AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH NGO RECEIVING THREATS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 003499

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/12/03
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PTER CO
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH NGO RECEIVING THREATS

REF: REF A: 09BOGOTA455; REF B: 09BOGOTA3365

CLASSIFIED BY: William R. Brownfield, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B),(D)

SUMMARY

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1. (C) On November 27, the Ambassador met with Leon Valencia,
Director of the Colombian think tank New Rainbow Corporation
(CNAI). The Ambassador expressed concern over the threats CNAI had
received in October. The discussion centered on CNAI's annual
report that posits the GOC's democratic security policy is no
longer an effective tool to confront the conflict in Colombia. The
event received ample press due to President Uribe's tiff with CNAI
over the annual report, though getting our pro-civil society
message across to the public remains challenging. End Summary.



CNAI REPORT QUESTIONS DEMOCRATIC SECURITY

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2. (C) The Ambassador met with Leon Valencia, Director of
left-leaning Colombian think tank New Rainbow Corporation (CNAI),
for the second time (REF A) on November 27. Valencia outlined the
conclusions of CNAI's annual report on the Colombian conflict
entitled, "2009: The Decline of Democratic Security?," which was
released November 25. Valencia said the report acknowledges
successes under Democratic Security, but suggests the strategy may
have "hit a wall" given what CNAI perceived to be a revitalization
of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and a growth
in paramilitarism.




3. (C) Valencia acknowledged the difference between the national,
hierarchical structure of the United Self-Defense Forces of
Colombia (AUC) and the current splintered, regionalized criminal
organizations. Still, he defended CNAI's use of the term
"paramilitary" to describe these groups because, he said, they
maintain political and military links and are lead by the 21
high-level and 500 mid-level AUC commanders who never demobilized.
He maintained the criminal groups conducted all activities of the
AUC -- narcotrafficking, land theft, political control -- with the
exception of counter-insurgency. The Ambassador suggested that,
for many people, the term "paramilitary" specifically related to
the AUC's counter-insurgency agenda and questioned whether these
groups would not more appropriately be labeled as criminal gangs.




4. (C) Alluding to President Uribe's strong criticism of the CNAI
report, Valencia said the GOC had "overreacted" to the report
without actually reading it. He emphasized the report did not
intend to delegitimize the real advances under democratic security,
but rather to sound the alarm on the illegal armed groups' ability
to successfully alter tactics to circumvent GOC measures.
Ambassador Brownfield told Valencia that while the USG might not
agree with CNAI's conclusions, he supported CNAI's right to debate
the success of the democratic security policy in public.



CNAI RECEIVING THREATS,

POSSIBILITIES FOR PARTNERSHIP

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5. (C) The Ambassador expressed concern that the CNAI's Narino
office, as well as other groups including the United Nations
Development Program, Movement for Victims of Crimes of the State
(MOVICE),and Departmental Committee for Human Rights, were
identified as military targets in a pamphlet allegedly issued by
the criminal group "Los Rastrojos" in October(REF B). Turning to
the Colombian Strategic Development Initiative (CSDI),the
Ambassador outlined CSDI objectives and encouraged CNAI to offer
suggestions for USG programs. Valencia said CNAI is developing a
conflict monitoring project on the border with Ecuador that might
prove useful to CSDI.



PRESS COVERAGE

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6. (C) Following the meeting, the Ambassador and Valencia took
questions from the press. With the GOC reaction to the CNAI report
still fresh in the news cycle, the majority of press coverage
(including Bogota daily El Tiempo with 1.2 million in circulation
and RCN Radio with 6.7 million listenership) centered on the
Ambassador's description of the successes achieved under democratic
security. Some outlets, like CM& Television (1 million
viewership),led with the Ambassador's comment that no policy is
perfect and democratic security can be improved. While the press
did not focus on the Ambassador's message of support for civil
society, the visit was noticed and appreciated by NGOs.
BROWNFIELD