ZAPATERO VISIT AFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR URIBE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BOGOTA 003422

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2015
TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV PINR CO
SUBJECT: ZAPATERO VISIT AFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR URIBE

REF: CARACAS 951

Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (SBU) Summary: Spanish President Jose Luis Rodriguez
Zapatero's March 31 visit to Bogota, as well as his
participation in a March 29 four-party summit in Venezuela,
produced positive results diplomatically for the GOC.
Zapatero pledged support on the critical issues of terrorism
and trade and supported Uribe in both public and private
sessions in particular in response to Chavez criticisms of
Uribe's security policy. His meetings with GOC officials
were largely ceremonial, however in closed-door discussions,
Zapatero agreed to bilateral cooperation in a memo of
understanding and discussed the plight of Colombian hostages.
The visit prompted criticism of Colombia's human rights
record and Spain's proposed defense sales by Amnesty
International and Colombian politicians respectively. On
July 11-12, Colombian President Uribe will make a state visit
to Spain. End summary.

Zapatero's Visit Agenda
--------------


2. (U) On March 31, President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
traveled to Colombia after the four-party summit with
Venezuela, Brazil, and Spain and a bilateral visit to
Venezuela (reftel). Zapatero began his visit by hosting a
30-minute breakfast with Spanish NGO representatives before
his meetings with the GOC. President Uribe welcomed him to
Bogota's Casa Narino with full military honors. Uribe also
gave Zapatero the Order of San Carlos award, the highest
recognition given to any foreigner, for outstanding service
in advancing the interests of the Colombian people. Congress
bestowed him with the Great Cross award, and Mayor Luis
(Lucho) Eduardo Garzon presented Zapatero with the key to
Bogota. Presidents Uribe and Zapatero had a one-hour
bilateral meeting followed by an extensive joint press
conference. The six-hour visit was hailed in the media as
highly successful.

Low Expectations for Talks
--------------


3. (SBU) Colombian President Alvaro Uribe emerged from
Colombia's four-party summit and the subsequent bilateral
visit with a neutral statement and pledges to augment
regional cooperation against terrorism. Zapatero and Lula's
support for Uribe's anti-terrorism policies helped reinforce
Uribe domestically and reign in some of Chavez' rhetoric
against the Colombian government. The March 29 summit, held
in Ciudad Guyana, Venezuela, was originally organized to
enhance regional cooperation and discuss Latin American
development, according to President Chavez. The Brazilian
government recommended that the leaders use the meeting to
further normalize Colombian-Venezuelan relations unhinged in
January after FARC leader Rodrigo Granda's arrest. Spain, a
defense material supplier to both Colombia and Venezuela, was
expected to discuss military sales to the region and justify
their strategy. Colombian Foreign Ministry contacts told us
just before the summit that President Uribe had low
expectations for a positive outcome in light of the other
leaders' ideological predispositions and views on terrorism
and poverty. Prominent daily "El Tiempo" concurred, noting
that Uribe would be the "odd man out."


4. (C) Indeed, the original draft declaration of the
four-party summit had no reference to drugs or terrorism but
did include an endorsement of Brazil for a permanent seat on
the UN Security Council and language on the U.S. and Latin
America the Colombians deemed unhelpful to the U.S and them.
According to senior GOC officials, Uribe inserted
counterterrorism and counternarcotics into the text and
excised language on Brazil and the Security Council, the
anti-U.S. language, and a line suggesting Colombian terrorism
was the consequence of poverty.

Anti-Terrorism Solidarity
--------------

5. (U) According to GOC officials, both in the summit and in
the subsequent bilateral meetings, Zapatero was unequivocal
in his statements supporting the fight against terrorism and
in enhancing regional cooperation. He also joined Uribe in
telling Chavez that he had to change his attitude toward the
United States. He pledged Spain's support and assistance in
the GOC's struggle against terrorism and reaffirmed Spain's
full backing for the Colombian government. He specifically
called on the National Liberation Army (ELN) to "cease and
desist" its activities as their violent actions only caused
terror and further violence. Zapatero recognized Colombia's
right to peace in his March 31 press conference and declared
terrorism was never justified. He stressed that any
terrorist organization seeking peace had to agree to a
complete cease-fire before discussions. All the points
concurred with President Uribe's demands of the ELN in the
stalemated peace talks between the GOC and the ELN. In the
wake of the summit discussions about the ELN, Spanish,
Venezuelan, and Brazilian Embassy officials in Bogota
traveled to Itagui Prison, Antioquia Department on April 8 to
meet with imprisoned ELN leader Francisco Galan and encourage
a revitalization of talks.

