LATEST FARC COMMUNIQUE SMACKS OF PAYBACK

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 000559

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/09/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV SNAR PTER EC CO
SUBJECT: LATEST FARC COMMUNIQUE SMACKS OF PAYBACK


Classified By: Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: A FARC communique that essentially
threatened President Lucio Gutierrez "to keep his end of the
bargain or else" hit Ecuadorian presses March 10. Early
reactions were as expected: the GoE dismissed the remarks
out-of-hand, while a handful of consulted ex-Ecuadorian
military retreads claimed the sky was falling. Our take on
the bulletin's release? Narcoterrorist jefe Raul Reyes,
angry over Ecuador's recent capture and deportation of seven
FARC members, sought to embarrass Gutierrez and so weaken him
politically. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) Internet versions of leading Ecuadorian dailies El
Comercio and El Universo "broke" the communique mid-morning
March 10. In 5/5 revolution-speak, the FARC "lament the
servile, kowtowing government of Lucio Gutierrez and the
fascist, interventionist Bush and Uribe regimes." "We call
on the GoE and Gutierrez to fulfill its agreements," it
continues, without providing further details on their
content. The bulletin concludes by claiming the FARC had
respected neighboring nations' sovereignty, limiting its
operations to Colombian soil, and thus demanded reciprocal
treatment.


3. (U) The GoE was quick to respond. Press Secretary Ivan
Ona scoffed at the FARC allegations and asserted the
government would offer no comment. Presidential brother
Gilmar Gutierrez called the communique an Internet hoax,
claiming that anyone with a Macintosh could post information
to websites, assuming even Raul Reyes's identity.


4. (SBU) As is customary with pol/mil-related stories,
Ecuadorian media sought retired (and even disgraced) military
for comment. Their remarks were pure Chicken Little. Army
Colonel Patricio Haro, denied general's stars and carrying a
serious shoulder chip, argued the bulletin was proof the FARC
were watching Ecuador. The reason? The GoE's efforts, in
coordination with Washington and Bogota, to remove the
narcoterrorist threat. Former Social Welfare Minister (and
retired Colonel) Patricio Acosta, a year ago removed from the
Cabinet and now a strident Gutierrez critic, too got heavy
airtime. Acosta urged the president to come clean on his
FARC connections just as he had, claiming there was nothing
illegal in meeting with these groups.


5. (C) COMMENT: We have long heard rumors that Gutierrez
conversed with FARC leaders sometime between the 2000 coup
and his 2002 election. The president himself has confirmed
meetings with numerous leftist groups during the period,
although careful to avoid mention of any with clear terrorist
connections. We are yet to see convincing proof of FARC
campaign contributions or invisible-ink agreements, however.
In the meantime, the president's numerous political enemies,
the aforementioned Acosta among them, rehash these
allegations for political gain. We therefore view Reyes's
remarks with much suspicion, especially on timing.


6. (C) Two weeks back, Ecuadorian forces raided a home in
south Quito that had functioned as a FARC clinic,
apprehending seven insurgents and deporting them to Colombia.
Unlike the year-earlier removal of FARC financier Simon
Trinidad, also apprehended in Quito, this operation caused
little navel gazing, even among isolationist Ecuadorian
elites. Gutierrez, in a March 7 lunch with the Ambassador,
beamed at mere mention of their arrest and handover,
promising even greater cooperation in the narcoterrorist
fight. We surmise that Reyes released the bulletin intending
to politically hamstring the Ecuadorian leader from ordering
future anti-FARC operations. END COMMENT.
KENNEY