PRESIDENT URIBE EXPLAINS UNILATERAL RELEASE OF \

110987 2007-06-05 18:03:00 07BOGOTA4029 Embassy Bogota CONFIDENTIAL 07BOGOTA3879 VZCZCXYZ0002\ OO RUEHWEB\ \ DE RUEHBO #4029/01 1561803\ ZNY CCCCC ZZH\ O 051803Z JUN 07\ FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA\ TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5897\ INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7577\ RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 9042\ RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JUN LIMA 5109\ RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA 0353\ RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 5726\ RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL 3978\ RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC\ RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC\ RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC\ RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC\ RHEHOND/DIRONDCP WASHDC\ RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC\ RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC\ RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC\ C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 004029 \ \ SIPDIS \ \ SIPDIS \ \ E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2017 \ TAGS: KJUS PGOV PINR PREL PTER CO SUBJECT: PRESIDENT URIBE EXPLAINS UNILATERAL RELEASE OF \ FARC PRISONERS \ \ REF: BOGOTA 3879 \ \ Classified By: Political Counselor John S. Creamer. \ Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d) \ \ -------------- \ Summary \ -------------- \ \ ¶1. (C) President Uribe explained in a radio and television \ news conference on June 4 that his unilateral FARC prisoner \ release was a goodwill gesture to gain the freedom of 56 \ political hostages held by the FARC, including the three U.S. \ hostages. XXXXXXXXXXXX told Polcouns \ President Uribe's unilateral initiative was designed to head \ off what Uribe perceived as growing domestic and \ international pressure on the GOC to accept a demilitarized \ zone ("despeje") to jump start humanitarian accord talks. A \ joint statement by Spain, France, and Switzerland welcomed \ Uribe's release of the FARC prisoners and encouraged the FARC \ to respond to the initiative. End summary. \ \ -------------- \ Uribe's Explanation to the Nation \ -------------- \ \ ¶2. (U) In a radio and television news conference on June 4, \ President Uribe explained that his unilateral FARC prisoner \ release was a goodwill gesture to gain the freedom of 56 \ political hostages held by the FARC, including the three U.S. \ hostages. Uribe said the GOC had cleared close to 200 \ prisoners who would be required to renounce their FARC \ membership, commit not to return to the FARC or other \ criminal activity, and to participate in a reinsertion \ program. As for the release of the highest ranking FARC \ inmate, informal FARC "Foreign Minister" Rodrigo Granda, \ Uribe said he had refused to renounce his FARC membership, \ but had agreed to act as a peace facilitator. Granda was \ transferred from La Dorada prison to the Catholic Bishop's \ administrative offices in Bogota. \ \ -------------- \ Uribe's Rationale for FARC Prisoner Release \ -------------- \ \ ¶3. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX told \ Polcouns on June 4 President Uribe's unilateral initiative to \ release some FARC prisoners reflected his perception that \ domestic and international pressure on the GOC to accept a \ demilitarized zone or "despeje" to jump start humanitarian \ accord talks was building. Internal polls showed growing \ numbers of Colombians accepted a despeje, and Colombia felt \ "increasingly alone on the international stage--both in the \ region, Europe, and the U.S." Uribe feared the Europeans \ would support the FARC demand for a despeje and wanted to \ pre-empt European pressure. His decision to release some \ FARC members was designed to relieve the pressure to accede \ to a despeje, highlight the FARC's intransigence, and win \ some support for a military rescue. A joint statement by \ Spain, France, and Switzerland on June 4 welcomed Uribe's \ action and encouraged the FARC to respond to the initiative. \ Sarkozy's office said the French president had "explicitly \ requested" that Uribe release Granda and welcomed his \ Colombian counterpart's "very important and courageous \ decision." \ \ -------------- -- \ International Support for FARC Prisoner Release \ -------------- -- \ \ ¶4. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX said French President Nicholas Sarkozy had \ asked Uribe to release Granda. Uribe decided to accommodate \ Sarkozy's request, telling XXXXXXXXXXXX and the Colombian High \ Command that Granda's release was "a cheap price to pay" to \ \ win Sarkozy's support and to get another advocate for \ Colombia within the G-8. Still, XXXXXXXXXXXX said the GOC \ believed the French do not have an independent channel to the \ FARC. They rely on Swiss official and academic Jean-Pierre \ Gontard to communicate with the group. XXXXXXXXXXXX speculated it \ was the Swiss who had urged Sarkozy to ask for Granda's \ release. He said the FARC's and Granda's negative reaction \ to the initiative indicated the Swiss had misread the FARC's \ position. XXXXXXXXXXXX said the French appear to be talking with \ the FARC through a "broken telephone." \ \ -------------- \ GOC Considers No Risk to Security \ -------------- \ \ ¶5. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX said the release of 200 lower-ranking FARC \ would pose no risk to GOC security. Armed Forces Commander \ General Padilla and other commanders supported Uribe, with \ Padilla saying it was better to release the prisoners \ unilaterally rather than as part of a despeje or negotiation. \ XXXXXXXXXXXX said separating those FARC willing to accept the \ release from more committed FARC in jail would also help \ isolate/identify hardliners and weaken their position. He \ said the FARC continued to maintain control over most FARC \ prisoners held by the GOC. \ Drucker \