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C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 011428 

SIPDIS 

SIPDIS 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2016 
TAGS: MARR PGOV PREL PTER CO IS EC
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES WEALTH TAX, HUMAN RIGHTS WITH 
DEFENSE MINISTER SANTOS 


Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood, Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d) 

¶1. (C) Summary:  Defense Minister Santos said the GOC would 
use the recently enacted &wealth tax8 to fund items that 
would have an immediate impact in the war against terrorist 
groups.  He asked the U.S. to advise the GOC on how best to 
spend these funds; the Ambassador agreed to do so.  Santos 
said the GOC was considering possible Israeli help with its 
High-Value Target program, and would receive a formal 
proposal in January.  The Ambassador said we shared the 
concerns of the International Red Cross and the U.N. 
Commission on Human Rights regarding alleged extra-judicial 
killings by military personnel.  Santos said the GOC planned 
to transfer authority over the military justice system from 
the Defense Ministry to the civilian judiciary to give it 
greater transparency.  He reiterated the GOC commitment to 
continue aerial spraying along the Ecuadorian border despite 
GOE protests.  End Summary 

¶2. (C) The Ambassador met Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos 
and Vice Minister Sergio Jaramillo on December 16 to present 
the U.S. response to the GOC,s proposed strategic framework 
agreement (reported reftel), review security issues, and 
highlight human rights concerns. 

--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
GOC Seeks U.S. Help on Optimizing Use of the Wealth Tax 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
¶3. (C) Santos said the Defense Ministry needed help to decide 
how best to spend the revenue it would receive from the 
recently enacted &wealth tax.8  The different military 
services had prepared &wish lists8 of priority items; it 
was difficult for the civilians in the Ministry to evaluate 
these requests.  He did not want to spend the proceeds on 
capital items that required long delivery times.  President 
Uribe regularly stressed that the GOC only has forty-three 
months to achieve his goals.  The emphasis would be on 
operational costs or capital goods that would have an 
immediate impact in the war against illegal armed groups. 
&We don't want to buy toys,8 he stressed.   Santos said he 
had asked the U.S. to evaluate Colombia's air defense needs 
when the GOC was considering buying the Super Tucano.  He had 
benefited greatly from U.S. input.  He asked the Ambassador 
if the U.S. would provide similar guidance on how to use the 
&wealth tax8 proceeds. 

¶4. (C) The Ambassador said the U.S. would be glad to help. 
He agreed the GOC should focus on its internal conflict which 
meant giving priority to operational and sustainment costs. 
Capital expenditures should be focused on internal threats 
and look for the most cost-effective*as opposed to most 
technologically advanced*solutions.    He assured Santos 
that in providing our assessment, the U.S would be objective. 

--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
Possible Israeli Involvement in High-Value-Target Program 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
¶5. (C) Santos said the GOC was considering possible Israeli 
assistance with its High-Value-Target program, and asked that 
the information be held closely.  Three senior, retired 
Israeli officials, including a former Mossad official, 
recently visited Colombia and would present a formal proposal 
to the GOC in January.   Vice Defense Minister Jaramillo 
added that while the Colombian military had developed strong 
tactical skills, it had failed to build effective systems. He 
thought the Israelis would be helpful in this regard. 

¶6. (C) The Ambassador said the U.S. would not object to an 
Israeli role, but noted that the environment in Israel was 
different from that of Colombia.  For example, the Israelis 
had better operational security. 

----------------------------- 
The Military and Human Rights 
----------------------------- 
¶7. (C) The Ambassador said we shared the concerns raised by 
the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the 
UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) regarding alleged 
military involvement in extra-judicial killings.  It was key
that the GOC investigate and punish any military personnel 

responsible for such crimes in a timely, transparent way. 

¶8. (C) Santos agreed the GOC must act quickly to punish 
military involved in human rights violations.  He had 
recently met with ICRC representative Barbara Hintermann and 
UNCHR representative Juan Pablo Corlazzoli to discuss these 
issues, and would follow up with them in the future.  Santos 
said President Uribe had met with the military High Command 
the week of December 2 at the Casa Narino and had stressed 
the need for the military to punish human rights violators. 
Santos said he had also proposed that authority over the 
military justice system be transferred from the Defense 
Ministry to the civilian judicial system.  This would give 
the military justice system greater transparency and 
credibility.  After some initial resistance, he said the 
senior military commanders had accepted this reform. 

---------------------------------- 
Spraying and the Ecuadorian Border 
---------------------------------- 
¶9. (C) The Ambassador praised the GOC decision to resume 
aerial spraying of illegal coca cultivation along the 
Ecuadorian border.  Regarding the sharp reaction from the 
GOE, Santos said the GOC stance was to be &humble but firm8 
regarding the decision.  He had spoken with his Ecuadorian 
counterpart who had taken the news in stride; it was 
Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Francisco Carrion who was taking 
a hard line over the issue.  Santos thanked the Ambassador 
for information that the U.S. had provided on the safety of 
glyphosate and the spray program;  it would be invaluable in 
dealing with the media. 
WOOD 

=======================CABLE ENDS============================