GOC PREPARING DETENTION CENTERS FOLLOWING URIBE'S

S E C R E T BOGOTA 007602 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2026 TAGS: KJUS PGOV PINR PREL PTER CO SUBJECT: GOC PREPARING DETENTION CENTERS FOLLOWING URIBE'S PARA ULTIMATUM Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Of the 38 AUC leaders the GOC is seeking, 16 have turned themselves in, 3 have been located, and 19 remain at large including Vicente Castano and Rodrigo Tovar (AKA Jorge Cuarenta). Police analysts expect the remaining leaders to turn themselves in soon; President Uribe may extradite any para leader who refuses to surrender. Uribe is sensitive to charges para leaders will be held in country-club type prisons, and ordered the police to prepare an austere facility to hold them. The GOC may invite international and local observers to report on conditions of confinement. The same official said Uribe's ultimatum, though helpful in pushing the peace process forward, could threaten current and future peace processes. End summary. -------------- KEY PARA LEADERS STILL AT LARGE -------------- ¶2. (C) National Police Intelligence Directorate (DIPOL) analysts said 16 AUC leaders have turned themselves in, three have been located, and 19 remain unaccounted for. Leaders at large include key paras such as Vicente Castano (El Profe), Ramiro Vanoy (AKA "Cuco Vanoy"),Rodrigo Tovar (AKA "Jorge 40"),Manuel de Jesus Piraban (AKA "Pirata"),and Pedro Oliveiro Guerrero (AKA "Cuchillo"). The analysts said these leaders are waiting for "greater guarantees" from the GOC on extradition and confinement conditions. They speculated, however, that most paramilitary leaders will soon turn themselves in due to fear of extradition. The AUC leaders know they are better off "cleaning their slate" by serving Justice and Peace Law alternative sentences. ¶3. (C) A GOC official told us President Uribe is willing to extradite any paramilitary leader who refuses to turn himself in. In a security council meeting with GOC officials, Uribe asked the agencies present if they had any information on AUC leaders returning to illicit activities. He said he would not hesitate to extradite them if that were the case. In particular, Uribe inquired about the activities of Carlos Mario Jimenez (AKA "Macaco"),whom the press claims continues to participate in narcotrafficking. -------------- DETENTION CENTERS IN THE WORKS -------------- ¶4. (C) DIPOL analysts told us August 17 that the judicial police would escort the 38 para leaders--assuming all eventually turn themselves in--to the detention center in La Ceja, Antioquia Department, within the next two weeks. DIPOL analysts said Uribe was emphatic that La Ceja be recognized as "dignified, serious, and austere" confinement. The detention center is still being renovated, as it has been a rundown government convention center for several years. The Police will be in charge of security and the National Institute of Prisons and Penitentiaries (INPEC) will administer it. ¶5. (C) Dipol said the GOC is considering asking the OAS and a respected NGO to report on the conditions of confinement to allay public concerns that La Ceja would be converted into a luxurious prison, such as the Cathedral prison during the Pablo Escobar era. The NGO under consideration is Criminon which operates in 17 countries and was present at Ralito. Criminon addresses the issues of criminality and also provides training for correctional officers and program personnel. ¶6. (C) For the estimated 2,000 rank-and-file AUC participating in the Justice and Peace Law, the GOC plans to place them in a detention center in Urra, Cordoba Department. This detention center is currently being renovated. An El Tiempo article on August 16 said the detention center in Urra was a "condominium" complex where foreign engineers stayed while participating in the construction of a local hydroelectric plant. -------------- IMPLICATIONS OF URIBE'S ULTIMATUM -------------- ¶7. (C) The same GOC official said Uribe's ultimatum, though helpful in pushing the peace process forward, could threaten current and future peace processes. Paramilitary leaders could argue that they no longer trusted Uribe because of his "abrupt" ultimatum. Moreover, Uribe's sudden move could prompt FARC and ELN leaders to think twice about entering into negotiations or signing agreements. ¶8. (S) DIPOL analysts also raised this issue after listening to intercepted communications in which paramilitary leaders discussed their growing distrust of Uribe. Peace Commissioner Restrepo told the Ambassador on August 16 that Uribe's decision took the paramilitary leaders by surprise, forcing him to travel to Medellin to "calm them down." Still, the GOC official said that with his bold move, Uribe had succeeded in starting the lone-stalled justice phase of the para process. In this phase, responsibilities would be transferred to new actors. The new cast includes the Prosecutor General's Office, the National Reconciliation and Reparations Commission, INPEC, and the Reinsertion Commissioner's Office. WOOD