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DE RUEHBO #7911/01 2411844
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P 291844Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8350
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7066
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 8120
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ AUG LIMA 4179
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA 9462
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 4841
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL 3658
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHOND/DIRONDCP WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 007911 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/29/2016 
TAGS: KJUS PGOV PINR PREL PTER CO
SUBJECT: CARAMAGNA TROUBLED BY RESTREPO'S GROWING DISTRUST OF THE MAPP/OAS
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood. 
Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (C) Sergio Caramagna, Director of the Mission to Support 
the Peace Process in Colombia (MAPP/OAS), told the Ambassador 
24 August he was worried his public spat with Peace 
Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo over the inclusion on the 
demobilized list of Juan Carlos Sierra, widely regarded as a 
narcotrafficker, would undermine OAS Secretary General 
Insulza's confidence in him.  Representatives of countries 
supporting the OAS Mission told Caramagna in a separate 
meeting Sierra's inclusion in the demobilized list was 
troubling.  End summary. 
 
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MAPP/OAS PRESS STATEMENT SPARKED DISPUTE 
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¶2.  (C) Caramagna told the Ambassador on 24 August that he 
was perplexed with Restrepo's reaction to the Mission's press 
release two days earlier.  The press release stated the 
Mission had no prior knowledge of the demobilization of Juan 
Carlos Sierra, identified in press reports as a drug 
trafficker and not an AUC member.  Caramagna said his 
intention was not to embarrass the GOC, but rather to 
publicly support President Uribe's decision to get tough with 
paramilitary leaders. 
 
¶3.  (C) Caramagna said Restrepo seemed not to have read the 
three-paragraph press release, but instead reacted to the 
media's interpretation of it.  Several press agencies said 
Caramagna questioned the designation of Sierra as a leader of 
the AUC.  Restrepo's four-page rebuttal to the OAS release 
said Caramagna should have raised the Sierra issue with the 
GOC and not gone public. 
 
¶4.  (C) Caramagna noted the government could have demobilized 
Sierra, but the Mission was not informed and could not 
validate his demobilization.  Moreover, he said the Mission 
was being pressured from the press and Ambassadors from 
neighboring counties to come out publicly with an opinion 
about Sierra.  Even the Colombian Ambassador to the OAS in 
Washington had asked the Mission for a statement.  He said 
relations with the Peace Commissioner had progressively 
worsened since the Mission began its more critical 
verification role.  Caramagna said he had tried to contact 
Restrepo several times in recent weeks, but Restrepo did not 
return his calls. 
 
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RESTREPO'S ANGRY PHONE CALL TO CARAMAGNA 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) Caramagna said Restrepo had called him the day after 
the Mission's press release.  He said Restrepo had questioned 
the Mission's role and accused him of converting it to serve 
his own interests.  Restrepo said he felt Caramagna was 
undermining his office.  Caramagna noted the Mission's 
consistent support for the para process, and said Restrepo 
was having a difficult time distinguishing between friend and 
foe. 
 
¶6.  (C) The Ambassador reiterated his support and respect for 
the Mission.  He cautioned Caramagna that Restrepo was under 
significant pressure.  Caramagna recognized that Restrepo 
faced constant criticism and said he considers him to be one 
of the most honest, hardworking, and intelligent GOC 
officials.  Still, Caramagna was worried about 
OAS-Washington's reaction to the episode.  Caramanga fears 
that OAS-Washington does not support him and apparently 
worries that the current spat will further undermine his 
position at the OAS. 
 
¶7.  (C) Caramagna concluded by noting that the current phase 
of the peace process is more complicated than the earlier 
stages.  In the past two weeks, the GOC has had to deal with 
the confinement of paramilitary leaders, allegations that it 
was making deals with narcotraffickers, lobbying on the 
Justice and Peace Law implementing decree, the Prosecutor 
General's Office public questioning of the military's 
operation in 1985 to regain control of the Palace of Justice 
from the M-19, and accusations that paramilitary leader 
Vicente Castano killed his brother Carlos Castano. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
MAPP/OAS GROUP OF FRIENDS MEETING OUTCOME 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (C) Caramagna met with the MAPP/OAS Group of Friends 
after the meeting with the Ambassador to explain the press 
statements and reconfirm their support for the Mission. 
Representatives from Brazil, Mexico, Norway, Spain, Sweden 
and the U.S. attended.  The Mexican and Swedish 
representatives said Restrepo's reaction was 
counterproductive to the peace process and could hamper 
relationships with the international community.  Brazil, 
Norway, and Spain were particularly concerned with the 
government's decision to include Sierra as a paramilitary 
member after the GOC had previously denied his petition 
because of his narcotrafficking history. 
 
¶9.  (C) Caramagna told the representatives he did not see 
Sierra participate in any of the meetings held between the 
GOC and AUC representatives in Ralito.  MAPP/OAS officials 
had seen him occasionally in the "halls" of Ralito.  Sierra 
had contacted the Mission in February and expressed his 
desire to demobilize.  Caramagna explained that when the 
Mission receives these types of requests in the field, they 
forward them to the Peace Commissioner's Office.  Restrepo's 
response in February was that the GOC did not recognize 
Sierra as a paramilitary member. 
 
¶10.  (C) The representatives from Norway and Sweden voiced 
concern that the GOC demobilized Sierra without warning the 
Mission or involving other GOC entities.  Caramagna noted 
none of his contacts from other GOC entities that were 
usually involved in demobilizations were aware of the 
demobilization of Sierra.  Caramagna explained that Restrepo 
had the authority to demobilize and include any individual on 
the government's lists for eligibility for processing under 
Peace and Justice Law without anyone's approval.  (On August 
16, the GOC turned over a list of 2,695 former paramilitaries 
that have asked to participate in Justice and Peace Law to 
the Fiscalia.) 
 
¶11.  (C) A MAPP/OAS official said the Peace Commissioner's 
Office had eight more demobilized paramilitaries on its list 
than the Mission's database indicated existed.  The extra 
eight include Guillermo Perez Alzate (AKA "Pablo Sevillano"), 
who turned himself in on August 17 and is currently confined 
in La Ceja, Antioquia Department. 
 
¶12.  (C) Comment.  Subsequent conversations with both 
Caramagna and Restrepo indicate that they are stepping back 
from public disagreement. 
WOOD