal conflict, according to Penate.  He added that 
civilians had traditionally ignored the military's insight on 
security issues, leading to a history of several uninformed 
decisions by civilian leadership.  For example, several years 
ago the GOC had sent satellite phones into remote corners of 
Colombia in an attempt to link communities with the 
government.  Civilian officials were taken by surprise when 
the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas 
stole those phones and used them for their own ends. 
 
Next Steps to Improve the Relationship 
-------------------------------------- 
 
5. (U) Other speakers offered suggestions to improve the 
military's relations with Colombia's public.  Vice President 
Francisco Santos suggested that the military should engage 
the public by increasing outreach and improving human rights 
protections.  One Peace Commission official read Luis Carlos 
Restrepo's speech in his absence and underscored his hope 
that the public would grow to trust the military enough to 
eliminate private citizens' willingness to use  paramilitary 
or private security measures.  Chilean, Brazilian, and U.S. 
military officials offered presentations outlining the 
international perspective, and fielded questions about the 
civilian-military relationship in their respective countries. 
 
 
6. (U) The October 26 conference was the first event of its 
kind to discuss civilian-military interaction and highlighted 
the Uribe Administration's interest in improving relations 
further.  Uribe has had three civilian ministers of defense 
since his 2002 inauguration and his first minister left under 
heavy criticism that military officials did not approve of 
her goals or management style. 
WOOD