FARC AND GOV LINKED TO CCB AND DESIGNS FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 001567 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR WHA/AND E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2018 TAGS: PTER PREL SNAR CO EC BL MX PE SUBJECT: FARC AND GOV LINKED TO CCB AND DESIGNS FOR INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) Colombian media report that evidence found in the computers of FARC Secretariart Raul Reyes suggests that the Bolivarian Continental Coordinator (CCB),a regional grouping of leftist civil society, serves as a platform to spread FARC and Venezuelan violent, expansionist ideology throughout the region. Recent press reports indicate that the FARC have a leadership role within the CCB and that the Venezuelan government funds some CCB members. CCB's radical membership supports the FARC and some members visited Reyes' camp after its February conference in Quito. Several CCB members are under investigation by Peru for terrorism training. End Summary FARC: CONTINENTAL ASPIRATIONS -------------- ¶2. (U) Colombian media report that recent evidence found by the GOC in the computers of FARC secretariat member Raul Reyes suggests that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) play a key role within the CCB. A February 7, 2007 email from FARC Secretariat member Ivan Marquez to the rest of the Secretariat, reportedly found on Raul Reyes' computer, outlined the FARC's "La Patria Grande" strategy to convert the CCB from its role as coordinator of disparate leftist groups into a unified, continental political movement. ¶3. (U) Leading Colombian magazine Semana reported that the CCB has closely followed the script outlined in Marquez's email, including briefing Ecuadorian President Correa's administration and distributing propaganda on Marquez' vision of a political movement at the CCB's February conference in Quito. Semana cites a meeting between CCB spokesman Narciso Isa Conde and Ivan Marquez--as well as the inclusion of FARC commanders Manuel Marulanda and Alfonso Cano in the CCB Board--as further evidence of FARC involvement in the group. Isa Conde replied that the FARC plays only an "honorary role" within the CCB. ¶4. (U) Marquez' 2007 email claimed the FARC has significant potential to build regional support for the group. Semana noted that the growing regional acceptance of the FARC supports his claim. Colombian students publicly claiming FARC affiliation are studying in Brazil, and the FARC appears to have a strong base among leftist students in Mexico. After CCB's Quito conference, two Chileans and five Mexicans are known to have visited the Reyes camp. Four of the Mexicans were killed during the GOC's March 1 operation against Reyes, and a fifth--Lucia Morett--was hospitalized in Quito after the attack. After treatment in Quito, she went to Nicaragua where she was received at the airport by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. THE VENEZUELAN CONNECTION -------------- ¶5. (U) Semana said the CCB claims independence from Venezuelan President Chavez and his Bolivarian Movement, but Isa Conde conceded that some member organizations could receive support from the GOV. Still, the Marquez email describes the CCB's shift from coordinator to political movement as a "qualitative leap that comes from our Venezuelan comrades." Press reports indicate the GOV funded the travel of some Quito conference participants. DIRCOTE, a Peruvian intelligence agency, said the Venezuelan Embassy in Bolivia paid for 12 Peruvians to participate in the Quito conference, channeling the funds through Chavez-supported ALBA houses in Peru. Semana reported that Mexican authorities are investigating whether the Mexican students in the Reyes camp also received Venezuelan funding. CCB: MORE THAN LEFTIST RHETORIC -------------- ¶6. (U) Presidential Advisor Jose Obdulio Gaviria told us that despite the CCB's purported independence from the FARC and GOV, it appears to be facilitating the FARC-Chavez agenda in the region. The Peruvian government arrested seven citizens after their return from the Quito conference and are investigating whether they received military training from the FARC. A Peruvian paper, El Comercio, reported the CCB is helping the remnants of Tupac Amaru to develop international connections, particularly with the FARC. According to the GOC, the FARC have provided training in kidnapping tactics and explosives in Bolivian territory; Bolivian President Evo Morales has denied the allegations. ¶7. (C) Gaviria said the GOC is investigating the role of Isa Conde, as well as U.S. citizen James Petras, in the CCB and may press criminal charges against them. He believes that as the GOC makes further progress in defeating the FARC's military capacity, the CCB's role will become more important in ensuring the group's survival. Hence, the need for the GOC and others to aggressively combat CCB propaganda. BROWNFIELD