US embassy cable - 05BOGOTA11044

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BOGOTA 011044 
 
SIPDIS 
 
ONDCP FOR WALTERS, WARD, O'CONNOR 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PREL, SNAR, CO 
SUBJECT: ONDCP DIRECTOR WALTERS MEETS WITH PRESIDENT URIBE 
 
 
Classified By: Charge Milton K. Drucker for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) 
 
1. (C) Summary.  During a two-hour meeting with President 
Uribe on November 9, ONDCP Director John Walters praised GOC 
efforts to reduce the supply of cocaine and reviewed ONDCP 
statistics reflecting U.S. consumption, Colombian cultivation 
(vs spray levels) and potential production, and Andean 
potential production and export quality.  Walters stressed 
that the GOC was showing narco-traffickers it was possible to 
defeat the beast of terror and drugs, remain strong, and 
promote democracy and human rights.  In addition, his office 
would be releasing a report soon on the availability, purity 
and cost of cocaine on the U.S. market.  Walters underscored 
that the market had compressed and the prices and purity 
changes were significant.  Nonetheless, he warned that the 
GOC and USG had to be vigilant in preventing 
narco-traffickers from reconstituting production facilities 
elsewhere, preventing new markets to emerge.  Finally, 
Walters pressed Uribe to re-double efforts to target the 
financial resources of the narco-traffickers, to complement 
eradication and interdiction in a comprehensive counter-drug 
strategy.  Uribe was encouraged by the new statistics, noting 
that many (including those opposed to aerial straying and 
extraditions) were predicting poor results in year-end coca 
hectarage figures.  He raised concerns about reports of coca 
cultivation in Ecuador and requested U.S. assistance to 
determine the scope of the problem.  Reacting to recent local 
press reports that Colombia was losing the war on drugs, 
Uribe underscored the need to show the public that partial 
goals had already been met and urged ONDCP to publish its new 
findings soon. Regarding spraying in the national parks, 
Minister of the Interior and Justice Sabas Pretelt said he 
was waiting for a police assessment on whether manual 
eradication could do the job.  Uribe said if their conclusion 
were that it could not, the GOC would authorize spraying. End 
Summary. 
 
2. (C) On November 9, ONDCP Director John Walters met 
withPresident Uribe for two hours at the presidential palace. 
Uribe was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Carolina 
Barco, Defense Minister Camilo Ospina, General Jorge Baron 
(from the Colombian National Police), and Social Solidarity 
Network Head Luis Alfonso Hoyos.  Minister of Interior and 
Justice Sabas Pretelt arrived half way through the 
discussion. Director Walters was accompanied by Ambassador 
Wood, NAS Director, political counselor (note taker) and two 
aides. 
 
3. (C) President Uribe opened by thanking Director Walters 
for USG support in the fight against drugs.  He expressed 
concern about the increase in coca production in Narino 
department which he said could reach 34,000 hectares.  While 
acknowledging that the density and productivity of the 
cultivation had begun to decline, which was good news, Narino 
still remained a troublesome development.  We have to show 
real results, he said, and, if necessary, adjust our strategy 
to be more effective.  Uribe expressed concern about year-end 
coca hectarage figures due out soon.  He stressed that many 
were predicting poor results, particularly those opposed to 
spraying and the GOC policy on extraditions.  He hoped that 
all the year-end reports would show increased reduction in 
coca production for 2005.  The GOC had made the greatest 
effort to expand fumigation.  Last year, 126,000 hectares 
were sprayed.  This year, the goal of 130,000 had already 
been reached.  This was accomplished even with one spray 
package currently grounded and the diversion of helicopters 
for high value target missions.  Ambassador Wood noted that 
the grounded spray package should be flying again in three 
weeks.  Uribe said his coca eradication goal for 2006 would 
be 150,000 hectares.  Manual eradication efforts were also 
being enhanced.  Uribe reported that 26,000 hectares had been 
completed so far, with a 30,000-plus hectares projection by 
year's end. 
 
4. (C) Director Walters praised GOC efforts to reduce the 
supply of cocaine and heroin, and highlighted efforts to 
reduce demand in the U.S.  He said the U.S. was spending 
three billion USD on drug prevention programs and, as a 
result, has seen a 17 percent decrease in illicit drug 
consumption in the U.S.  Addicts were attritting by 20 
percent each year.  The challenge was to keep them from being 
replaced.  He reviewed ONDCP statistics reflecting U.S. 
consumption, Colombian cultivation (vs spray levels) and 
potential production, and Andean potential production and 
export quality.  He noted that his office was finalizing a 
report on the availability, purity, and cost of cocaine on 
the U.S. market that would be released in December. 
 
5. (C) Walters underscored that, rather than spreading 
production to other countries, the narcotraffickers had 
decided to "fight it out in Colombia" where the cultivation 
and production infrastructures were already in place. 
Therefore, we are seeing greater efforts to maximize 
cultivation in Colombia, with more intense replanting regimes 
and smaller plots to evade aerial spraying. The increased 
cost of moving the cultivation and production around was 
diminishing profits.  GOC efforts were reducing cultivation 
and production even though total hectare was not decreasing 
as fast.  Prices remained steady because of a decrease in 
both supply and demand. 
 
