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UNCLAS BOGOTA 003891 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KJUS PGOV PINR PREL PTER CO
SUBJECT: DEFENSE MINISTER SANTOS DEFENDS RECORD IN CONGRESS 
CENSURE DEBATE 
 
REF: BOGOTA 3618 
 
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Summary 
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¶1.  Defense Juan Manuel Santos faces a June 6 vote on a 
congressional censure motion against him.  If a majority of 
both houses of Congress votes in favor of the motion, Santos 
would be removed from office.  Pro-Uribe supporters have the 
votes to defeat the motion, and the president publicly backed 
Santos on May 30.  On May 28, Santos strongly denied 
allegations during an eight-hour congressional debate that he 
conspired to overthrow the government of Ernesto Samper 
(1994-98).  He also rejected accusations he was negligent in 
failing to prevent illegal electronic surveillance of 
politicians and journalists.  End summary. 
 
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Santos Denies Plotting Against Samper 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  In an eight-hour debate on the censure motion in the 
Senate's First Committee on May 28, Santos responded to 
ex-paramilitary leader Salvatore Mancuso's and ELN leader 
Pablo Beltran's claim that he backed a plot to overthrow 
then-President Ernesto Samper in 1996-97 (ref A).  Santos 
admitted he wished that Samper had stepped down following 
revelations his electoral campaign was financed by drug 
money, but he denied having plotted to overthrow his 
government.  Santos said he wanted Samper's removal, "but 
always by legal avenues, always in accordance with the 
constitution and the law, because that is what democracy is 
about." 
 
¶3.  In Semana magazine's May 19 issue, Santos wrote an 
article recounting his peace talk initiatives with the FARC, 
ELN, and the paramilitaries during Samper's administration. 
He stressed the information on his interactions with the 
illegal armed group members at that time were well-known and 
legal.  Santos said "conspiracy theories" about an alleged 
plan to overthrow Samper had been discredited and that his 
story had been verified by others participating in the peace 
process, including Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. 
Garcia Marquez issued a statement supporting Santos' account. 
 Catholic priest and Conciliation Commission member Dario 
Echeverri said contemporary accounts provided by Santos to 
the Commission were consistent with Santos' contention he was 
not scheming to overthrow Samper. 
 
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Santos Says Unaware of Illegal Wiretapping 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶4.  The Senate First Committee debate also centered on 
opposition demands that Santos take political responsibility 
for illegal wiretapping of public officials, opposition party 
members, and journalists by an intelligence unit within the 
National Police. (Note: The National Police are under the 
Defense Ministry.)  Santos insisted President Uribe and GOC 
ministers were not aware of the illegal wiretappings.  He 
confirmed the GOC had identified those responsible in the 
Police, but refused to give names.  Santos said all 
information had been turned over the Prosecutor General's 
Office (Fiscalia), which had requested that he not make the 
names public. 
 
¶5.  Colombian National Police Director Oscar Naranjo 
clarified on May 30 that the eavesdropping was not targeted 
at specific individuals, but rather on zones, such as Santa 
Fe de Ralito and Itagui prison, where ex-paramilitary leaders 
had been housed.  Naranjo said most of those whose 
communications were recorded had legitimate reasons for 
contact with ex-paramilitary leaders in the context of the 
peace process.  He claimed since the GOC owns the 
electromagnetic spectrum, the Police have the authority to 
 
monitor illegal communications. 
 
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Support for Santos? 
------------------- 
 
¶6.   Cambio Radical and governing coalition Senator German 
Vargas Lleras, who views Santos as a potential rival in the 
2010 presidential race, told poloff May 30 he is "meditating" 
over whether or not to support the censure motion.  "Santos 
has a lot of enemies on all sides," he said.  Several 
opposition lawmakers speculated Santos may resign rather than 
face the censure vote.  On May 30, Uribe reiterated his 
support for Santos. "He may have done the right thing or made 
mistakes in the past," Uribe said, "but the important thing 
is that Minister Santos has acted transparently."  Unless a 
substantial number of governing coalition legislators defect, 
the opposition lacks the votes to pass the censure motion. 
Drucker