COLOMBIA DEBRIEF ON UNASUR MEETING GENERALLY POSITIVE, BUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 003527

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/12/10
TAGS: PREL PGOV CO
SUBJECT: COLOMBIA DEBRIEF ON UNASUR MEETING GENERALLY POSITIVE, BUT
VENEZUELA STILL AN ISSUE

REF: BOGOTA 3457; BOGOTA 3515

CLASSIFIED BY: Brian A. Nichols, Charge d'Affaires; REASON: 1.4(B),
(D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Vice Foreign Minister Forero told the Deputy Chief
of Mission on November 30 that the Colombian government was pleased
with the outcome of the UNASUR ministerial in Quito, noting in
particular that Brazil was more conciliatory than in prior
meetings. A key result was a consensus resolution requiring
cooperation on counter-terrorism issues, including notifying UNASUR
members of security and defense agreements with third countries.
UNASUR acknowledged Colombia had complied with previous requests
made at the August summit in Argentina to make public the text of
the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) and to provide guarantees
that the DCA did not threaten other UNASUR countries. Vice Foreign
Minister Forero said the GOC was contemplating a response to
Venezuela's letter to the UN Security Council (UNSC) denouncing the
DCA, but agreed the letter had not resonated with UNSC members.
Turning to other bilateral tensions with Venezuela, Forero said the
GOC planned to raise the October 24 murders of nine Colombians in
Venezuela with the Inter American Human Rights Court and the UN
Special Rapporteur for Extrajudicial Executions. Forero also
expressed strong concerns about Venezuela's reported expulsion of
7,000 Colombians and said the GOC would echo our call on the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and on the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) to investigate the
migration situation. Forero doubted that the international
community would sound the alarm on Venezuela's potential human
rights violations against Colombian and other migrants, as well as
overall deteriorating domestic conditions. End Summary.



UNASUR RESOLUTION: LET'S ALL SHARE MORE DEFENSE INFO AND COOPERATE

-------------- --------------


2. (C) Vice FM Forero said Venezuela was isolated in its attempt to
make an issue out of the DCA at the November 27 UNASUR ministerial
in Quito, and that a key result was a resolution that outlines
cooperation on counter-terrorism issues. The resolution, among
other measures, calls for the creation of a network to share
information about defense policies; includes a requirement for
UNASUR members to notify other UNASUR members when pursuing intra
and interregional military agreements with third countries;
encourages members to allow fellow UNASUR nations to observe
military exercises with third countries, and emphasizes security
cooperation to confront narco-trafficking, illegal armed groups,
and safeguard human rights. The UNASUR Defense Council will manage
the implementation of reporting requirements. Although Venezuelan
compliance is unlikely, Forero explained that the resolution
requires Venezuela to disclose details on bilateral military
agreements with Russia and Iran (and requires Brazil to disclose
details of agreements with France). She stated the resolution does
not unfairly chastise Colombia for signing the DCA.


3. (C) Forero expressed concern about Venezuela's 34-page letter to
the UNSC about the DCA and said the Colombian government would
carefully analyze it to determine if a response was warranted.
Forero also inquired about whether incoming UNSC president Burkina
Faso would push the DCA onto the agenda, and asked for our advice
on seeking meetings with the other UNSC permanent member missions
in Colombia. The DCM said the USG would work closely with the
Colombian UN Permanent Representative, Mexico and Costa Rica to
manage UNSC reaction, noting it was unlikely that Burkina Faso
would focus on the DCA and that Colombia should let events play out
naturally. Forero confirmed that FM Bermudez planned to meet with
Mexican President Calderon and Foreign Secretary Espinosa.


COLOMBIANS IN IRREGULAR MIGRANT STATUS, VENEZUELA PROBLEMS GETTING
WORSE

-------------- --------------


4. (C) Forero raised the increasing problems Colombians living in
Venezuela face and spoke at length about unconfirmed reports of
7,000 Colombians being expelled, noting that the GOC had requested
that the GOC's development agency (Accion Social)and the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) look into the
situation. DCM said the USG was equally concerned, that we were in
touch with UNHCR and IOM and that the Embassy Refugee Coordinator
would travel soon to the affected border areas to investigate
further. Forero said that approximately 500 Colombian gold miners
and at least 55 Brazilians across the border from Guainia
Department found themselves in an "irregular migrant status." She
indicated that Venezuelan officials had sold some miners Venezuelan
identification cards to prevent expulsion.


5. (C) Regarding the October 24 incident in which nine Colombians
were murdered in Santander (which borders Venezuela in the North),
Forero pointed out that the lone survivor of the ambush was being
held against his will in a Venezuelan hospital and that the
Colombian Consul in Venezuela had been permitted only one visit
with him. As such, the GOC planned to present the case to the
Inter American Human Rights Court as well as to UN Special
Rapporteur for Extrajudicial Executions, Philip Alston. Families
of the nine murdered youths had also presented complaints in Geneva
and had consulted with Colombia's Human Rights Ombudsman (Defensor
del Pueblo).


