EU VISIT GIVES URIBE LITTLE

id: 14122 date: 2/20/2004 11:37 refid: 04BRUSSELS733 origin: Embassy Brussels classification: CONFIDENTIAL destination: 04BRUSSELS542|04ROME561|04STATE24530 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 BRUSSELS 000733 SIPDIS DEPT FOR P RICHARD MILES, WHA/AND SUSAN BELL, EUR/ERA TOM LERSTEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/20/2014 TAGS: PGOV PREL SNAR PHUM EAID ETRD CO EUN USEU BRUSSELS SUBJECT: EU VISIT GIVES URIBE LITTLE REF: A. A) ROME 561 ¶B. B) BRUSSELS 542 ¶C. C) STATE 24530 Classified By: USEU POLOFF TODD HUIZINGA, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's February 9-10 EU visit resulted in a cooperation and information sharing agreement between Colombia and Europol. He got little from the Commission on an EU/Andean trade pact, or a 10 year GSP extension. EC officials said that they would have no new aid for Colombia until 2006 but did not rule out a possible pledging meeting before then. The EU did express misgivings about Uribe's anti-terrorism statute and some members of the European Parliament walked out when he addressed them. END SUMMARY. -------------- TRADE AND AID -------------- ¶2. (C) An EC interlocutor from the European Commission's Directorate-General for External Relations told us that Uribe's priorities were getting Commission agreement for a donors' meeting in Brussels and improving trade. EC President Prodi, Commissioners Lamy (trade) and Patten (foreign relations) said that, while they want to help Colombia where possible, they had not a euro to pledge until ¶2006. The Commissioners suggested that a donor meeting might be possible if packaged as a follow-up to the July 2003 London Meeting on International Support for Colombia. ¶3. (C) On trade, Uribe pressed for progress toward an EU-Andean Community Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and for a ten-year extension of Colombia's Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) trade benefits. The EC said that the Andean Community needs to make more progress toward regional integration by measures such as the introduction of a common external tariff and reducing non-tariff trade barriers. The Commission has extended the GSP trade benefits for one year, until December 31, 2005. (They had been set to run out on December 31, 2004.) Our source told us that he believed the EU would find a way to extend the GSP benefits for a full ten years, despite the Indian complaint at the WTO challenging the legality of the benefits. -------------- SOLANA MEETING: EUROPOL-COLOMBIA COOPERATION -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Uribe also met with EU HighRep Javier Solana, after which a cooperation and information-sharing agreement between Europol and Colombia was signed. Our Commission interlocutor reported that Solana's primary message to Uribe was the same as the Commissioners': political support for Uribe's efforts to build democracy and fight terrorism. -------------- EU PARLIAMENT A MIXED BAG -------------- ¶5. (U) In his address to the plenary and an additional meeting with the Foreign Affairs Committee, Uribe defended his anti-terrorism policies and responded ably to criticism, as he reportedly had at a separate meeting with human rights NGOs in Brussels. However, some Greens and Leftist members of the European Parliament (MEPs) wearing scarves with the inscription, "peace and democracy in Colombia" walked out when he spoke. SCHNABEL =======================CABLE ENDS============================