C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 007590

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/2015
TAGS: PTER PREL CO ELN FARC
SUBJECT: NATIONAL CONCILIATION COMMISSION: SLOW PROGRESS
WITH FARC AND ELN

REF: BOGOTA 7358

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

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (C) On August 8, PolCouns met with Father Dario Echeverri
(protect), Secretary General of the National Conciliation
Commission (CCN). He predicted the FARC would agree to a
humanitarian exchange after the Constitutional Court had
ruled on re-election because -- regardless of the ruling --
the FARC's political prisoners, possibly including the three
U.S. hostages, would no longer provide the group leverage
over the Uribe administration. Echeverri will travel to
Europe on August 12 to examine Spanish, Swiss, and French
efforts to facilitate FARC talks. He expressed optimism the
CCN could work with the Spanish and Swiss. He said jailed
ELN spokesman Francisco Galan's communiques were
uncompromising, but that Galan insisted the ELN was willing
to consider talks.

--------------
FARC: Waiting for Ruling on Re-election
--------------


2. (C) Echeverri told PolCouns the CCN was continually trying
to facilitate humanitarian exchange talks between the FARC
Secretariat and the Government. On July 5, newly appointed

SIPDIS
Cardinal Monsenor Luis Castro directed Echeverri to send a
letter to the FARC Secretariat with three points: (1) the CCN
was committed to opening space for a peace process; (2) it
was eager to facilitate talks between the FARC and Peace
Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo about a humanitarian
exchange; and (3) Cardinal Castro wanted to meet personally
with the Secretariat to discuss the Church's goal of having
peace in Colombia by 2010. As of August 8, the FARC had not
responded.


3. (C) Echeverri predicted the FARC would not agree to a
humanitarian exchange or any kind of meeting with the GOC
until after the Constitutional Court had ruled on
re-election. Regardless of the Court's decision, Echeverri
predicted the FARC would release its political hostages after
the ruling. If the Court ruled that President Uribe could
not run again, the FARC would not have to worry about giving
Uribe a political boost by releasing the prisoners. If the
Court ruled in favor of Uribe's re-election the FARC would
not want the burden of maintaining the hostages for five more
years.


4. (C) In response to PolCouns' inquiry about efforts by
other politicians and countries to reach out to the FARC,
Echeverri said he would travel to Europe on August 12 to
learn more about Spanish, Swiss, and French efforts. He
expressed optimism that the CCN could work with the Swiss and
Spanish to facilitate talks but was wary of French efforts
(reftel). Echeverri warned that former Minister Alvaro Leyva
and former President Ernesto Samper were trying to force
themselves into a peace process for political gain and had
been pressuring the CCN for support. He said the CCN might
consider working with former President Alfonso Lopez but not
with Leyva or Samper.


5. (C) Echeverri noted that military operations in Putumayo
Department had forced the Secretariat to abandon its efforts
there and flee the area. On July 28, the CCN issued a public
communique urging the FARC to cease all hostilities against
the civilian population of Putumayo. (Separately, senior
Colombian military officials told the Embassy they feel they
are making progress against the FARC in Putumayo.)

--------------
ELN: Some Hope
--------------


6. (C) Echeverri said the recent, seemingly uncompromising
communiques from the ELN to the GOC were drafted by jailed
ELN representative Francisco Galan at the direction of the
ELN Central Command (COCE). Although the communiques were
tough, Galan continued to insist his message was that the ELN
was open to a peace process. Echeverri noted that the press
was incorrect when it claimed he had attended a meeting
between Galan and members of the Civil Society Facilitating
Commission for ELN Talks. He would not get involved in
politically motivated efforts to start a peace process.

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


7. (C) Regardless of Echeverri's assessment that the FARC
will seek to release the hostages following the
Constitutional Court ruling, no matter how it comes out, the
Government continues to press its intelligence and military
efforts on the hostages.


WOOD