6. (C) COMMENT: Forero seemed satisfied with the outcome of the
UNASUR ministerial, and made a point of highlighting repeatedly
Brazil's eventual acquiescence that Colombia had done what was
necessary to reassure UNASUR members about the DCA. Colombia hopes
the recent UNASUR resolution will put Brazil at ease once and for
all, but remains nervous about whether the UNSC will take action on
Venezuela's letter condemning the DCA. Forero was clearly
frustrated that the international community had not taken Chavez to
task about Venezuela's international migration obligations as well
as domestic human rights abuses, including restrictions on freedom
of speech. End Comment.


7. (U) Begin text of unofficial translation of UNASUR resolution:



The Ministers of Foreign Relations and Defense of the Union of
South American Nations (UNASUR),in the Extraordinary Meeting
celebrated in Quito, Ecuador, the 15th of September and the 27th of
November of 2009, pursuant to the Presidential Mandate recorded in
Bariloche, Argentina on the 28th of August 2009, and reiterating
the decision to strengthen South America as a zone of peace,
resolve:



To establish the following mechanism of Confidence Building
Measures, including concrete measures of implementation and
guarantees.




1. DESCRIPTION OF CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURES




I. INFORMATION EXCHANGE AND TRANSPARENCY




A. Defense Systems:

a. Create a network for information exchange about defense
policies.

b. Information about organizations, duties and procedures of the
ministries of defense.

c. Information about military forces: troops, weapons and
equipment.

d. Establishment of a databank of UNASUR countries on the
registration of transfer and acquisition of equipment and
Conventional Arms, in addition to the information that must be sent
to the United Nations and Organization of American States.

e. Development of a notification mechanism and registration with
UNASUR of the full text of regional and external cooperation
agreements in matters of defense and security once approved,
including the general objectives, scope and duration of these, as
well as the registration of acquisitions and transfers of weapons
and equipment. This mechanism, at the request of the notifying
party, will respect the principle of confidentiality.

f. Answer questions that are required by other Member States and
consult on the defense issues that they consider pertinent.




B. Defense Expenditures:

a. Report on defense spending of the previous fiscal year on the
basis of the categories set out in the United Nations' "Instrument
for standardized international reporting of military expenditures."

b. Gradual remission of defense budgets of the last five years to
the South American Defense Council.

c. Report on the national defense budget in all its stages:
formulation, approval, execution and control and to homologate the
information from the South American Defense Council on defense
expenditure to establish a standardized measurement of the same.

d. The information and notifications made within the scope of this
chapter I should also be available on the websites of the
respective Ministries of Defense.



II. REGIONAL AND EXTRATERRITORIAL MILITARY ACTIVITIES.

a. Notify in advance the respective neighboring Member Countries
and UNASUR, any maneuver, military deployment or exercise,
terrestrial, aerial or naval planned and, as soon as possible, the
unplanned activities in border areas in terms of number of troops,
location on the borders, nature and amount of equipment that will
be used. At the request of the notifying party, the notified
parties will respect the strict confidentiality of the information.

b. Notify UNASUR of the development of the military exercises
either with regional or extraterritorial countries.

c. Invite military observers from UNASUR countries to the
international exercises previously mentioned.

d. Establish mechanisms of communication between border military
forces to coordinate and inform their activities.


III. SECURITY MEASURES:

a. Coordinate the activities between two or more countries of
UNASUR to enhance efficiency control and surveillance in border
areas, and the prevention and suppression of illicit transnational
activities.

b. Develop and improve national marking systems, weapons tracking
and active collaboration between the Member States of UNASUR in
clarifying arms deviation cases, smuggling and illegal use of
weapons under their custody or from their territory, of which will
be periodically reported to UNASUR.

c. Take the necessary measures to prevent and avoid the presence or
action of armed groups operating outside the law, whatever their
origin.

d. Refrain from providing any support, active or passive, to the
organizations or persons involved in terrorist acts and prevent
those who finance, plan or commit terrorist acts from using
territories for such purposes against other states and their
citizens, in accordance with the international instruments and
national legislation applicable. Also investigate and prosecute
all persons connected with such identified activities.

e. Member States of UNASUR reaffirm their unwavering commitment to
strengthen democracy and the defense of the human rights and in
that sense reiterate their most vehement repudiation of any
disruption of constitutional and democratic order and of any coup
attempt, as well as their commitment to not provide any support to
organizations or persons that participate in coups, deny safe haven
to those who collaborate, finance, plan, or carry out coups,
provide judicial cooperation to answer for their actions in
accordance with International Law and applicable national
legislation. Member States also reiterate their determination not
to recognize governments emerging from coups or which alter
constitutional order.



