PARTY LEADERS ON BOGUS REPORTS LINKING THEIR U.S.

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 001302 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/07/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER CO SUBJECT: PARTY LEADERS ON BOGUS REPORTS LINKING THEIR U.S. VISA STATUS TO PARAMILITARY LINKS OF CANDIDATES Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood Reason: 1.4 (b,d) -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Ambassador Wood met separately with three Colombian political party leaders, at their request, to address their concerns about a recent Cambio magazine article naming the leaders and saying the U.S. would consider revoking their U.S. visas if they did not remove from party lists prospective candidates with ties to paramilitary organizations. The leaders handled the meetings in starkly different manners: Colombia Democratica leader Mario Uribe appeared the most concerned, handing the ambassador a list of his suspicious candidates and asking which he should remove. Conservative leader Carlos Holguin outlined the procedures he was following to ensure that his list was clean. Alas-Equipo Colombia leader Luis Alfredo Ramos highlighted his party's pro-U.S. stance and ties to the private sector. The Ambassador told all three politicians the U.S. was not involved in reviewing candidate lists, which were the responsibility of party leaders; was implementing its visa issuance procedures normally, with no special process associated with Colombian elections; but could not offer guarantees about any specific candidates if derogatory information appeared that might affect their visa eligibility. End summary. -------------- -------------- Mario Uribe: Please Review List of Suspicious Candidates -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) On February 1, Colombia Democratica leader Mario Uribe handed the Ambassador a list of 11 candidates who hoped to run for office under his party's banner in the March 12 elections and asked the Ambassador to tell him which candidates he should remove. Uribe said he would remove all candidates to which the U.S. had an objection. He said he was seeking the Ambassador's views because of the Cambio article, which said the U.S. was paying careful attention to political party lists and would hold leaders accountable for any candidates on lists who had paramilitary links. The article said the U.S. "Sword of Damocles" was the withdrawal of the leaders' U.S. visas. (Uribe earlier told D/Polcouns that he could not afford to lose his U.S. visa because he had three children in the U.S., two studying and one working; he anticipated spending "more and more" time in the U.S. in coming years. He added he would give up his Senate seat and political career if that was the only way to keep his visa. Uribe said he had talked to President Uribe, Interior and Justice Minister Pretelt, and Ambassador Pastrana about the matter.) Uribe said he was a friend of the U.S. and respected U.S. law. -------------- Carlos Holguin: I'm Doing the Best I Can -------------- ¶3. (C) On February 6, Conservative Party leader Carlos Holguin told the Ambassador he was "worried" about the Cambio article and wanted to inform the U.S. of the steps he was taking to ensure his party's list was clean. He described his extensive efforts to modernize the Conservatives and ensure the party had a strong constitution and internal rules. Holguin said all prospective Conservative candidates had to present their resumes to the party leadership and swear that they had no links with illegal armed groups or legal accusations pending against them. Holguin said the party had investigated its candidates to the best of its ability and had submitted its lists to the Supreme Court and Fiscalia (prosecutor general) for review (to date, without response). Holguin reported his concern about one candidate whom the media had identified as linked to paramilitaries (Hector Alfonso Lopez, the son of Enilse Lopez, AKA "La Gata," a Bolivar businesswoman who is widely regarded as being in league with paramiltaries) but said he was not able to remove candidates from lists because the party had to follow certain due process guidelines. However, Holguin said the party would remove any prospective candidate it he received "firm evidence" of wrongdoing. ¶4. (C) Holguin said he understood the U.S. position on "no interference" in Colombia's election campaigns. He said he has the "greatest respect" for the U.S. and its partnership with Colombia. -------------- Luis Alfredo Ramos: I'm pro-U.S. -------------- ¶5. (C) On February 7, Alas-Equipo Colombia (A-EC) party leader Luis Alfredo Ramos (a former Commerce Minister and Ambassador to the OAS) stressed to the Ambassador that his party was pro-U.S., closely allied with prominent Colombian industrialists, and totally free from AUC influence. Ramos noted that A-EC only accepted donations from leading business members, and that he had personally taken out a large private loan from a major bank to help finance the party's Congressional candidates. He reaffirmed that a press report of former General Rito Alejo del Rio joining A-EC was unfounded. (Alejo del Rio's visa was canceled on suspicion of drug trafficking activity.) Ramos stated he would not tolerate any individual with questionable ties in the ranks of A-EC. Prior to the meeting, Ramos told poloff he felt Mario Uribe had dug himself a deep hole over time by being excessively open to receiving any electorally viable individual into his Colombia Democratica party. -------------- -------------- Ambassador States U.S. Position on Candidate Lists -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) Per guidance from the Department, the Ambassador told Uribe, Holguin, and Ramos that the U.S. was concerned about the possibility of illicit paramilitary involvement in electoral campaigns through intimidation, corruption, and violence. However, the U.S. was not involved in reviewing party lists (and had declined suggestions from some party leaders that it do so). Selection of candidates was the responsibility of party leaders, who know the candidates best. It would be prudent for leaders to act on their own suspicions to avoid having to address accusations if controversial candidates were elected. The Ambassador said the U.S. visa issuance process remained the same, as set by U.S. law; the U.S. had not, and would not, change its visa procedures or criteria for any reason associated with the Colombian elections. He noted that U.S. law has provided for some time that ties to terrorism or terrorist organizations could result in the denial of a visa. The Ambassador emphasized that he could not offer guarantees about specific cases; if derogatory information came to light on an individual, the U.S. might deny a visa request. Even in such cases, however, the U.S. would not make the matter public, but could not guarantee that others might not do so. WOOD =======================CABLE ENDS============================