COLOMBIA WANTS IRISH THREE BACK

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 007727 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2015 TAGS: KJUS PTER PREL EI CO UN FARC SUBJECT: COLOMBIA WANTS IRISH THREE BACK REF: DUBLIN 983 Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood; reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Colombian Foreign Ministry officials say they are in the process of requesting that Ireland extradite three Irish citizens convicted of aiding Colombia's Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas. GOC officials have stressed that, although Ireland does not have an extradition agreement in force with Colombia, Ireland should return the three as a part of its responsibility to the global war on terror. End summary. ¶2. (C) As of August 5, James Monaghan, Niall Connolly, and Martin McCauley, three Irish citizens charged with entering Colombia with false documents and training the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas, had returned to Ireland. Colombian officials reacted with surprise and dismay upon learning that the so-called "Irish three" had returned undetected (reftel). In particular, local press questioned the Department of Administrative Security, an FBI equivalent, about how the three had managed to leave while under court orders to remain in Colombia. Last December, the men were sentenced to 17 years in prison for training the FARC in guerrilla warfare tactics during 2001. They were awaiting the result of their appeal when they fled. Although Colombia plans to request extradition, the GOC has not yet filed the paperwork. ¶3. Over the last week, Colombian officials have spoken out about the escape and urged Ireland to return the men. Vice President Francisco Santos initially told the Colombian media that the three should be extradited, but has not ruled out the possibility of them serving time in Ireland. On August 7 he said, "PM Ahern should show his commitment to the global war on terror." ¶4. (U) While on an official visit to Guatemala on August 9, Foreign Minister Carolina Barco told press that Colombia was petitioning the Irish police to return the three on the basis of their Interpol arrest warrant. Colombia's newly-selected Prosecutor General Mario Iguaran acknowledged that Colombia does not have an extradition treaty with Ireland, but asserted that the legal means were in place to bring the three back. As ranking Colombian cabinet members underscored their preference for the Irish Three's immediate extradition, leading daily "El Tiempo" was less optimistic; its August 10 headline predicted that extradition would not go through anytime soon. ¶5. (SBU) COMMENT: We read Security Council resolution 1373, adopted under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter and voted unanimously when the Irish were on the Council, as precluding the provision of safe haven and obliging all UN member states to "afford one another the greatest amount of assistance in connection with criminal investigations or criminal proceedings relating to the financing or support of terrorist acts." End comment. WOOD