AMBASSADOR'S VISIT TO MEDELLIN, ANTIOQUIA

UNCLAS BOGOTA 001014 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV SCUL EAID SNAR PHUM PTER PREF ECON CO SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S VISIT TO MEDELLIN, ANTIOQUIA -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) On March 10-11, the Ambassador traveled to Medellin on the occasion of a State Department-sponsored workshop on protecting cultural patrimony. Antioquia Governor Luis Alfredo Ramos and Mayor Alonso Salazar Jaramillo told the Ambassador that the security situation had improved with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and National Liberation Army (ELN) weakened, but new illegal armed groups on the rise. In addition, he met with departmental and municipal authorities, students at the binational center, the American Chamber of Commerce, and toured a model bilingual public school. The visit was well covered by the local and national press. End summary. -------------- Shifting Security Panorama -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The Ambassador held separate meetings with Governor Luis Alfredo Ramos, Mayor Alonso Salazar Jaramillo, and Colombian National Police (CNP) and Metropolitan Medellin Commander Brigadier General Dagoberto Garcia. In all three meetings the rise of criminal narco-trafficking gangs following the paramilitary demobilization and the FARC's withdrawal due to military pressure was discussed repeatedly. Governor Ramos told the Ambassador that the FARC and ELN are losing more ground everyday to government forces. He noted that there is not a single hostage in the entire department of Antioquia, forcing the FARC to survive on narco-trafficking. Furthermore, CNP Commander Garcia told the Ambassador that no FARC or ELN groups are operational in Medellin. ¶3. (SBU) On the other hand, all said that new criminal bands have an increasingly strong presence in the department, in particular in Uraba, Medellin, and Bajo Cauca. All noted that clashes between criminal groups over control of narco-trafficking routes and cultivation has sparked an increase in murders, but noted that the violence does not widely affect the civilian population. Ramos asserted that the homicide rate has dropped across the department in the early months of 2009, with the exception of Medellin. Garcia suggested that the increase in 2009 in Medellin was due to high-profile arrests and extraditions of the criminal leadership in 2008, which has triggered in-fighting over succession. ¶4. (SBU) Mayor Salazar was cautiously optimistic on the progress that has been made on the security front in the city of Medellin. He regretted having to involve the military in urban crime control, but said Medellin suffers from a serious shortfall in police. He also highlighted that the city has benefited from an additional 2,000 police in recent months ahead of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) General Assembly, but lamented that the GOC has not agreed to leave these forces in place after the IDB meeting. ¶5. (SBU) Garcia and Salazar were both optimistic about IDB summit preparations. The CNP has identified seven neighborhoods of particular concern ahead of the summit and neutralized crime in the zones using the so-called "quadrant strategy," consisting of enhanced police presence, supplemented with targeted intelligence and social programs. Garcia said that in these neighborhoods there has only been one homicide since the strategy went into effect. -------------- The Narco-sizing of Colombian Society -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Father Horacio Arango of the Center for Faith and Culture agreed that Colombia has entered a new phase. He said that while the FARC and ELN have been seriously weakened, narco-trafficking has infiltrated greater portions of Colombian society as never before, including all state institutions. Arango thanked the Ambassador for the positive role the United States has played via Plan Colombia in strengthening Colombia's institutions and professionalizing the armed forces. He said U.S. military aid has been key to improving the military's human rights record and urged such assistance to continue. Arango said the next step is for the U.S. to enhance its support to legal institutions responsible for trying and sentencing criminals. ¶7. (SBU) Arango added that it is also important that the USG continue supporting the right of civil society to speak out against public authorities. The Ambassador said that while the USG may not always agree with what is being said, the USG will continue to support the right for free speech without fear of reprisal. ¶8. (SBU) Regarding the role of the private sector in counteracting narco-influences in Colombian society, Arango said that while the private sector has endorsed the right principles, this has not translated into the business community having a transformative effect on issues of peace and justice. Arango suggested the Magdalena Medio Peace and Development program started by Father Francisco de Roux as a model for efforts to involve the private sector in broader social development efforts. -------------- Mayor Proposes IDP Return -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Mayor Salazar briefed the Ambassador on the city's proposal to carry out a 'structured' return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Medellin to the city of San Carlos in April. Salazar said that he has