COLOMBIA: GROUP OF FRIENDS FOR ELN PEACE PROCESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 005287

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2015
TAGS: PREL PTER CO ELN
SUBJECT: COLOMBIA: GROUP OF FRIENDS FOR ELN PEACE PROCESS
REACTIVATED BY CUBA, THEN DEACTIVATED BY NORWAY

REF: BOGOTA 4466

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


1. (C) Summary. Norwegian charge Sigurd Endresen provided
further details to polcouns about the December 2004
reactivation of the Group of Friends for the ELN peace
process and deactivation four months later, as well as about
Cuban efforts, via the group, to replace Mexico as
facilitator. Endresen admitted that the Cuban Ambassador
deceived his counterparts claiming GOC knowledge and support
of his ongoing contacts with the ELN when this was not the
case, particularly regarding the late March ELN proposal for
direct talks with the GOC in a "mediator country." By early
April, a fed up Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo asked
the Norwegians, in their capacity as group coordinator, to
terminate the group's efforts. With the consent of the
others, the Norwegians shut it down. However, the GOC has
appealed to these countries, in particular to Norway, to
support the peace process on a bilateral basis. End Summary.



2. (C) On May 20, Polcouns met with Norwegian Ambassador to
Colombia (resident in Venezuela) Martin Bjorndal and charge
Sigurd Endresen to discuss the temporary re-activation of the
Group of Friends for the ELN peace process at the end of 2004
and subsequent de-activation by Norway shortly after it
became coordinator on April 1. The Group of Friends consists
of Cuba, France, Norway, Spain and Switzerland.


3. (C) Endresen said the group was revived in 2003 at the
request of the Swiss, with the support of the GOC and the
ELN. Little was accomplished subsequently. When Mexico was
designated as facilitator for talks with the ELN in June
2004, President Uribe told the group it could remain intact
as passive observers.


4. (C) According to Endresen, at the behest of Cuba, the
group reactivated itself in December 2004. France was
coordinator at the time. Per reftel, Cuban Ambassador Luis
Hernandez Ojeda remained in regular contact with ELN
spokesman "Francisco Galan" (Gerardo Antonio Bermudez
Sanchez) on behalf of the group. On March 24, the group
received a draft communication from the ELN proposing direct
talks between the ELN's Central Command (COCE) and the GOC in
a "mediator country." The ELN proposal became public on
March 26. The ELN also wanted Group of Friends' public
endorsement. The Cubans repeatedly told the others that the
GOC already knew of the ELN proposal, had endorsed it, and
that the ELN communication could be considered a "text
negotiated with the GOC." The group subsequently found out
that this was not the case. Endresen said the group kept in
regular contact with the Mexican Embassy but conceded they
were "a bit late" in informing the GOC about their ELN
contacts on the statement, mostly because the Cubans had told
them the GOC was already aware.


5. (C) On April 2, Peace Commissioner Restrepo called the
Norwegians, in their capacity as coordinator, to express
concern that the group was meeting ELN representatives
without consulting the GOC. According to Endresen, Restrepo
said the GOC was using Mexico as the official facilitator, a
different approach from the group of friends format.
Nonetheless, if the group was being pulled into negotiations
by the ELN, Restrepo expected it remain in constant touch
with him, to receive "negotiating instructions." He asked to
see Endresen on April 7 and in that follow-on meeting,
Restrepo pulled the plug. He told the Norwegian that a group
of countries was not workable as a facilitator and asked it
to cease contacts with the ELN and dissolve itself. He also
asked Norway to convey to each country individually GOC
interest in their involvement in the peace process on a
bilateral basis. Restrepo suggested that countries support
the paramilitary demobilization process, demining efforts, or
reintegration of demobilized combatants. Endresen told
Restrepo he would suspend further activity by the group and
convey the GOC request for bilateral support.


6. (C) Endresen said the group of friends had two meetings
following the Norwegian-declared suspension. One was with
former Mexican facilitator Andres Valencia (the Cubans did
not attend, Endresen noted),and the second among themselves,
at which point they decided there was no further reason to
meet.


7. (C) Endresen said Cuban Ambassador Luis Hernandez Ojeda
has continued to be in contact with ELN's Galan. He admitted
that the other four ambassadors were naive in their initial
dealings with Hernandez Ojeda because he had been in Colombia
five years and they "had a tendency to listen to him and
defer to his judgment." Following the episode over the March
26 communication from the ELN, the others reached the
conclusion that the Cubans were not being transparent. By
the time the ELN rejected Mexican facilitation on April 17
reportedly because of Mexico's vote against Cuba at the UN
Commission on Human Rights, it became clear what Cuban
objectives had been. Endresen said the group had
contemplated ejecting Cuba but the French made the argument
that the group had no leverage without the Cubans and their
close, traditional links to the ELN.

8. (C) On May 26, Ambassador Bjorndal, the Norwegian MFA
director for Latin American affairs, and Endresen met with
Restrepo and Foreign Minister Barco to discuss Norway's
bilateral role in the peace process. Restrepo and Barco
spent 90 minutes with them, reviewing their efforts with the
ELN, and their reasons for believing the group of friends was
not workable. They encouraged Norway to contribute technical
assistance to the peace process and requested GON
"acompanamiento" in the months ahead. Endresen said the GON
was favorably disposed to considering how it could
contribute.


9. (C) Endresen agreed to keep the Embassy appraised of any
further activity on the part of the group and of GON thinking
regarding its own potential support for the peace process.


10. (C) Comment: Local Norwegian diplomats remain interested
in playing a constructive role in the Colombian peace
process. Their engagement and support should be encouraged,
in particular for demobilization and reinsertion efforts.
WOOD