URIBE'S MEETING WITH INTER-AGENCY DELEGATION

id: 13852
date: 2/10/2004 15:28
refid: 04BOGOTA1356
origin: Embassy Bogota
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 04BOGOTA1198
header:
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.




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C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 001356

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/10/2014
TAGS: PREL KJUS PHUM PTER SNAR CO EU
SUBJECT: URIBE'S MEETING WITH INTER-AGENCY DELEGATION

REF: BOGOTA 1198 (NOTAL)

Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood, Reasons: 1.5 B & D.


1. (C) Summary: Ambassador Wood and visiting U.S.
inter-agency delegation met with President Uribe and FM Barco
on February 4. Reftel details the portion of the meeting
devoted to paramilitary demobilization and extradition
issues. Barco expressed guarded optimism regarding the OAS
vote on SecGen Gaviria's proposed paramilitary demobilization
verification program. Uribe reiterated his pledge to wipe
out coca production during his term and requested additional
eradication efforts and aircraft. Uribe was positive on his
upcoming visit to Europe, indicating he would defend the
anti-terrorism statute and resist calls for a humanitarian
exchange of kidnapped victims for guerrillas. End Summary.


2. (SBU) Ambassador Wood and U.S. inter-agency delegation
met with President Alvaro Uribe and FM Carolina Barco on
February 4 in Bogota. The U.S. side included WHA DAS Peter
DeShazo, DRL PDAS Michael Kozak, INL DAS Deborah McCarthy,
USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator Karen Harbert, and
poloff Brian Walch (notetaker).


3. (C) DeShazo welcomed Colombian military/police re-taking
of Miraflores from FARC guerrillas earlier in the week. In
the context of paramilitary demobilization (see reftel),
Ambassador and DeShazo stressed the importance of extradition
and the need for justice for victims and accountability for
gross human rights violations and narcotrafficking on the
part of former combatants. Regarding the planned OAS
observation effort for paramilitary demobilization, FM Barco
indicated she was lobbying counterparts to attain approval of
the OAS SecGen's initiative.


4. (C) Uribe reiterated his pledge to wipe out coca
production during his term (2002-2006). He requested
additional eradication flights and inquired about the status
of pending aircraft. McCarthy noted the full-steam pace of
eradication efforts and was positive that four additional
aircraft would arrive in approximately 90 days. In addition,
the U.S. goal was two AT-802 aircraft by June. Uribe
suggested additional efforts to dismantle the Norte del Valle
cartel and called attention to two major groups of arrests in
the last ten days. Ambassador Wood told Uribe we are in the
final stages of the draft Plan Colombia Phase II text.


5. (C) Turning to his visit to Brussels, Berlin, Rome, and
Strasbourg (February 8-14),Uribe indicated he would carry a
strong message to Europe. He promised to stress his
achievements on both the public security and human rights
fronts. Uribe was adamant that he would resist European
calls for an unconditional humanitarian exchange of prisoners
with the FARC. FM Barco, in turn, expressed determination to
defend the congressionally-approved anti-terrorism statute.
WOOD

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