GOC CONCERNED ABOUT UN DRAFT RESOLUTION ON

id: 14497 date: 3/2/2004 22:05 refid: 04BOGOTA3102 origin: Embassy Bogota classification: CONFIDENTIAL destination: header: This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. -------------- header ends -------------- C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 003102 SIPDIS IO/UNP FOR WEINBERG E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2014 TAGS: PREL PTER CO UNSC SUBJECT: GOC CONCERNED ABOUT UN DRAFT RESOLUTION ON CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT Classified By: CDA Milton K. Drucker, Reasons: 1.4 B & D. ¶1. (C) Charge was called to the Foreign Ministry on March 26 by Acting Minister Jaime Giron to discuss the GOC's reservations about two aspects of the UNSC Draft Resolution on Children and Armed Conflict. Referring to the resolution's operative paragraph 7bis, Giron expressed concern about the use of the term "parties" in reference to the FARC and ELN guerrilla groups and the AUC paramilitary group, stating that the term implied that Colombian narco-terrorist groups were "parties to a conflict" rather than merely being illegal armed groups without political support. Secondly, referring to operative paragraph 3, Giron worried that Colombia could become a "UN Security Council agenda item." Giron pointed out that the citation on Colombia was different than most of the other countries in Annex II of the Secretary General's Report on Children and Armed Conflict. We understand Colombian Ambassador Moreno also phoned A/S Holmes with the same concerns. ¶2. (C) Action request: Post would like to assist the GOC particularly on the wording issue. The USG has named the FARC, ELN, and AUC terrorist organizations and we are sympathetic to Colombian concerns on the language of the draft resolution. DRUCKER =======================CABLE ENDS============================