6. (C) Walters also reported that the U.S. had information 
about a decline in purity and a decrease in the availability 
of cocaine in the U.K.  The shortage of supply was reflected 
in the decline of purity rather than an increase in price. 
If the narcos could supply it at previous levels of purity, 
they would.  However, because the U.K. information had been 
derived by wiretaps, he was unable to say so in public yet. 
Wood asked whether we could accurately characterize the 
current state of play by saying there was reliable evidence 
that there was a shortage of cocaine in some markets. 
Walters said it would be more accurate at this stage to say 
that the market had compressed.  Walters underscored that the 
price and purity changes were new. The last time this had 
happened was during the Barco administration around 1989-90, 
but it did not last.  Because the drug pipeline is long and 
large and there had been overproduction each year, it would 
be a while to say definitively that the trend was likely to 
continue.  There are signs the offense is winning, said 
Walters, but the defense could change tactics.  The important 
thing was that the pipeline was now stretched -- the narcos 
had lost the capacity to keep the market.  It was time to 
pour on the pressure.  The more we do now to choke them, he 
said, the greater the impact. 
 
7. (C) Walters also warned that the GOC and USG had to be 
vigilant on the capacity for reconstitution (i.e., the 
ability to re-plant, move to other areas, etc).  He 
reiterated that we had to focus on the entire production line 
-- collection, consolidation, movement and sale -- and 
continue squeezing out the fat.  The pipeline had been long 
and loose but was now more like a tight wire.  The GOC has 
done this via its eradication and interdiction efforts. 
 
Uribe Concerned about Ecuador 
----------------------------- 
 
8. (C) Uribe raised concerns about reports of coca 
cultivation in Ecuador.  He requested U.S. assistance in 
determining if Ecuador had areas with illicit crops. Foreign 
Minister Barco said the GOC was trying to perusade GOC 
officials that it was in their interest to learn the facts 
and to work together to attack the problem.  Walters doubted 
that the GOE would allow too much drug growth.  He understood 
that some in the Ecuadorian armed forces were permitting FARC 
members to transit back and forth over the border for a fee. 
Obvious drug growth would put too much attention on the petty 
corruption.  It was in the GOE's own interest to limit drug 
growth, he said. The day someone finds 10,000 hectares 
cultivated with coca, everyone's life will change. 
 
We Can Win: Spray Public Opinion with Good News 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
9. (C) Walters reiterated that the U.S. and Colombia had to 
focus on preventing the drug trade from settling down in new 
areas.  This can prevent new markets from emerging.  We are 
fighting a war of fear and hope, he said.  Many believe that 
it was not possible to defeat the "beast of terror and 
drugs."  Yet, the GOC under Uribe has had the vision and 
confidence to say, yes, we can stop it.  He told Uribe that 
the GOC was showing the narcos that serious governments can 
take them on, remain strong, promote democracy and human 
rights, and make progress. 
 
10. (C) Uribe said he had to win back public opinion.  When 
reporters, editorialists and columnists in top newspapers 
write that Colombia is losing the war on drugs,as has been 
the case recently, everyone becomes discouraged.  It was 
necessary to show the public that"partial goals" had already 
been met.  Could we not 
concentrate efforts on the full eradication of poppy, he 
asked?  People needed to believe it was possible to win 
battles in a long-term war.  Spraying also needed to 
continue; the spray package currently sidelined had to 
become operational as soon as possible.  This would produce 
better results.  Finally, ONDCP needed to publish its recent 
findings soon.  It is important that you explain your 
findings to Colombians.  We have to "spray public opinion" 
repeatedly with good news, said Uribe. 
 
11. (C) Walters stressed that, while eradication and 
interdiction were key elements in any counter-drug strategy, 
there were other ways to fight the war. Governments had to go 
after people who make profits out of addiction and death and 
take away their resources.  Uribe reported there was good 
news on this front. Narcotraffickers were no longer able to 
buy farms in the two most northern provinces of the country, 
an indication of their declining financial resources. 
Confiscations, seizures and forfeitures were all on the rise. 
 Walters said the process had to be swifter.  The key was to 
diminish the capacity of the narco-traffickers to re-start 
business somewhere else. 
 
Spraying in the National Parks 
------------------------------ 
 
12. (C) Noting that the national parks represented ten 
percent of Colombia's territory, Wood pressed Uribe on how 
the GOC planned to deal with the 10,000 hectares already 
under coca cultivation.  Minister Sabas Pretelt said he was 
waiting for a police assessment on whether manual eradication 
could do the job.  If their conclusion is that it cannot, the 
GOC will authorize spraying.  (Embassy understands that the 
police report is finished.  Interior and Justice Minister 
Pretelt has been sitting on it. Uribe asked him during the 
meeting if the GOC had the political space to authorize 
spraying.)  Uribe also pressed Hoyos on manual eradication, 
asking if the numbers being reported were accurate (Hoyos 
said yes), and if a goal of 30,000 hectares could be reached 
in 2005 (Hoyos said the manual eradication teams had been 
working very hard and were now very tired, with many of the 
teams on rotation for rest). 
 
13.(U) This message was cleared by ONDCP Director Walters. 
 
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