U/S BURNS' OCTOBER 25 LUNCH MEETING WITH COLOMBIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 010114

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2016
TAGS: KJUS PGOV PHUM PREL PTER CO
SUBJECT: U/S BURNS' OCTOBER 25 LUNCH MEETING WITH COLOMBIAN
OPINION MAKERS


Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Milton K. Drucker
Reason: 1.5 (b,d)


1. (U) October 25, 2006; 1400PM.


2. (U) Participants:

U.S.

Under Secretary Burns
A/S for WHA Thomas P. Shannon
Ambassador William B. Wood
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mary Lee Warren
DCM Milton Drucker
Daniel Tomlinson, NSC
Attorney Advisor Patricia Prugh, L
Political Counselor John Creamer
P Special Assistant HeideBronke
Political Officer Stacy Pearce (notetaker)

COLOMBIA

RhettDoumitt, AFL-CIO Solidarity Center
Alvaro Forero, Forero Associates
Mauricio Garcia, CINEP
Sergio Jaramillo Caro, Ideas forPeaceFoundation
Jorge Alberto JulianLondono de la Cuesta, Gallup
Colombia/Invamer Ltda.
Rodrigo Saiz Silva, AKIRIS de Colombia
Enrique Santos, Director of El Tiempo newspaper and a member
of the family that owns the paper.
Miguel Silva, Gravitas Ltda.
Leon Valencia, New Rainbow Foundation

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Summary
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3. (C) U/S Burns reiterated U.S. support for Plan Colombia
Consolidation with key opinion makers, but said some in the
U.S. Congress and human rights NGOs advocated stronger
punishment for demobilized paramilitaries. Colombian
attendees differed on top priorities: some said Colombia's
greatest challenge was bringing ex-paramilitaries to justice;
others insisted Colombians' highest priorities were citizen
security and economic growth. The opinion makers voiced
concern that the GOC would divert new tax revenues from
programs required to consolidate recent security gains toward
matching Venezuela's on-going arms-build-up. WHA A/S Shannon
said it would be a mistake for Colombia to play into Chavez's
hands. End Summary.

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Continued Support for Plan Colombia and U.S. Concerns
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4. (C) In a lunch with Colombian opinion makers, U/S Burns
said the U.S. was looking to extend Plan Colombia, support
the Justice and Peace Law, and cooperate on defense. The GOC
needed to improve its human rights record, with a focus on
investigating and punishing security personnel involved in
human rights abuses. U/S Burns noted some in the U.S.
Congress and human rights groups were critical of the GOC's
peace process with recently demobilized paramilitary groups,
saying the GOC was too light on justice compared with
experiences in Bosnia, Rwanda and elsewhere. U.S. human
rights groups told him ex-combatants would not be punished
for their crimes and complained conditions of confinement for
ex-paramilitaries were too luxurious.

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Colombians Differ on Justice
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5. (C) Sergio Jaramillo (soon to be Vice Minister of Defense)
said there was room for improvement with the Justice and
Peace Law but stressed that the paramilitary process had
sharply reduced the number of atrocities. Many Colombians
were alive today thanks to the process. Jesuit priest
Mauricio Garcia voiced concern that many paramilitaries had
not, in fact, demobilized in much of the country and were
continuingnarcotrafficking activities. He said the GOC
needed to focus not only on strengthening the military but on
improving living conditions and creating economic
opportunities for the country's poor majority if lasting
peace was to be achieved.


6. (C) Pollster Jorge Londono said justice ranked well below
security and economic growth as key citizen priorities in
public opinion polls. He said that in 1999 60% of Colombians
thought the FARC would defeat the GOC, a figure which had
dropped to 20%. Confidence in all government institutions

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was on the rise, with the exception of the justice system.
He said 70% of Colombians feel safer today than a year ago,
and 80% support the Justice and Peace Law. Most Colombians
polled consistently say they give more importance to
achieving lasting peace than to bringing terrorists to
justice. Consultant Miguel Silva cautioned, however, that
achieving a durable peace would be impossible withouQending
impunity for human rights abusers.

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State Security and Colombia's Regional Role
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7. (C) El Tiempo editor-in-chief Enrique Santos said it was
important for the GOC to link the fight against
narcotrafficking to overall state security. The GOC had been
able to defeat the Medellin and Cali cartels only after the
Colombian people had understood that the violence generated
bynarcotraffickers threatened them all. Many Colombians
remembered the indiscriminate violence perpetrated by Pablo
Escobar, and feared the FARC might do the same. A/S Shannon
said the U.S. was committed to helping Colombia win its fight
againstnarco-terrorism.

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Venezuela Arms Buildup
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8. (C) Santos supported a GOC proposal to boost wealth taxes
but voiced concern that the GOC would use the increased
revenues to fund an arms race with Venezuela instead of
programs to consolidate recent internal security gains.
Shannon said it would be a strategic mistake for the GOC to
engage in a regional arms race. He added it would play into
Venezuela's hands and result in less money for important
security, economic, and social programs in Colombia. Shannon
concluded it was important for the GOC to focus on the real
issues facing Colombia (security and economic growth);
Venezuela's arms build-up required a regional diplomatic
response, not a military approach.


9. (U) This cable has been cleared by U/S Burns.




DRUCKER