US embassy cable - 05PARIS7831

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 007831 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2015 
TAGS: EAID, PTER, FR, CO, OAS 
SUBJECT: FRENCH LUKEWARM TO SUPPORTING PARAMILITARY 
DISARMAMENT IN COLOMBIA 
 
REF: STATE 207709 
 
Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) Pol/MC and PolOff delivered reftel points November 16 
to MFA A/S-equivalent for WHA Daniel Parfait, DAS-equivalent 
for South America Michel Pinard, and Venezuela desk officer 
Lionel Paradisi.  Parfait stated that the French did not 
share our analysis of the success of the disarmament 
campaign, pointing to what he characterized as mounting 
tensions between the GoC and paramilitary forces. 
Extraditions of drug traffickers and human rights abusers 
were at the heart of the problem, according to Parfait, who 
acknowledged the difficult situation for both the GoC and 
U.S.  Parfait cited the case of Don Berna as a good example 
of the problem: if he is extradited, the paramilitaries will 
abandon the disarmament process; if he remains in Colombia, 
he will continue to run his organization's criminal 
enterprises from prison and relations with the U.S. will be 
damaged.  Parfait also expressed concern that paramilitaries 
could rearm and remobilize themselves at any time if they 
wished to do so. 
 
2.  (C) The GoF would be more open to supporting disarmament 
efforts if it thought they might be successful, Parfait said, 
but he judged the OAS process to be an impossible task. 
Additionally, Parfait noted that Europeans were being asked 
to fund an OAS initiative when Latin American countries were 
not participating.  Ultimately, Parfait said, the 
paramilitary fighters were traffickers who have benefited 
financially from the drug trade, and it was difficult to 
envisage spending GoF funds to disarm them.  However, Parfait 
suggested the GoF would be open to EU engagement in other 
areas of the peace process, such as victim assistance. 
 
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm 
 
Stapleton