enlisted the financial support of the two major energy companies operating in the area - ISA and ISAGEN - for the USD$5 million program. Medellin's municipal-owned public utilities firm (EMP) would also contribute. In addition to providing basic support to the returnees, the Mayor foresees demining, agricultural recovery, and emergency economic assistance as part of the package. He asked for USG public support for the project, and invited the Ambassador to participate in its launch. The Ambassador voiced support for the project, and said he would ask USAID to look at the proposal. -------------- Medellin Feels Impact of Global Economics -------------- ¶10. (U) With regards to the impact of the global economic downturn on the department of Antioquia, Governor Ramos noted that Medellin has been most affected, in particular the textile, clothing, and construction industries. The impact has been felt only marginally in export-driven flower and banana industries, thanks in large measure to the favorable exchange rate. Ramos noted that the department is undertaking several large public works projects as a means for bolstering the economy during the downturn. -------------- Lunch meeting with AmCham Members -------------- ¶11. (SBU) At a lunch with business community and local political leaders, the Ambassador expressed optimism about Colombia's ability to weather the international economic downturn, while acknowledging the real difficulties ahead. He noted that the recently passed omnibus spending bill maintains Plan Colombia FY09 funding at current levels. With business potentially looking to cut back on expenses, the Ambassador emphasized the importance of continuing corporate social responsibility programs, particularly in economically difficult times when the community is most in need. ¶12. (SBU) Interlocutors noted the importance they attach to longer-term extensions of Andean Trade Preference Act benefits for Colombia in the absence of the CTPA. They also expressed a strong desire to see the USG open a Consulate in Medellin. In response to a question about the upcoming Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain, the Ambassador noted the significance of President Obama's first Hemisphere-wide engagement on a wide range of issues including democracy, development, and defense. -------------- Cooperation for Bilingual Education -------------- ¶13. (U) Governor Ramos briefed the Ambassador on the department of Antioquia's English language "teach the teachers" program, which aims to bring bilingual education to all schools in the department by teaching English to all 24,000 teachers in collaboration with three local universities. The Ambassador congratulated the Governor on the approach and reiterated that the Embassy stands ready to support bilingual education projects, in particular by harnessing the resources of the private sector, educational foundations, and binational centers. ¶14. (U) In his visit to the Binational Center, the Ambassador - accompanied by Minister of Culture Paula Moreno - spoke with 60 high school students who have benefited from the Embassy-sponsored Martin Luther King English language program targeting high-potential Afro-Colombian and low-income students. In his remarks, the Ambassador encouraged the students to continue their studies to the university level and emphasized that their English skills will be to their advantage. The Ambassador also visited an elementary school founded by Maureen Orth, a former Peace Corps volunteer, that is a pilot project for bilingual education and recently became Colombia's first One Laptop per Child (OLPC) school. In his remarks to the 200 students, the Ambassador congratulated them on their enthusiasm for learning English and technology skills. -------------- Security of Cultural Heritage Sites -------------- ¶15. (U) The Ambassador hosted a reception for the participants of the Embassy-sponsored conference on security at cultural heritage sites hosted by the University of Antioquia. The University's Dean recognized the Ambassador and the Minister of Culture by bestowing upon each of them the University's Gold Shield for their dedication to preventing the looting of archaeological and colonial objects and promoting cultural preservation activities. -------------- Media Coverage of Trip Extensive -------------- ¶16. (U) The visit received extensive print and broadcast coverage. Public Affairs organized joint press conferences following the meetings with both the Governor and Mayor. Press also covered the Ambassador's visits to the Binational Center and a public elementary school. Reports of the visit appeared in local dailies El Pais (Cali-based, conservative, readership: 145,000); El Mundo (Medellin-based, liberal, circ. 27,600); El Colombiano (Medellin-based, conservative, readership: 316,200); and nationally on El Tiempo's website (leading national daily, Centrist, readership: monthly hits 12,000,000). Broadcast coverage included spots on RCN TV (viewership: 11,165,000); Caracol TV (viewership: 11,148,000); CM& (viewership: 950,000); Telepais (viewership: 750,000); Teleantioquia Noticias (viewership: 618,000); RCN Radio (listenership: 10,000,000); Caracol Radio (listenership: 11,000,000); and La FM (listenership: 5,000,000). Journalists repeatedly asked about expected policy changes affecting Colombia under the new administration and about the prospects for re-opening a U.S. Consulate in Medellin. BROWNFIELD