COLOMBIA: WANTS CONSENSUS BUT NEEDS SECURITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 010062 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2015 TAGS: PGOV ECON KSUM CO OAS SUBJECT: COLOMBIA: WANTS CONSENSUS BUT NEEDS SECURITY LANGUAGE AT SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS REF: A. STATE 195226 ¶B. STATE 195518 Classified By: Political Counselor Jeffrey DeLaurentis. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d) -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Poloff delivered reftel demarches to Summit of the Americas Coordinator Francisco Gonzalez on October 24. Gonzalez agreed that much progress was made at the October 3-7 SIRG, but that more negotiation is needed before the Summit Declaration can be signed. He was confident, however, that agreement could be reached. Gonzalez said Colombia is willing to be flexible on many issues but would hesitate to remove language that refers to the importance of fighting narcotics trafficking and/or terrorism in the Declaration or Plan of Action. Gonzalez was skeptical that the draft Joint Commercial/Labor Declaration could be negotiated and signed during the Summit and was concerned that this effort would deflect attention away from other, unresolved issues. Gonzalez confirmed the participation of President Uribe and Foreign Minister Barco, as well as other ministers, at the Summit. End Summary. -------------- GOC Looking for Consensus -------------- ¶2. (C) Poloff delivered reftel demarches to Summit of the Americas Coordinator Gonzalez on October 24. Gonzalez agreed that much progress was made at the October 3-7 SIRG in Washington, and that the draft declaration still needs more positive, action-oriented language before it can be signed. Gonzalez was confident, however, all sides would eventually reach agreement and stressed Colombia's goal to act as a consensus maker. He also said Colombia would not insist on language that was not essential and would encourage others to do the same. He noted specifically that language suggested by Venezuela about the relationship between jobs and growth in the United States in the 1990s was superfluous, but said it was difficult to fight with the Venezuelans when their data came from the IDB. He suggested that all parties be prepared to negotiate on Saturday, November 5 - a day not currently scheduled for any meetings - if necessary. -------------- -------------- Language on Terrorism and Narcotics Important to GOC -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Gonzalez said President Uribe intended to make a speech at the Summit covering two issues of importance to Colombia: 1) trade as an critical factor for job creation; and 2) the necessity of sustaining a "climate of security" to facilitate continued economic growth. For Colombia, a "climate of security" cannot be achieved without appropriate attention to fighting narcotics trafficking and terrorism. For this reason, Colombia would hesitate to eliminate completely current paragraph 26 on the "institutional framework for decent work" (Ref A) because the only references to fighting narcotics trafficking and terrorism are in this paragraph. Similarly, Colombia, while sharing U.S. concerns about the Plan of Action, does not want the Plan to be shortened if references to narcotics trafficking or terrorism will be eliminated. -------------- Uncertainty on Stand-Alone Declarations -------------- ¶4. (C) Gonzalez, who had already received a copy of the draft Joint Commercial/Labor Declaration from the Colombian OAS mission in Washington, expressed concerns about the document. While he believes the GOC would appreciate the opportunity to discuss the issues raised in the draft at the proposed follow-on Labor/Commerce Ministerial in 2006, he fears that this draft statement will deflect attention away from the Summit Declaration and the Plan of Action. He does not think that ministers will have enough time to negotiate and sign this draft declaration during the Summit. Gonzalez did not have an immediate response to the draft Statement on the Doha Development Round or the draft Statement on Democracies in Transition. Post will report response septel. -------------- GOC Summit Delegation -------------- ¶5. (U) Gonzalez confirmed the composition of the Colombian official delegation to the Summit: President Alvaro Uribe, Foreign Minister Carolina Barco, Commerce Minister Jorge Botero, Minister of Social Protection Diego Palacio, Colombian Ambassador to the OAS Alvaro Tirado, Colombian Ambassador to Argentina Rodrigo Holguin and MFA Vice Minister Camilo Reyes. Gonzalez, as well as other support staff, will also attend. WOOD