Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08SANTODOMINGO1265
2008-08-08 11:40:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Santo Domingo
Cable title:  

COLOMBIAN AMB DISCUSSES MASSACRE, CONCERNS ON DOM

Tags:  PREL KCRM ENRG PGOV PTER KJUS EAID 
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DE RUEHDG #1265 2211140
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 081140Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO
TO RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS IMMEDIATE
INFO RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY
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RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTO DOMINGO 001265 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA/CAR VDEPIRRO, JTILGHMAN, WHA/AND SLIPPE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/06/2018
TAGS: PREL KCRM ENRG PGOV PTER KJUS EAID
SUBJECT: COLOMBIAN AMB DISCUSSES MASSACRE, CONCERNS ON DOM
REP, VENEZUELA

Classified By: AMB FANNIN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTO DOMINGO 001265

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA/CAR VDEPIRRO, JTILGHMAN, WHA/AND SLIPPE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/06/2018
TAGS: PREL KCRM ENRG PGOV PTER KJUS EAID
SUBJECT: COLOMBIAN AMB DISCUSSES MASSACRE, CONCERNS ON DOM
REP, VENEZUELA

Classified By: AMB FANNIN


1. (C) Summary: Ambassador Fannin received Colombia's new
Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Juan Jose Chaux on
August 6 for a courtesy call that quickly turned substantive.
Ambassador Chaux's message was that the Dominican Republic
must address three key challenges to preserve its democracy:
energy, narco-trafficking and governance. Chaux underscored
that Colombian President Uribe is concerned about the
Dominican Republic because the situation here with respect to
drug smuggling, and associated violence and money-laundering,
"resembles Colombia in the 1980's." Chaux said his mission
includes helping the Dominican Republic reduce dependency on
Venezuelan energy supplies and providing Dominican law
enforcement with the intelligence and best practices needed
to fight the narco-traffickers. He expressed the hope that
our two Embassies will work closely together on these issues
with the Dominicans. End Summary.


2. (SBU) Ambassador Chaux's courtesy call came on a day when
the front page news was of seven murders, including the
deaths of several Colombians, apparently in a shootout among
narco-traffickers carried out August 5. The ambassadors
agreed that these gangland-style executions may mark a "new
chapter" in the increasingly violent behavior of
narco-traffickers and associates in the Dominican Republic.
(Note: DEA at Post indicates that narco-traffickers are
increasingly paying their collaborators with drugs, raising
the probability that drug addiction will increase here, along
with associated social, health and criminal problems. End
Note.) Chaux said an agreement exists between Colombia and
the Dominican Republic on police cooperation. He added that
an experienced Colombian police officer is ready to work with
our Embassy, and Dominican authorities, to help bring the
perpetrators of the "massacre" to justice.


3. (C) The Colombians also intend to help the Dominican
Republic with energy generation - a critical issue given
electricity shortages, high gas prices and a tangled system
of subsidies. Ambassador Chaux mentioned bio-diesel and wind
power as areas where Colombia has know-how it might share.
Moreover, Colombia is working on a plan - not yet made public
- to lay an energy transmission line between Colombia and
Puerto Rico. Doing so, Chaux said, would deal President
Chavez's influence a blow by showing neighboring countries
that there are alternatives to going along with PetroCaribe.
(Note: PetroCaribe is currently supplying the Dominican
Republic with about 25% of its total petroleum consumption on
initially generous terms, but the deal will add an unknown
amount to the country's external debt over the next several
years. End Note.)


4. (C) The Dominican government's approach will have to
change, Ambassador Fannin noted, if things are to improve.
Fannin then raised the question of whether President
Fernandez has the will to leave a positive legacy behind him,
given that Fernandez begins his next, and presumably final,
term as President on August 16. Ambassador Chaux seemed
skeptical that President Fernandez views this as his last
term in office, but concurred that the mindset of a country's
leadership is critical to making progress.


5. (C) Comment: Ambassador Chaux has many years of experience
working on democracy, development and the fight against
narco-traffickers - given his work in Colombia as a Governor
of Cauca Province and as a Senator. The FARC has tried to
assassinate him four times. His sincerity in helping the
Dominican Republic fight what he termed a "terrible enemy"
(narco-traffickers) was palpable. Moreover, as he noted,
Colombian President Uribe is worried that if the Dominican
Republic does not hit the narco-traffickers hard, the FARC
will again receive money to carry on terrorism in Colombia.
In Ambassador Chaux, this Embassy appears to have a solid
partner for working on three key issues now facing the
Dominican Republic: creating energy options, fighting
narco-traffickers, and improving governance. End Comment.
FANNIN