COLOMBIAN FORCES KILL FARC'S KEY LEADER, SPURRING \

144052 2008-03-04 00:29:00 08BOGOTA800 Embassy Bogota CONFIDENTIAL VZCZCXYZ0124\ PP RUEHWEB\ \ DE RUEHBO #0800/01 0640029\ ZNY CCCCC ZZH\ P 040029Z MAR 08\ FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA\ TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1644\ INFO RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA PRIORITY 1336\ RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ MAR 9268\ RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 8067\ RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0040\ RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO PRIORITY 6613\ RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1224\ RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 0634\ RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 2435\ RUEHSW/AMEMBASSY BERN PRIORITY 1414\ RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES PRIORITY 2132\ RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO PRIORITY 2379\ RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID PRIORITY 0129\ RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL PRIORITY 4313\ RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY\ RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY\ RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY\ RHMFIUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY\ RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY\ RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY\ C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 000800 \ \ SIPDIS \ \ SIPDIS \ \ E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/04/2018 \ TAGS: PHUM PREF PREL PTER CASC SP PM FR VZ SZ CO CI, AR, EC, BR \ SUBJECT: COLOMBIAN FORCES KILL FARC'S KEY LEADER, SPURRING \ REGIONAL TENSIONS \ \ Classified By: Political Counselor John S. Creamer. Reason: 1.4(b,d) \ \ -------------- \ Summary \ -------------- \ \ ¶1. (U) Summary: The GOC announced March 1 that its military \ forces killed Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) \ Secretariat member Raul Reyes in a cross-border operation in \ \ SIPDIS \ Ecuador. Reyes' death shattered the FARC's myth of \ invincibility, and boosted popular support for President \ Uribe's democratic security strategy. Venezuela and Ecuador \ accused Colombia of violating international law, with both \ deploying troops to their borders. Latin countries urged a \ diplomatic solution to the rising tensions. The GOC made \ public evidence from computer files found at Reyes' camp \ revealing Venezuelan and Ecuadorian government ties to the \ FARC. The GOC plans to provide the evidence to the OAS which \ will hold an emergency meeting on March 4. France voiced \ concern that Reyes' death would harm prospects for a \ humanitarian exchange, but local media reported the FARC \ issued a statement saying it would continue efforts to \ achieve a humanitarian accord. End Summary. \ \ -------------- \ Reyes Death a Blow to FARC Leadership \ -------------- \ \ ¶2. (U) On March 1, Colombian forces killed Luis Edgar Devia \ Silva (aka Raul Reyes), a leading FARC Secretariat member, in \ an air and ground strike against a FARC camp located 1.8 \ kilometers inside Ecuador. Reyes had often traveled abroad \ to garner political support and was a likely successor to the \ FARC's octogenarian leader, Manuel Marulanda. His death is \ viewed as a significant blow to the leadership and morale of \ the FARC. Seventeen FARC members and one Colombian solder \ were also reportedly killed in the operation. The GOC said \ Reyes was wanted in connection with 57 murders, four \ kidnappings, and 26 counts of terrorism and rebellion. \ \ -------------- \ Positive but Cautious Reaction \ -------------- \ \ ¶3. (U) Colombian media and the general public reacted \ positively to Reyes' death. Former Colombian President \ Ernesto Samper said Uribe's tough policies were "showing \ results;" security analyst Alfredo Rangel said Reyes' death \ was a "devastating blow" to its "myth of invulnerability." \ Opposition Senator Gustavo Petro speculated that the army's \ "greatest military success" could lead the FARC to seek \ alternatives to end the war. Former President and Liberal \ party leader Cesar Gaviria said he fully supports GOC actions \ and asked Venezuelan President Chavez to respect the \ Colombian president. \ \ ¶4. (C) Colombia's daily, El Tiempo, reported that the FARC \ issued a statement saying it would continue efforts to \ achieve a humanitarian accord. Catholic Bishops' Conference \ Secretary Fabian Marulanda called on the FARC to accept the \ \ SIPDIS \ Church's invitation to engage in dialogue on a humanitarian \ exchange. Hostage family members, including Ingrid \ Betancourt's son, expressed concern about the fate of family \ members after the attack. French President Nicholas Sarkozy \ called for Betancourt's immediate release and said \ "humanitarian concerns should prevail." French Foreign \ Minister Bernard Kouchner said Reyes' death was "bad news" \ for the hostages. Reyes was the main contact for French and \ Swiss negotiators Noel Saenz and Jean Pierre Gontard, as well \ as longtime Colombian politician Alvaro Leyva. Still, Reyes \ was a FARC hardliner who did little to advance a humanitarian \ \ exchange. \ \ -------------- \ Regional Reaction Stirs Tensions \ -------------- \ \ ¶5. (U) Regional reactions were heated as Chavez paid tribute \ to his "fellow revolutionary" and accused the GOC of \ murdering Reyes due to U.S. pressure. He accused the GOC of \ violating Ecuador's sovereignty, warning that any incursion \ into Venezuelan territory would be "cause for war." Chavez \ ordered ten army battalions to the border with Colombia and \ closed Venezuela's embassy in Bogota. Ecuadorian president \ Rafael Correa initially announced he had been informed in \ advance of the operation but later accused the GOC of "lying" \ about the incident. Correa ordered Ecuadorian troops to \ deploy to its northern border, withdrew Ecuador's Ambassador \ in Bogota, and expelled the Colombian Ambassador in Quito. He \ called the attack on Reyes' camp a "massacre." \ \ ¶6. (C) Former Cuban President Fidel Castro accused the U.S. \ of helping plan the attack to fuel a regional crisis while \ Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega condemned the GOC for \ killing the peace process. The Brazilian government \ condemned the military strike and called on Bogota to offer \ an explicit apology to Ecuador for its "territorial \ violation." It also suggested the OAS form a committee to \ investigate the circumstances of the attack. At Ecuador's \ request, the OAS Permanent Council will meet hold an \ emergency session on March 4. Colombian Defense Minister \ Juan Manuel Santos told us the GOC would use the session to \ highlight Venezuela's and Ecuador's support of the FARC. \ \ -------------- - \ GOC Concerned about Some Regional Ties to FARC \ -------------- - \ \ ¶7. (U) Foreign Minister Fernando Araujo apologized for \ Colombia's incursion into Ecuadorian territory on March 2, \ but said the GOC abided by all international laws in its \ operations. Colombian National Police director Oscar Naranjo \ later revealed the contents of computer files found at Reyes' \ camp which showed communications between Ecuadorian Internal \ Security Minister Gustavo Larrea and the FARC aimed at \ "formalizing" the GOE's relations with the terrorist group. \ The GOE denied the accusations. \ \ ¶8. (U) At a March 3 press conference, Naranjo announced \ evidence indicating the Venezuelan government provided the \ FARC with $300 million. He also claimed the FARC gave Chavez \ $50,000 after his failed coup attempt in 1992. Naranjo said \ the computer files showed the FARC purchasd 50 kilograms of \ uranium and sold 700 kilograms of cocaine worth $1.5 million. \ Casa Narino spokesman Cesar Mauricio Velasquez said that all \ evidence would be handed over to the OAS and the United \ Nations for international verification. Vice President \ Francisco Santos Calderon accused unnamed governments of \ "deliberately violating" UN Security Resolution 1373 which \ prohibits members states from hosting groups that finance, \ plan or commit acts of terrorism. \ Brownfield \