Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05BOGOTA5203
2005-05-31 19:23:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bogota
Cable title:  

DEPT OF ENERGY DEPUTY SECRETARY CLAY SELL

Tags:  SNAR ENRG PREL OVIP CO 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 005203 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FOR A/S KAREN HARBERT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2015
TAGS: SNAR ENRG PREL OVIP CO
SUBJECT: DEPT OF ENERGY DEPUTY SECRETARY CLAY SELL
DISCUSSES RANGE OF ISSUES WITH PRESIDENT URIBE

Classified By: DCM Milton Drucker for reason 1.4 (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 005203

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FOR A/S KAREN HARBERT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2015
TAGS: SNAR ENRG PREL OVIP CO
SUBJECT: DEPT OF ENERGY DEPUTY SECRETARY CLAY SELL
DISCUSSES RANGE OF ISSUES WITH PRESIDENT URIBE

Classified By: DCM Milton Drucker for reason 1.4 (d).


1. (C) Summary. The U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy, Clay
Sell, met with President Uribe on May 20 during the Colombian
Oil and Gas Investment Conference in Cartagena. President
Uribe thanked the Deputy Secretary for U.S. support in
fighting narcotrafficking and terrorism and asked him to
relay to President Bush the GOC commitment to these efforts.
The President also expressed appreciation for the Deputy
Secretary's presence in supporting the energy conference and

SIPDIS
Colombian efforts to promote the attractiveness of the
hydrocarbon sector. The Deputy Secretary stated that DOE
would follow-up by supporting small and medium size
exploration firm interest in Colombia. End Summary.


2. (C) The Deputy Secretary of Energy met with President
Uribe on May 20 together with the Minister of Mines and
Energy Luis Mejia, the President of Ecopetrol, Isaac
Yanovich, and the Director of the National Hydrocarbon
Agency, Armando Zamora. With the DepSec were DOE A/S for
Policy and International Affairs Karen Harbert and the DCM.
President Uribe began by thanking the Deputy Secretary for
U.S. support in the battle against narcotrafficking and
terrorism. He noted that that morning, he had met with some
Europeans who asked why Colombia had such a close
relationship with the United states and he explained the
coincidence of interests with the US and the help the US was
providing to Colombia. Uribe, as he has done with other
visitors, implicitly referred to the Crime and Narcotics
Center (CNC) numbers of hectares in coca cultivation. He
noted the failure to reduce the area devoted to coca farming
in Colombia and insisted this would lead to increased efforts
to reduce the area under cultivation for coca. Uribe stated
that Colombia needs an additional base for aerial
eradication. He added that Colombia now is making a huge
effort in manual eradication, dedicating almost 1000 people
to the effort, but it is not enough and more effort was
needed for aerial eradication.


2. (C) Uribe explicitly charged Deputy Secretary Sell with

the task of letting President Bush know that Colombia,s
determination to rid itself of the cocaine curse was
undiminished and the recent data only strengthened the
government,s resolve. Uribe continued that the Colombian
government remained equally determined to eliminate terrorism
in Colombia. He explained all the data on criminal activity
for the last two years show a steep reduction in crime. He
also emphasized the increase in law enforcement effectiveness
was accompanied by an increase in respect for human rights by
government forces. He noted the importance of human rights
to the U.S. Congress and added human rights continue to be a
GOC high priority. Uribe explained his policy rested on two
pillars: transparency and efficiency.


3. (C) Sell began by explaining he had met with U.S.
companies (just prior to the meeting with President Uribe,
Sell had met with U.S. energy sector investors in Colombia)
who were in agreement that the security situation they faced
had improved dramatically. Evidence of this were the
concerns they expressed on non-security related issues. The
President inquired about those issues and asked Minister of
Mines and Energy Mejia to respond. The issues centered on
regulatory matters related to electrical energy, Mejia
explained, would be resolved by the Ministry before the end
of the year. The president, apparently interested in this
time commitment, added the dates to his PDA as the minister
spoke.


4. (C) Uribe insisted that he understood stable rules
formulated in a transparent way were essential to stimulate
increased investment in the energy sector. President Uribe
thanked Sell for the effort which went into the successful
conference on oil and gas exploration in Colombia, noting
that two successes had already occurred - the signing of an
agreement for exploration with an Indian firm earlier that
day and a dramatic increase in interest in Colombian
hydrocarbon exploration. Sell promised follow-up, noting DOE
would help organize a small meeting of small and medium size
firms that might take place in the United States in August.
The companies involved would include exploration firms
prepared to take the risks inherent in developing Colombia,s
oil prospects. Uribe was pleased to hear the news. Mejia
and Zamora promised to support the effort.


5. (C) Finally, Uribe spent a fair amount of time
questioning Sell about the U.S. approach to using biodiesel
in order to diversify the fuel mix in the United States.
Uribe was interested in its applicability for Colombia as an
agriculture dependent economy.


6. (U) The DOE Deputy Secretary was not able to clear this
message before his departure. Post will report conference
details via septel.
WOOD