Colombian Ministers Skip UNASUR Meeting on DCA

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 003457 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/11/27 TAGS: PREL PGOV CO SUBJECT: Colombian Ministers Skip UNASUR Meeting on DCA CLASSIFIED BY: Brian A. Nichols, Deputy Chief of Mission; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) Vice Foreign Minister Clemencia Forero confirmed press reports on November 27 that Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez and Minister of Defense Gabriel Silva would not attend the UNASUR ministerial in Quito. The UNASUR ministerial had the U.S.-Colombia Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) as its main agenda item. FM Bermudez told reporters on November 26 that the tone surrounding the UNASUR meeting lacked respect, objectivity, and thematic balance given the "behavior and recent escalation of insults that the Government and people of Colombian have received," without naming Venezuela as the source of those offenses. He announced that Colombia would send a technical delegation instead of ministers. ¶2. (C) Vice Foreign Minister Forero told the DCM on November 27 that the GOC had had enough with UNASUR countries' public denouncements of Colombia over the DCA. She said a diplomatic note sent to UNASUR foreign ministers on November 26 (para 3) represented the definitive position of the GOC, which is that the DCA includes assurances that its implementation will not impinge on the sovereignty of other countries and that UNASUR must focus in a balanced manner on the fight against terrorism and organized crime. Forero said that Colombia would be represented in Quito by Admiral David Moreno (Vice Chief of Defense),Sergio Restrepo (International Directorate, Ministry of Defense),and Ambassador Miguel Camilo Ruiz (Americas Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs). She said the delegation was instructed not to make any public statements but would intervene to block any consensus against Colombia's interest. Asked whether Colombia planned to raise its objections in other fora such as the UN Security Council, Forero said the GOC's inclination at the time was not subject itself to additional public debate on the issue, whether in the UNSC or other fora. However, the GOC would assess its stance following the Quito meeting. ¶3. (C) Begin text of informal translation of Colombia diplomatic note to foreign ministers of UNASUR members: I have the honor to refer Your Excellency to the NOTE DMRE/DA/CIC 96426 dated October 30, 2009, addressed to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Member States of UNASUR, related to the commitments acquired by Colombia in the framework of the "Supplemental Agreement for Cooperation and Technical Assistance in Defense and Security between Colombia and the United States of America," in the sense that said cooperation has the purpose of combating the illicit traffic of drugs and terrorism in Colombia. The aforementioned Note, which included the text of Article III of the Agreement that states that "the Parties shall comply with their obligations under this Agreement in a manner consistent with the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity of States, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other States," along with this Note, constitute additional guarantees that the Government of Colombia provides once again as an expression of the transparency that characterizes its actions in its international relations and its participation in UNASUR. Verbal or written declarations of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs generate binding legal effects for those who make them and are elevated, in the light of law, jurisprudence, and international doctrine, to commitments that the States must honor. The Government of Colombia, in an attitude of transparency and good faith, made public the text of this Agreement on November 3, 2009, in the web pages of the Presidency of the Republic (www.presidencia.gov.co) and of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (www.cancilleria.gov.co). The Government of Colombia considers that the guarantees conferred in the aforementioned Agreement and the publication of its full text constitutes an action that must be reciprocated by all Member States of UNASUR in all cases of military cooperation agreements that are entered into. In accordance with the mandate of the Declaration of Bariloche, enacted August 28 in the Extraordinary Summit of Chiefs of State of UNASUR, Colombia hopes that the Member States in a balanced way will work together to strengthen the fight and the cooperation against terrorism, transnational organized crime, and their connected criminal acts: illicit traffic of drugs, traffic of small and light weapons, as well as the rejection of the presence or action of illegal armed groups. It is important to move forward to implement effective instruments of cooperation on those fronts. This Diplomatic Note is being submitted to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Member States of UNASUR. I avail myself of this opportunity to renew to Your Excellency the assurances of my highest and distinguished consideration. END TEXT OF INFORMAL TRANSLATION. BROWNFIELD