FARC INTENTIONS ON HUMANITARIAN EXCHANGE REMAIN \

159499 2008-06-24 22:06:00 08BOGOTA2293 Embassy Bogota CONFIDENTIAL VZCZCXYZ0001\ PP RUEHWEB\ \ DE RUEHBO #2293/01 1762206\ ZNY CCCCC ZZH\ P 242206Z JUN 08\ FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA\ TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3325\ INFO RUEHSW/AMEMBASSY BERN PRIORITY 1468\ RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 8261\ RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0607\ RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 6295\ RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA PRIORITY 1912\ RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1309\ RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO PRIORITY 6961\ RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY\ RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY\ RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY\ RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY\ RHMFIUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY\ RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY\ C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 002293 \ \ SIPDIS \ \ E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2018 \ TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF PTER PHUM CO SUBJECT: FARC INTENTIONS ON HUMANITARIAN EXCHANGE REMAIN \ UNCLEAR \ \ Classified By: Political Counselor John Creamer \ Reasons 1.4 (b and d) \ \ SUMMARY \ -------------- \ ¶1. (C) On June 21-22 the FARC released proof of life videos \ for two Colombian hostages, and the media reported renewed \ French contacts with the FARC Secretariat--a claim discounted \ by the French Embassy in Bogota. XXXXXXXXXXXX \ told us the GOC received a message from a reliable contact \ who claims to have a new FARC humanitarian exchange/peace \ proposal. XXXXXXXXXXXX said the GOC will likely explore the FARC \ channel, but believes FARC leader "Alfonso Cano" views \ negotiations in purely tactical, Leninist terms. XXXXXXXXXXXX also said he has received a FARC \ peace proposal, while XXXXXXXXXXXX told us FARC 1st \ Front Commander "Cesar" continues to explore an individual \ demobilization deal involving Ingrid Betancourt. New Mexico \ Governor Bill Richardson, who visited Colombia in March, is \ planning another trip to Bogota to engage on the humanitarian \ exchange issue. End Summary. \ \ FARC PROOF OF LIFE FOR COLOMBIAN HOSTAGES \ -------------- \ ¶2. (U) The FARC provided video tapes on June 21-22 to local \ officials in Cali with proof of life for FARC-held hostages \ Sigfredo Lopez and soldier Pablo Moncayo. Lopez, the only \ survivor of a group of 12 state assemblymen kidnapped by the \ FARC (eleven others were murdered by the group in June, 2007) \ called on the GOC and the FARC to hasten efforts towards a \ humanitarian accord, and accused President Uribe of \ intransigence. The video was apparently filmed on March 30. \ Moncayo, son of humanitarian accord activist Professor \ Gustavo Moncayo, urged fellow hostage Ingrid Betancourt to \ remain strong in captivity. \ \ FRENCH TRY TO REESTABLISH FARC CONTACTS \ -------------- \ ¶3. (C) French media reported that high-level sources in the \ GOF claimed to have "resumed contact with certain members of \ the FARC Secretariat" after contacts ceased with the March 1 \ death of Raul Reyes, but French DCM Alain Fort said the media \ misquoted the GOF source. Fort said he was not aware of any \ French contacts at the Secretariat-level. The Elysee sources \ also reportedly claimed that Betancourt was alive and in \ poor, but stable, health. Meanwhile, former FARC hostage \ Luis Eladio Perez continues to claim that the FARC's release \ of Betancourt and other hostages is imminent. XXXXXXXXXXXX told us Perez claims to \ have received a call while in Europe from FARC International \ Commission member "Andre Paris" who told him the FARC would \ soon unilaterally free Betancourt and other hostages. \ \ ¶4. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX added that the computer files recovered from \ the FARC/Reyes computers show French intermediary Noel Saez \ and Swiss envoy Jean Pierre Gontard in a bad light. For \ example, XXXXXXXXXXXX said that in February Saez told Reyes the \ GOF would lift the EU's classification of the FARC as a \ terrorist group and allow the FARC to open an office in Paris \ in exchange for Betancourt's release. XXXXXXXXXXXX said that \ Saez' and Gontard's FARC sympathies made it difficult to \ accept them as facilitators. Still, the GOC has not \ communicated its concerns to the French or Swiss. \ \ GOC CONSIDERS FARC CONTACTS \ -------------- \ ¶5. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX told us on June 19 that the GOC suspended \ contact "through a reliable source" with Guillermo Leon Saenz \ Vargas ("Alfonso Cano") and Jorge Torres Victoria ("Pablo \ Catatumbo") last August after authorizing Senator Piedad \ Cordoba and Venezuelan President Chavez to facilitate \ humanitarian talks. The contact recently reached out with a \ new FARC proposal. The GOC is considering whether to receive \ the proposal, or to instead focus its negotiation resources \ on individual FARC commanders. XXXXXXXXXXXX said Uribe would \ likely opt to explore the FARC channel, but cautioned that \ the GOC believes Cano remains focused on consolidating his \ authority and views negotiations in purely tactical, Leninist \ terms. XXXXXXXXXXXX commented that the GOC last received a FARC \ \ proposal on February 28. That proposal linked FARC release \ of its civilian hostages to GOC recognition of the group's \ belligerent status. Negotiations on release of military \ hostages would follow with the demilitarization of Florida \ and Pradera. \ \ ¶6. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX told us June 17 that he \ also has received details of a FARC offer to the GOC through \ a contact close to Cano. XXXXXXXXXXXX outlined an offer similar to the February proposal \ described by XXXXXXXXXXXX. He said he would brief XXXXXXXXXXXX on \ his contacts. XXXXXXXXXXXX told us the GOC knew of XXXXXXXXXXXX's \ outreach to Cano and had his contact "controlled." XXXXXXXXXXXX \ said the GOC had revoked its authorization for \ intermediaries Alvaro Leyva and Carlos Lozano to reach out to \ the FARC, but added that the two continue to so on their own. \ Due to evidence contained in the Reyes' computers, Lozano \ and Leyva are under investigation by the Prosecutor General's \ Office (Fiscalia) for their previous FARC contacts. \ \ CHURCH: INDIRECT CONTACT WITH 1st FRONT COMMANDER "CESAR" \ -------------- -------------- \ ¶7. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX told us on June 13 that the \ Church is in indirect contact with FARC First Front Commander \ Giraldo Antionio Alguilar Ramirez ("Cesar") who is supposedly \ seeking GOC release of his wife and daughter -- as well as a \ GOC commitment to allow himself, his family, and any FARC who \ demobilize with him safe passage to France -- in exchange for \ freeing Ingrid Betancourt. XXXXXXXXXXXX briefed Defense \ Vice-Minister Sergio Jaramillo who promised his full \ cooperation. If the deal came through, XXXXXXXXXXXX said the \ Church would participate at the parish priest level, due to \ fears that higher-level involvement would burn the Church \ with the FARC Secretariat. XXXXXXXXXXXX \ told us June 17 that the ICRC has not been able to \ reestablish contact with the Secretariat since Reyes' death. \ He considers demobilization by a local commander holding the \ hostages more likely than a Secretariat authorized release. \ \ ¶8. (SBU) New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson's staff told us \ the governor is likely to travel to Colombia in the near-term \ to continue his engagement on the FARC humanitarian accord \ issue. Richardson, who visited Colombia in March, reportedly \ remains in contact with Columbia University's Aldo Civico and \ XXXXXXXXXXXX on the exchange issue. \ BROWNFIELD \