HAGUE COMPLIANCE REPORT PREPARATION: COLOMBIA

UNCLAS BOGOTA 002019 SIPDIS DEPT FOR CA/OCS/CI:KBRESNAHAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KOCI CASC PREL CO SUBJECT: HAGUE COMPLIANCE REPORT PREPARATION: COLOMBIA REF: A) Bogota 1202 B) Bresnahan-Rogan e-mail Feb. 18 ¶1. Reftel A provided Embassy Bogota's comments regarding Colombia's compliance with the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction. Ref e-mail B communicated that the Office of Children's Issues has decided to identify Colombia as a country not in compliance with the convention in the upcoming report to Congress, which will cover the year 2003. ¶2. Embassy Bogota greatly appreciates the Department's consideration of the information submitted in reftel A. The Embassy requests that, to the extent possible, the report to Congress include mention of the commitments the GoC has made in 2004 to improve Colombia's compliance with the convention. In particular, we wish to call attention to the Ministry of Foreign Relation's commitment to make implementing legislation a matter of urgency and to expedite pending cases, as reported in reftel A, para. 10. ¶3. Embassy Bogota will continue working with the GoC to ensure these commitments are honored, and on any other steps that will lead to improved compliance. Wood