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O 011514Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0376
INFO RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 8399
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ NOV LIMA 4446
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 5117
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1395

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 010111 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. PLEASE PASS TO USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2016 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV CO
SUBJECT: U/S BURNS MEETS WITH HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS 
 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Milton K. Drucker 
Reason: 1.4 (b,d) 
 
¶1. (U) October 25, 2006; 8:30 AM. 
 
¶2. (U) Participants: 
 
U.S. 
 
Under Secretary Burns 
A/S for WHA Thomas P. Shannon 
USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator Mark Silverman 
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mary Lee Warren 
Ambassador William B. Wood 
USAID Mission Director Liliana Ayalde 
Attorney Adviser, L, Patricia Prugh 
P Staff Assistant Heidi Bronke 
Daniel Tomlinson, NSC 
Political Counselor John Creamer 
Political Officer Kevin Murakami (notetaker) 
 
 
 
NGOS AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 
 
Gloria Florez, MINGA 
Barbara Hintermann, International Committee of the Red Cross 
(ICRC) 
Fernando Calado, International Organization for Migration 
(IOM) 
Marco Romero, CODHES 
Gustavo Gallon, Comision Colombiana de Juristas (CCJ) 
Mario Gomez, Fundacion Restrepo Barco 
Alvaro Villarraga, Fundacion Cultura Democratica 
Luis Evelis Andrade, Organizacion Nacional de Indigenous de 
Colombia (ONIC) 
Victoria Eugenia Giraldo, Fundacion Esperanza 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶3.  (C) In a cordial, 90 minute meeting, Under Secretary 
Burns thanked human rights group for their valuable work in 
Colombia, stressed the importance of human rights in our 
dialogue with the GOC, and heard their concerns about 
paramilitary demobilization and the Justice and Peace Law. 
Several participants condemned the GOC's human rights record, 
noting that extra-judicial killings and impunity remained 
widespread. Others acknowledged continuing problems, but 
praised GOC progress on improving security and noted the 
military's increased willingness to discuss human rights 
issues.  Other topics included internally displaced persons, 
indigenous rights, and the possibility of peace talks with 
the FARC.  All participants voiced appreciation for the U.S. 
role in encouraging a broad-based human rights dialogue in 
Colombia.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Mixed Opinions of Uribe's Human Rights Record 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C)  Human rights groups gave President Uribe's human 
rights record mixed reviews.  ICRC's Barbara Hintermann said 
the ICRC's dialogue with COLMIL leadership had significantly 
improved.  She also said the GOC committed fewer violations 
of international humanitarian law than in the past. 
Fundacion Restrepo Barco's Mario Gomez praised GOC progress 
on security and social issues, citing increased state 
presence, a fall in violence indicators, and greater access 
to education.  CCJ's Gustavo Gallon noted that as a result of 
the paramilitary peace process, paramilitary killings were 
down from 1,700 a year to 1,000.  Still, Gallon said the 
GOC's overall human rights record is poor. He said that 
during President Uribe's tenure, extrajudicial killings had 
risen from 120 a year to 250 a year. Moreover, political 
violence produced over 3000 deaths since 2002, 75% of which 
were attributable to the paramilitaries or the GOC.  Gallon 
criticized the human rights certification process, 
complaining that political considerations appeared to 
influence certification decisions.  CODHES' Marco Romero 
criticized the GOC's "informant network," explaining that a 
lack of oversight by the Inspector General, Human Rights 
Ombudsman, and civil society had led to "massive" numbers of 
arbitrary detentions.  Fundacion Esperanza's Victoria Giraldo 
said the GOC should do more to protect victims of trafficking 
in persons. 
¶5.  (C) U/S Burns said the U.S. supported the GOC, but 
understood the need for further GOC progress on human rights. 
 The U.S. would continue to push the GOC to investigate 
allegations of human rights violations and to punish the 
perpetrators.  U/S Burns praised the work of the NGO 
community, stating, "We know you work under pressure and 
intimidation, and we value your efforts."  Ambassador Wood 
also highlighted U.S. support for NGOs' critical role in 
identifying human rights abuses and in pushing for 
improvements in Colombia's human rights situation. 
 