Betancourt's Mother Meets Zapatero
--------------


6. (SBU) Hostage exchange was the focal point of Zapatero's
twenty-minute closed door meeting with Mayor Garzon, with
much of the discussion focused on dual Colombian-French
national Ingrid Betancourt. Yolanda Pulecio, Betancourt's
mother, entered the mayor's office out of public view and
urged Zapatero to press the GOC to reach a hostage exchange
with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Pulecio has been a vocal proponent of an exchange during the
three years of her daughter's captivity, but the FARC's
pre-conditions of a demilitarized zone and the return of
extradited leaders repeatedly stalled GOC overtures earlier
this year. Pulecio left the meeting optimistic that the
Spanish government would be able to help her advance
negotiations.

Defense Sales Downplayed
--------------


7. (U) Spain's defense material sale to Venezuela, which
Colombian Defense Minister Uribe decried as a poor tactical
move in February, was downplayed by President Uribe during
the visit. (A week after Zapatero's visit, Defense Minister
Uribe told the media he was "not comfortable" with
Venezuela's arms build-up.) President Uribe's comments
remained upbeat during the visit and in keeping with remarks
he made last fall after Spain decided to cancel its tank sale
to Colombia. Both Rodriguez Zapatero and Uribe asserted that
the sale of boats to Venezuela was not going to harm
Colombia. They added that the sale would actually strengthen
Venezuelan capabilities to combat narcotics trafficking
through their national territory. Zapatero also announced
plans to donate three C-212 airplanes to Colombia and open
negotiations for helicopters with Colombia in an attempt to
"retain regional balance."

Critics Note Disapproval
--------------


8. (U) The Colombian Congress was not as positive about the
sale. Congress President Luis Humberto Gomez Gallo pressed
Zapatero during his award ceremony remarks before the
plenary. He condemned Spain's proposed defense article sales
to Colombia and Venezuela and declared that Latin America
needed universities and schools rather than weapons.
Zapatero responded that security, especially regional
security, was a burden that all should share. Senator Pardo
also denounced Spain's arms deal in an April 2 editorial in
weekly Medellin newspaper "El Espectador." He noted that
Spanish sales representative traveled to Venezuela during the
height of Colombia-Venezuela bilateral tensions and then
Zapatero "shamelessly and cynically" sealed the deal in the
March visit. Several members of Congress plan to hold
hearings on the arms sales soon.

9. (U) In a separate move, Amnesty International and
European intellectuals claimed that Zapatero failed to spend
adequate time on human rights problems. Although their
criticism failed to receive local media coverage, it could be
a foreshadowing of human rights criticism and protests in
Uribe's July visit.

Closer Ties and State Visit
--------------


10. (U) Uribe and Zapatero pledged to enhance commercial and
cultural ties in a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) signed during the visit. Spain is the second largest
foreign investor after the United States, and the agreement
outlines the intent to promote bilateral trade in the areas
of energy, telecommunications, infrastructure projects,
tourism, and technology. While the MOU left the specifics to
future agreements, it flagged Spain's intent to strengthen
economic ties with Colombia over and above the defense sales.
Zapatero also agreed to support Colombia in European Union
fora, a group that has been critical of the GOC for its human
rights record. The EU's increased discriminatory tariffs on
bananas from Colombia, among other countries, may be an area
where the Colombians now expect Spain to use its influence
for the better.


11. (U) President Uribe announced plans to make a state
visit to Spain on July 11-12. He said he planned to build on
the two MOUs (to foment trade and combat terrorism) signed
during Zapatero's visit. The visit was postponed from the
February date when President Uribe came down with a serious
inner-ear infection and was unable to travel.

Comment
--------------


12. (C) All reports here indicate adequate chemistry between
Rodriguez Zapatero and Uribe. Uribe's state visit in July
offers an opportunity to deepen counter-drug and
counter-terror cooperation, and to close on additional
Spanish security, development, and humanitarian aid to
Colombia. For instance, we already hear that Spain is
considering providing -- in some form -- a Blackhawk
helicopter simulator that is a high priority for Colombia and
for us (to reduce pilot failure accidents and accelerate the
Colombianization of our helo program). We will track the
July meeting closely and hope Embassy Madrid will do the same.
WOOD