CNRR AND FORMER PARAMILITARY LEADERS BEGIN FORMAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 007481

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/2016
TAGS: KJUS PGOV PINR PREL PTER CO
SUBJECT: CNRR AND FORMER PARAMILITARY LEADERS BEGIN FORMAL
DISCUSSIONS ON REPARATIONS AND RECONCILIATION


Classified By: Political Counselor John S. Creamer.
Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) National Reconciliation and Reparations Commission
(CNRR) President Eduardo Pizarro said paramilitary leaders
expressed interest in beginning reparations and supported
reconciliation efforts during a "tense but fruitful" meeting
on August 8. They adopted a "threatening tone," however,
when discussing the Constitutional Court's opinion upholding
the Justice and Peace Law. Pizarro reported that Canadian
and Swiss assistance helped establish CNRR offices in
Medellin and Sincelejo. End summary.

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REPARATIONS ARE ON THEIR WAY...
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3. (C) Pizarro said the 37 former paramilitary leaders with
whom he met at the "Villa Esperanza" on August 8 expressed
their willingness to begin reparations in advance of judicial
orders. Para leaders claimed they had already turned over to
the GOC the equivalent of USD 52 million in properties,
vehicles, and aircraft. In the coming weeks, para leaders
asserted they planned to return 60 houses to victims in
Medellin and 22 property titles in Uraba. They had already
returned 12 houses in Barrancabermeja to the proper owners in
July. Pizarro said they agreed the commission would work
with every demobilized bloc to assist with reparations in
communities where they exercised influence.


4. (C) Pizarro noted there was a consensus that the easiest
and quickest reparation mechanism is extrajudicial. If there
were assets where victims had been identified, it would be
easier to return the asset without waiting for a judical
ruling, which could take years. He warned some victims were
reluctant to accept their properties back because they would
owe back property taxes and utility payments. The CNRR may
ask Congress to exempt returned proporties from such back
payments.


5. (C) Pizarro told para leaders the CNRR understands that
reparations should not be just a check. The former
paramilitary leaders agreed to select 20 municipalities most
affected by paramilitary actions for "community reparations."
This community reparation would include demobilized
paramilitaries' participation in a project that the community
selected for reparation and reconciliation purposes. Pizarro
said Japan, the U.S., and the World Bank have shown interest
in supporting these projects. The World Bank was interested
in a project with an indigenous community in Sierra Nevada
that cultivates organic coffee. This community selected a
coffee threshing machine as its project. He cited the
building of a soccer field or a community center as other
examples.


6. (C) The former paramilitary leaders agreed to assist the
CNRR in gathering the truth about the conflict and preventing
the re-emergence of criminal groups. Pizarro said the para
leaders accepted meeting with the CNRR's Historical Truth
Commission to obtain its perspective on the conflict. The
former paramilitary leaders also showed interest in sharing
information with the CNRR's Commission for Demobilization,
Disarmament, and Reinsertion on new criminal groups.


7. (C) The meeting also raised the CNRR's plans to
participate in facilitating reconciliation talks in prisons
with the different illegal armed group members. The first
one will take place in the high security prison in Itagui,
where Diego Murillo AKA "Don Berna" is located. Don Berna
and other paramilitary, ELN and FARC members plan to
participate. Among the topics to be raised include efforts
to organize an anti-personnel mine campaign in Antioquia
Department.


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...BUT WITH LIMITATIONS
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8. (C) Pizarro voiced concern with the former paramilitary
leaders' threatening tone regarding the Constitutional
Court's opinion upholding the Justice and Peace Law. The
para leaders said the Court's decision undermined the
political agreements made by the GOC during negotiations,
which had led to their demobilizations. The Court did not
take into account that this was a peace process. They
claimed the Court intended to "take away all of their
possessions and leave them in misery." If the GOC complied
with the Court's decision, the paras would return to the
negotiating table.


9. (C) Pizarro said para leaders demanded assistance from
the GOC to control criminality and assist with reparations.
Para leaders complained the GOC pressure to dismantle their
military and political structures simultaneously had led to
their inability to control their demobilized forces. By
dismantling their political structures so suddenly, the GOC
has weakened the para leaders' ability to influence
disgruntled paramilitaries. Para leaders warned that the
rise of criminality in former paramilitary controlled areas
should not suprise anyone. The GOC must boost efforts to
dismantle these criminal groups before they get out of hand.
Para leaders said the reason their presence was "requested"
in the regions was because of the lack of state presence; as
a result, reparations should be the responsibility of not
only the paramilitaries, but also the State.

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GOALS FOR VILLA ESPERANZA
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10. (C) Pizarro came away impressed with "Villa Esperanza,"
the paramilitary leaders' new meeting place near Medellin.
He was surprised to see many professors and students from
Antioquia's National University serving as volunteers. The
paramilitary leaders presented a PowerPoint presentation that
outlined the following goals for "Villa Esperanza":

Begin unofficial translation

- A place where national and international communities can
meet fraternally.
- A place that encourages willingness to work for peace as
the ultimate goal.
- A place that promotes a democratic, participative, self
critical, constructive, and pluralistic debate.
- A place where the National Demobilized Paramilitary
Movement can establish an open dialogue with war victims.
- A place that supports the constructive compilation of
historical truth, which is an excellent instrument for
reparations.
- If we abandon the idealistic views of a society, hopefully
we can begin to understand that the paramilitary and
guerrilla leaders are more useful to the country leading
productive projects...than being behind bars so the
detractors can be satisfied.
- Those of us who were at war yesterday have given a sincere
step for reconciliation today.

End unofficial translation.

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PIZARRO INFORMS OF CNRR'S PROGRESS
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11. (C) Pizarro said the Commission would have six regional
reparations and reconciliation offices, located in Medellin,
Sincelejo, Bucaramanga, Cali, Barranquilla, and Bogota. The
regional offices are to convoke civil society to become
involved in reconciliation efforts; create databases on
information about expropriated lands; guide victims through

the judicial process; and assist in the return of assets
through extrajudicial means. With the support of Canada and
Switzerland, the Medellin office will open in mid-August, and
the Sincelejo office in September. The Medellin office will
serve as a pilot.


12. (C) The CNRR would like to become a source of
information and assistance for victims. The Commission
approached the Catholic Church to gain access to its national
registry of victims and asked the United Nations for the
software capability to create its own victims database.
Pizarro said the government had approved 1,800 million pesos
(USD 770,000) for a national registry of disappeared persons.
Moreover, with resources from Spain, the CNRR is creating a
"genetic bank," whose purpose is to identify the bodies of
those killed by the paramilitaries. The Commission will also
be suggesting to judges the appropriate indemnification
amount for victims. The current recommendations by
Colombia's penal code are seven times smaller that the ones
suggested by the Inter-American Human Rights Court.
WOOD