IV. GUARANTEES:

a. The use or threat of use of force between Member States of
UNASUR is rejected, as well as any kind of military aggression or
threats to the stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity of
other Member States.

b. Guarantee that South America is preserved as a free zone of
nuclear weapons and ensure that nuclear technology is used
exclusively for peaceful purposes in accordance with the Agreement
of Tlatelolco and other international conventions on the subject.

c. The cooperation agreements on defense celebrated by the Member
States of UNASUR will include a clause to ensure respect of the
principles of equal sovereignty of the States, the integrity and
territorial inviolability and nonintervention in the internal
affairs of other States.

d. The Member States of UNASUR will formally guarantee that the
cooperation agreements on defense to which they are party and that
involve some degree of presence in their territories of military or
civilian personnel and/or of armament and equipment from regional
States or third countries will not be used in a way that harms the
sovereignty, security, stability and the territorial integrity of
South American States. Member States will ensure that the

activities arising from these agreements will have no effects of
any kind on the territory and the sovereign space of any other
Member State of UNASUR.




V. COMPLIANCE AND VERIFICATION:

a. Voluntary arrangement of visits to military installations with
the aim of promoting the information exchange and experiences in
relation to strategies, methods and policies on borders control.

b. Military cooperation program and contacts.

c. According to the mandate set out in paragraph five of the
Decision of Bariloche, verify border situations and bring resulting
conclusions to the Council of Head of States and Government to
consider courses of action to follow.

d. It is proposed to request the South American Defense Council to
draft procedures that are considered most appropriate to make more
effective the verification of the commitments of paragraph IV. d.

e. It is proposed to request the South American Defense Council to
draft procedures that are considered most appropriate to make more
effective the verification of the commitments of numerals IIIb.;
IIIc.; IIId.; and to request the same of the South American
Counter-narcotics Council as appropriate.




2. WORLDWIDE NARCOTICS PROBLEM.

Considering the worldwide incidences of narcotics problems and the
joint responsibility of the producing and consuming countries on
regional security, hold the next summoning, by the Pro Tempore
Presidency of Ecuador, of the South American Counter-narcotics
Council for the purposes set forth in the Decision of Bariloche.
Promote and verify the cooperation of the Member States of UNASUR
in the fight against trafficking of narcotics or illegal drugs in
all areas (cultivation, production, fabrication, transit, traffic
and distribution).




3. FINAL AND TEMPORARY PROVISIONS.

The agencies responsible for ensuring the effective materialization
of the measures agreed upon by consensus in this document, and with
respect to the different regulations within the Member States of
UNASUR, will be the South American Defense Council, the Council of
Ministers of Foreign Relations and the South American
Counter-narcotics Council, according to their respective
competences.



The executive body of the South American Defense Council may
consider other matters requiring effective guarantees for regional
cooperation within the framework of the creation of confidence
building measures to be considered by the Foreign Ministers and
Defense Ministers.



The executive body of the South American Defense Council may
suggest, without prejudice to the outlined measures, further action
not expressly provided in this document to be considered or


approved by the Council of Ministers of Foreign Relations or the
South American Defense Council.



The following proposals were welcomed for Member States'
consideration:

--Draft Protocol of Peace, Security and Cooperation of UNASUR,
formulated by the Government of Peru;

--Draft Decision for the initiation of a process of discussion and
negotiation of a Security Architecture for UNASUR, brought by the
Government of Chile; and,

--Draft "Code of Conduct on Defense and Security Issues" submitted
by the Government of Ecuador.



Member States agreed to instruct the South American Defense Council
to develop a UNASUR Protocol of Peace, Security and Cooperation
that will provide the basis for a South American Security
Architecture and serve as a Code of Conduct for the region. Said
protocol should contemplate the promotion of confidence building
measures, transparency in defense and security issues, including
defense expenditures, the rejection of the threat of use of force,
the respect of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of each of
the Member States of UNASUR, the non-intervention in internal
affairs and the solution of any dispute by peaceful means, among
others.



Member States will join forces to make UNASUR a preferred forum for
dialogue and political cooperation for the peaceful coexistence of
peoples. As such, UNASUR will strengthen South America as a Zone
of Peace.



UNASUR considers it very important to invite the Government of the
United States to a dialogue about strategic issues of defense,
peace, security and development at an appropriate date that the Pro
TC)mpore Presidency will coordinate.



The South American Defense Council will endeavor to complete the
tasks described in its 2009/2010 Action Plan that includes several
of the measures outlined above.





End text of unofficial translation.
NICHOLS