Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07BOGOTA416
2007-01-19 19:23:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bogota
Cable title:  

CATHOLIC PRIEST ON HUMANITARIAN ACCORD, ELN-FARC

Tags:  KJUS PGOV PINR PREL PTER CO 
pdf how-to read a cable
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INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7348
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 8582
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JAN LIMA 4646
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA 9889
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 5300
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL 3829
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C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 000416 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2017
TAGS: KJUS PGOV PINR PREL PTER CO
SUBJECT: CATHOLIC PRIEST ON HUMANITARIAN ACCORD, ELN-FARC
CLASHES

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

-------
Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 000416

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2017
TAGS: KJUS PGOV PINR PREL PTER CO
SUBJECT: CATHOLIC PRIEST ON HUMANITARIAN ACCORD, ELN-FARC
CLASHES

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

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (C) Secretary General of the Commission on National
Reconciliation Father Dario Echeverri told us on January 17
he is trying to reach senior FARC leaders to discuss a
possible humanitarian accord based on the December 2005
European proposal, but he has not received a response.
Echeverri said political operator Alvaro Leyva is now trying
to convince the FARC to release one of the U.S. hostages to
be a witness at Simon Trinidad's trial in the U.S. Echeverri
said he traveled to Arauca in early December in an effort to
mediate ELN-FARC clashes over control of coca fields. End
Summary.

--------------
Attempts to Reach FARC Leadership
--------------


2. (C) Secretary General of the Commission on National
Reconciliation Father Dario Echeverri told us on January 17
he sent a letter on January 4 to FARC supreme leader Manuel
Marulanda offering to meet him and other FARC secretariat
members to discuss a possible humanitarian accord on the
basis of the December 2005 European proposal. President of
the Colombian Episcopal Conference Monsignor Luis Augusto
Castro would also participate. In the letter, Echeverri
mentions that he has discussed a humanitarian accord
initiative with the U.S., Spanish, and Italian Bishops
Conferences. To date, Echeverri has received no FARC
response.


3. (C) Echeverri said Monsignor Castro declined an
invitation from a French group to participate in a conference
on January 20-21 in Paris on ways to restart talks on an
accord. Echeverri said he consulted with the French
Ambassador who told him the conference was a "private"
initiative and did not urge Castro to attend. Political
operator Alvaro Leyva and two members of the San Egidio
community were also reportedly invited. Echeverri said Leyva
is now trying to convince the FARC to release one of the U.S.
hostages to be a witness at Simon Trinidad's trial in the
U.S.

--------------
FARC and ELN Clashes
--------------


3. (C) Echeverri said he had traveled to Arauca--at the
invitation of German Briceno (AKA "Grannobles")--in early
December to meet with the FARC leader to discuss Church
efforts to mediate the armed dispute between the ELN and
FARC. He met with some FARC members, but failed to meet with
Grannobles apparently due to a mix-up between two FARC
fronts. Echeverri said he would make another effort to meet
with Grannobles in the future.


4. (C) Echeverri said the ELN-FARC conflict continues to
spill over into Venezuela, as well as in Narino and Valle.
Two Venezuelan Jesuits met Echeverri on December 27 to seek
his help on ways to control the growing ELN-FARC violence in
upper Apure state in Venezuela. The Jesuits said the GOV
would not take action, and they did not know where to turn.
Echeverri said ELN negotiators Juan Carlos Cuellar and
Francisco Galan had separately urged him to meet with FARC
commanders in Valle de Cauca to try to dampen the growing
violence; he is trying to do so.


5. (C) Echeverri said the chief cause of the ELN-FARC
fighting is a ar over control of coca fields. He said that
despite the Central Command's (COCE) public anti-drug stance,
ELN fronts are increasingly involved in narcotrafficking.
This could become another obstacle to an ELN peace process.

He speculated that the international community, which he said
had always downplayed the group's narco activities in the
interests of a peace accord, might soon be forced to view the
ELN as a narcotrafficking group.
WOOD