------------------------ 
New Paramilitary Groups? 
------------------------ 
 
¶6.  (C) The NGOs expressed concerns over paramilitary 
recidivism and continuing paramilitary political influence. 
Minga's Gloria Florez said many demobilized paramilitaries 
were still operating, only under different names.  Florez 
singled out Putumayo as especially worrisome, alleging that 
paramilitaries from the Bloque Central Bolivar were still 
active.  She said paramilitaries controlled the communities 
of Puerto Asis and Puerto Vega in Putumayo, and complained 
that the GOC was not doing anything to address the problem. 
ICRC's Hintermann voiced concern about the emergence of new 
groups, noting that some have sophisticated command 
structures.  Florez also criticized paramilitary influence 
over politicians and institutions on the Atlantic Coast, 
highlighting Sucre Department.  "This influence puts 
Colombian democracy and rule of law at risk," she charged. 
 
--------------------- 
Justice and Peace Law 
--------------------- 
 
¶7.  (C) Reaction to the Justice and Peace Law (J&P) was 
mixed.  IOM's Fernando Calado said the J&P law was "positive" 
because it provided victims and communities a voice.  He 
praised the GOC for "taking full responsibility for this 
process from the start" rather than relying on international 
donors.  Calado said reinsertion is the next challenge. 
ONIC's Luis Andrade criticized the J&P law, claiming many 
paramilitary leaders would escape punishment.  He stressed 
the importance of returning land taken by paramilitaries to 
rightful owners, especially the indigenous.  CCJ's Gallon 
criticized the J&P's initial draft implementing decree, 
saying it was a GOC effort to circumvent the Constitutional 
Court ruling on the law.  He thanked Ambassador Wood for his 
criticism of the draft, which the GOC later revised to better 
track the Court's ruling.  U/S Burns said the U.S. supported 
demobilization efforts but recognized there were 
contradictions in the law. 
 
------------------- 
FARC Peace Process? 
------------------- 
 
¶8.  (C) The human rights groups expressed support for peace 
talks with the FARC.  Fundacion Cultura Democratica's Alvaro 
Villarraga claimed there was a public expectation President 
Uribe would pursue a peace policy during his second term. 
Villarraga complained, however, that President Uribe had not 
convened the National Peace Council, as required by law, in 
over a year and a half.  Fundacion Restrepo Barco's Gomez 
also supported GOC-FARC talks, in spite of last week's car 
bomb inside a Bogota military installation.  Gomez called the 
act an "impediment" to possible peace talks, but insisted the 
GOC should continue pursuing such talks.  ONIC's Andrade 
urged the GOC to agree on a humanitarian accord with FARC. 
 
---------------------------- 
Internally Displaced Persons 
---------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (C) CODHES' Romero and ICRC's Hintermann said the plight 
of internally displaced persons (IDPs) was one of Colombia's 
gravest human rights problems.  Hintermann said the challenge 
was to find a long term solution to the problem.  Romero 
claimed CODHES recorded 300,000 new IDPs each year, but 
acknowledged that GOC figures were much lower.  He said the 
majority of displacement was caused by paramilitaries but 
also blamed the FARC especially in rural areas.  Romero said 
displacements were especially high in combat areas, 
highlighting Narino Department as a "laboratory of war" where 
conflict between the military, narco-traffickers, 
paramilitaries, and FARC have prompted a sharp spike in IDP 
numbers.  Romero also blamed poverty for causing 
displacement, saying 82 percent of the country's 12 million 
peasants lived in poverty.  "If you don't provide economic 
opportunities for peasants, the military and security policy 
is useless," he said. 
 
----------------- 
Indigenous Rights 
----------------- 
 
¶10.  (C) ONIC's Andrade blamed human rights problems 
affecting indigenous communities on the armed conflict and 
lack of economic opportunities.  Andrade said indigenous 
peoples were victimized by all sides in the conflict, 
explaining that the strategic location of indigenous lands 
made them targets.  He alleged that the military often 
accused indigenous people of being FARC collaborators, in 
spite of the fact that the FARC also targeted indigenous 
communities.  He highlighted Choco Department as an area 
where indigenous communities were continually "under fire" 
from military, paramilitaries, and the FARC.  Andrade also 
criticized aerial fumigation of illegal crops, claiming it 
caused severe environmental and health problems in indigenous 
communities.  He said impunity for crimes against indigenous 
peoples was also a problem.  He explained that paramilitaries 
had killed several indigenous people in Tierra Alta, Cordoba, 
but no one had been brought to justice.  "We believe that to 
strengthen democracy, we need to improve the justice system," 
Andrade said. 
 
¶11.  (U) This cable has been cleared by U/S Burns. 
DRUCKER