GOC,S EFFORTS TO CLARIFY CNRR,S DUTIES AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 009727

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/11/2015
TAGS: KJUS PTER PREL PGOV CO
SUBJECT: GOC,S EFFORTS TO CLARIFY CNRR,S DUTIES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES

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


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SUMMARY
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1. (C) President Alvaro Uribe and National Reparation and
Reconciliation Commission (CNRR) President Eduardo Pizarro
warned during the CNNR's official launch on October 4 that
the commission would probably fall short in its efforts to
give reparations to all victims. The commission will hold
its first closed door meeting on October 19)20 to define its
regulations and identify the criteria for the selection of
the two remaining commission representatives. CNRR sources
reported that the GOC authorized 1.5 billion pesos
(approximately USD 700,000.00) for the commission's budget
next year, but the challenge will be finding the necessary
funds for the remainder of this year. The Netherlands has
agreed to pay for the salaries of three of the commission's
five civil society members. Meanwhile, the CNRR is trying to
garner financial support from other international donors and
the private sector. End Summary.

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CREATING REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
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2. (C) President Alvaro Uribe and CNRR President Eduardo
Pizarro warned during the CNRR's official launch on October 4
that it would probably fall short in its efforts to give
reparations to all victims. Uribe asserted that "total
reparation will be impossible to achieve" because suffering
transcends material compensation. He added that "only
remorse on the part of the victimizers can guarantee that the
current situation of violence is not repeated." Pizarro
stated that one cannot believe there will be exceptionally
large sums available to pay reparations to the victims of
such a prolonged conflict, but the commission will try its
best so a significant number can receive reparations. He
clarified that the funds would come primarily from the
perpetrators and the rest from the national budget and the
international community.


3. (C) Pizarro said the CNRR is not a truth commission. He
explained, however, that the commission could offer a
"historic reconstruction" of the paramilitary phenomenon that
could be broadly distributed and through which victims could
feel there has been a "moral condemnation."

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FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS: REGULATIONS AND MEMBERSHIP
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4. (C) The CNRR will initially define its regulations and
identify the criteria for the selection of the commission's
two remaining representatives in its first closed door
meeting on October 19)20. The importance of defining
promptly the CNRR's regulations is not only to clarify its
vast responsibility of assisting in ensuring reparations and
promoting reconciliation between victims and perpetrators,
but also to finalize the executive branch's over two
month-long effort to conclude draft regulation to implement
the Justice and Peace (J&P) law. Emboffs were told that the
commission has been working closely with the executive branch
on the reparations language of this decree and hopes to use
the mid-October meeting to agree on the text.


5. (C) The CNRR is composed of six government officials and
seven civil society members; two of the civil society
victims' representatives have yet to be named. CNRR sources
told us that the commission has decided to address the issue
of the criteria for the selection of the victims'
representatives in the first general meeting because of its
sensitivity. The commission has already received many
applications from interested organizations and members told
Emboffs that various pressure groups are making the process
difficult.

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NEXT STEPS
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6. (C) During its initial months, the commission is expected
to begin working on naming key administrative staff,
organizing a forum, preparing a first report on the
paramilitary phenomenon, collecting information from various
sources, and evaluating reparations and reinsertion results.
CNRR sources told us that the commission would probably name
the Director of the Peace and Reconciliation Office in
Medellin, Gustavo Villegas, as the CNRR's General
Coordinator. This position will oversee the commission's
reparations, reconciliation, and institutional strengthening
groups. CNRR sources say that there is "general informal
consensus" that Villegas would be the best candidate for the
job given his excellent performance in Medellin and his
impressive credentials, but they warned that his nomination
is being kept close hold until later in the year because of
Medellin's reluctance to let him go. The commission plans to
organize a national and international forum on reinsertion,
reparations, and reconciliation. The international forum is
expected to take place in early November. In its first
report on the paramilitary phenomenon, it hopes to collect
and systemize information from departments, municipalities,
the Catholic Church, NGOs, international organizations, and
others with knowledge about "collective reparations."

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CNRR'S PROJECTED FUNDS
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7. (C) CNRR sources said that the GOC authorized 1.5 billion
pesos (approximately USD 700,000.00) for the commission's
budget next year, but the challenge will be finding the
necessary funds for the remainder of this year. The
Netherlands has agreed to pay for the salaries of three of
the five civil society members in the commission. Meanwhile,
the CNRR is trying to garner financial support from other
international donors and the private sector.



WOOD