PDAS FARRAR VISITS SAN JOSE DE APARTADO AND 17TH

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 010898

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/21/2016
TAGS: PHUM PGOV MARR KJUS CO
SUBJECT: PDAS FARRAR VISITS SAN JOSE DE APARTADO AND 17TH
BRIGADE


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

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SUMMARY
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1. (U) On November 13, DRL PDAS Jonathan Farrar traveled with
General Freddy Padilla, Commander of the Colombian Armed
Forces, to Apartado, Antioquia Department to meet with local
officials, police and military leaders. PDAS Farrar and his
delegation also met separately with members of the San Jose
de Apartado "peace community" of La Holandita. Members of
the peace community rejected GOC assistance, claimed
continued threats from security forces and paramilitaries,
and reiterated their refusal to cooperate with the official
investigation into the February 21, 2005 massacre of peace
community members in La Resbalosa. GOC and local officials
outlined infrastructure, health, and social services programs
in the area, especially for displaced communities. 17th
Brigade Commander General Zapata explained the current
security situation, his soldiers, human rights training, and
community outreach. Spokespersons for the peace community
alleged abiding threats from the military and paramilitaries,
while a neighboring community in San Jose de Apartado praised
the social services provided by the GOC. None of the
delegation's interlocutors had ideas or initiatives to reduce
the distrust between the peace community and its neighbors,
GOC officials, and the security forces. End Summary.

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GOC Strategy To Expand Services In San Jose de Apartado
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2. (C) Jaime Avendano, an official from GOC local government
assistance program Accion Integral, listed GOC objectives in
Apartado as establishing GOC control of territory,
reintegrating demobilized paramilitaries, ensuring justice
for victims of paramilitary violence, and reconstructing the
region's social fabric through recreational and cultural
activities. The Apartado Mayor,s Office highlighted health,
education, and rural development programs, some funded by
USAID. General Padilla stressed that GOC programs to extend
civilian services to rural areas were crucial to achieving
long-term security. Given the peace community's refusal to
engage with the GOC, General Padilla said the GOC's strategy
is to step up social service and infrastructure improvements
in the surrounding area to encourage community members to
reintegrate with their neighbors.

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17th Brigade Explains Human Rights Progress, Outreach
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3. (C) General Zapata, commander of the 17th Brigade, said
all illegal armed groups operated in the greater Uraba
region, but the 17th Brigade was making progress in
containing them. The 17th Brigade had strengthened its
culture of respect for human rights through prevention
(training and education),deterrence (severe punishment for
violators),control (effective investigations into human
rights abuses),and integration (strengthening
inter-institutional coordination). Zapata said 5,795 brigade
members received human rights training in 2006.


4. (C) He also highlighted examples of the brigade's outreach
to San Jose de Apartado, including providing medical
attention as well as sports and recreation programs. The
brigade also had set up a public library and park. Zapata
said the military had offered services to the peace community
of La Holandita, but the community has rejected all offers.
He added that the military and international human rights
groups were in direct contact on peace community issues
through the Ministry of Defense in Bogota. The visit also
found little progress in resolving allegations of past abuses
by members of the 17th Brigade; most investigations of such
abuses are being handled by the Human Rights Unit of the
National Prosecutor's Office in Medellin.

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Police Efforts
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5. (C) The head of the Colombian National Police (CNP) in
Uraba told Farrar the police met on a weekly basis with
representatives of international human rights groups residing
in the peace community to ensure their safety and listen to

their concerns. He said relations with the San Jose de
Apartado community were excellent, but noted that the La
Holandita peace community, about 600 people out of SJdA's
7,000 inhabitants, did not accept police protection.

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La Holandita Peace Community Opens Gate For PDAS Farrar
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6. (C) The peace community meeting was tightly structured,
with designated spokespersons making prepared statements and
other community members reticent to speak. The spokespersons
alleged ongoing threats from the army and paramilitaries and
explained their decision to refuse most contact with the
national and local government. They itemized a long list of
alleged abuses against the community by the army, police, and
paramilitaries, dating back 10 years. The spokespersons said
they refused to cooperate with the Office of the Prosecutor
General's investigations into such violations because "the
army kills the witnesses." They recognized GOC offers to
provide the community with social services, but said they
would not accept them until the GOC recognized four
conditions: 1) President Uribe making a public statement in
support of peace communities; 2) the military completely
withdrawing from all areas of San Jose de Apartado; 3) the
GOC's reconvening of a Commission of Investigation; and 4)
the GOC guaranteeing that all humanitarian zones be
respected. From side conversations with members of the
community, it became clear that they quietly avail themselves
of GOC services such as urgent medical care and secondary
school education.

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Other SJdA Citizens: Peace Community Does Not Speak For Us
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7. (C) The contrast between the peace community and San Jose
de Apartado meetings was striking. San Jose de Apartado
participants were outspoken, even in the presence of GOC
security forces. They expressed general consensus that the
area was much safer since the police and military had
reestablished presence there. They said the overall
community of San Jose de Apartado was now "a mix of different
cultures" due to the recent return of displaced groups. They
pointed out that greater community of San Jose de Apartado
did not share the "radical" position of the peace community
of La Holandita.


8. (C) Community leaders highlighted the need for more
schools, better roads, and resolution of land right issues
(including title to the school property that was the site of
the meeting),but noted GOC efforts to improve basic
education and healthcare. They praised the GOC's
construction of a road linking San Jose de Apartado to the
county seat of Apartado municipality (which passes in front
of the peace community),noting that this had improved their
economic prospects as well as their overall quality of life.
They recognized the military's efforts to improve relations
with the civilian population, but said abuses by individual
soldiers continue. At the end of the meeting, the human
rights ombudsman and local prosecutor, clearly agitated,
pulled aside PDAS Farrar to relate that abuses continue,
especially with troops deployed in rural areas or with new
recruits.


9. (U) PDAS Farrar cleared this cable.
WOOD