URIBE REITERATES GOC OPPOSITION TO RETURN OF

UNCLAS BOGOTA 007203 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREF PREL PTER VZ CO SUBJECT: URIBE REITERATES GOC OPPOSITION TO RETURN OF "SONIA" AND "SIMON TRINIDAD" ¶1. On October 3, following a breakfast meeting with Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, President Alvaro Uribe told the press the GOC opposed the return to Colombia of FARC members "Sonia" and "Simon Trinidad" as part of any humanitarian exchange of FARC-held hostages for FARC members in Colombian jails. Uribe said, "I want to express to the international community that you cannot equate the hostages in FARC custody with prisoners investigated and sentenced by Colombian justice." ¶2. Uribe said the "negative precedent" of such an exchange would undermine the GOC's extradition policy. It would encourage illegal armed groups and narcotraffickers to kidnap Americans and blackmail the USG and GOC in future extradition cases. Uribe reiterated GOC support for facilitator Senator Piedad Cordoba's humanitarian mission, but said her mission must remain within the GOC's clearly-set limits. Uribe told the press corps he had delivered those views directly to Secretary Gates. "You cannot play around with extradition," SIPDIS he concluded. ¶3. Secretary Gates, speaking to the media after his visit, agreed with Uribe on "how counter-productive it is to release convicted criminals in exchange for hostages." He said he supported GOC efforts to obtain the hostage's release. "President Uribe has assured me there are limits of what he will and will not agree to," Gates said, "and I am satisfied with those limits." Brownfield