AMBASSADOR VISITS CALI--COLOMBIA'S THIRD CITY, AT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 008221

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/23/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREF PREL PTER CO
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR VISITS CALI--COLOMBIA'S THIRD CITY, AT
A "POINT OF INFLECTION"

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) On November 14, Ambassador Brownfield visited Cali,
capital of Valle del Cauca and Colombia's third largest city.
Infamous for the violence and narcotrafficking of the 1980s
and 90s, Cali continues trying to start a revival and clean
up its image. The Ambassador expressed the Embassy's
commitment to help Cali reinvent itself through partnerships
with the local government, Church, AmCham, bi-national
center, and USAID-sponsored social services projects,
highlighting his vision of a broader bilateral relationship
with deeper economic and social cooperation. According to
Mayor Tafur, Cali has arrived at a "point of inflection" and
can either follow Bogota's and Medellin's model of success or
continue to fall behind. Cali's future lies in the hands of
Jorge Ivan Ospina, the newly elected mayor. Tafur told us he
respects Ospina, but questions whether the mayor-elect has
the capacity to govern "free from outside influence." END
SUMMARY.

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EVENTS
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2. (C) Mayor Ramiro Tafur, appointed in June after Mayor
Apolinar Salcedo's corruption-related fall from office, told
the Ambassador he started Cali on the road to recovery after
14 years of bad government. Tafur, a career businessman with
a clean reputation, said Cali found itself at a "point of
inflection" and could either follow Bogota's and Medellin's
path of success or continue to lag behind. The election of
Jorge Ivan Ospina, who will take office January 1 and has a
solid reputation as a physician and hospital administrator,
offers Cali a chance for a new start. Still, Tafur told the
Ambassador he remained worried about Ospina's political
connections and questioned his ability to govern "free of
outside influence." Commenting on the U.S. Colombia Trade
Promotion Act (CTPA),Tafur told the Ambassador that outgoing
Valle Governor Angelino Garzon would make an excellent
chairman if the GOC establishes an independent commission to
examine labor issues. Tafur said that as a former labor
leader, Garzon had credibility across the political
spectrum--and excelled as a negotiator and conciliator.


3. (C) Archbishop of Cali Juan Sarasti, whose predecessor
Isaias Duarte died at the hands of an alliance of
narcotraffickers (including guerrillas and paramilitaries) in
2002, told the Ambassador he doubted the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia's (FARC) willingness to negotiate a
"humanitarian accord" with the GOC. Sarasti said his
experience working with the families of the 11 Valle state
legislators murdered by the FARC in June led him to the
conclusion that the FARC only sought international
recognition--mainly through French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Sarasti said security in Cali had improved dramatically,
with fewer displaced persons and a safer environment for
labor activists than in the past. The Ambassador asked
Sarasti to look for ways to cooperate with the EMBASSY and to
assist his colleagues in Venezuela.


4. (U) The Ambassador then visited the Centro Colombo
Americano, one of the largest bi-national centers in Colombia
and participated in a discussion with about 20 Martin Luther
King (MLK) Fellows. MLK Fellows are high-achieving
Afro-Colombian university students, who study English and
work to develop leadership skills through Embassy-sponsored
scholarships. The discussion included topics such as the
CTPA, the para-political scandal, and study opportunities in
the United States. The Ambassador looked forward to
arranging a meeting between the fellows and visiting members
of the U.S. Congress when possible.


5. (U) Ambassador Brownfield and Avianca Airlines CEO German
Efromovich headlined the Cali AmCham's 45th anniversary
celebration and led a discussion about Colombia's investment
climate in front of an audience of over 200 leaders from the
public and private sectors. The Ambassador highlighted the
important role that the Chamber plays in the U.S.-Colombia
relationship and urged the private sector to embrace

corporate social responsibility, mentioning as an example
supporting efforts to reintegrate former combatants. He
reiterated the USG's commitment to the timely approval of the
CTPA and emphasized his vision of broadening the bilateral
relationship beyond counternarcotics and security to include
deeper economic and social cooperation.


6. (SBU) In the poor district of Aguablanca, the Ambassador
visited the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center for
vulnerable and displaced persons and youth ex-combatants.
The Ambassador met with a group of about 40 USAID-sponsored
youth ex-combatants (ages 14-20, mostly from the FARC) who
shared their stories and received words of encouragement from
the Ambassador. These young people often cannot return to
their families due to threats of violence. With USG support,
they receive room and board, counseling, and vocational
training until they can reunite with their families or reach
adulthood. The USG provided approximately USD 400,000 to the
Don Bosco Center to train young ex-combatants as well as
displaced adults, improving their competitiveness in the
labor market and potential for reintegrating into society.
Colombia faces the challenge of reintegrating about 11,000
youth ex-combatants and over two million internally displaced
persons.

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MEDIA COVERAGE
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7. (U) The Ambassador received extensive media coverage and
gave one-on-one interviews to Cali daily El Pais (weekly
readership: 196,700, Sunday: 428,200) and to "Noticiero 90
Minutos," the midday broadcast of the regional television
station Telepacifico. In addition, press covered the AmCham
lunch as well as the visits to the bi-national center and the
USAID-supported Don Bosco Training Center. Questions during
both the interviews and informal press gaggles focused on the
prospects of a humanitarian exchange, the CTPA, and
Cali-specific trade issues.


8. (U) One RCN TV reporter asked the Ambassador how he would
respond if asked "Porque no te callas?", referring to the
recent comments directed at Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
The Ambassador's response aired on Wednesday's RCN evening
broadcast, "My wife has asked me that very question each day
for the last 25 years..."

Brownfield