COLOMBIA'S GOALS AT THE APRIL 17-19 SUMMIT OF THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 001110 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/2019 TAGS: KSUM PGOV PREL CO SUBJECT: COLOMBIA'S GOALS AT THE APRIL 17-19 SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS REF: 09 STATE 020677 Classified By: Political Counselor John Creamer Reasons 1.4 (b and d) ¶1. (C) The GOC's focus in the April 17-19 Summit of the Americas is primarily bilateral. President Uribe told the Ambassador on March 30 that he hopes to have an individual meeting with President Obama. Substantively, he is seeking a clear indication of the way forward on the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement as well as a clear USG commitment on Plan Colombia. Uribe said it is important to signal to the other countries in the hemisphere that the close bilateral ties that Colombian and the United States have enjoyed over the last ten years will continue under the new U.S. administration. ¶2. (C) MFA Director for U.S. and Canadian Affairs Patricia Cortes said the GOC generally supports the Summit's chief themes: promoting human prosperity, promoting energy sustainability, strengthening public security, and strengthening democratic governance. She said the GOC is especially interested in biofuels, citing Colombia's ongoing assistance to Central American and Caribbean countries with the construction of small-scale biodiesel plants. ¶3. (C) Cortes told us the GOC values the Summit process as one of the few regional fora in which it also interacts with the United States and Canada. The GOC, which participates in various regional groups with Central American, Caribbean and South American nations, finds the Canadian and U.S presence useful, especially on security and economic integration. She said the GOC fully supports the current draft Summit Declaration, and wants to be helpful at the event. In this context, the GOC will not support possible efforts by some countries to press the U.S onits Cuba policy or to blame the U.S. for the current global economic crisis. Cortes said the GOC wants to avoid polarization and to focus on practical solutions to the problems confronting the region. BROWNFIELD