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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBO #8362/01 3382356
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 042356Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0385

UNCLAS BOGOTA 008362 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
COMMERCE FOR DAS FOR DOMESTIC OPERATIONS LITKENHAUS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OVIP ETRD PREL ELAB PHUM PTER PREF CO
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR DECEMBER 7-9 VISIT OF DEPUTY 
SECRETARY OF STATE NEGROPONTE AND CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION 
 
SIPDIS 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (SBU) Your return to Colombia comes as the Uribe 
Administration continues building a safer, economically 
stronger, better governed and more democratic country. 
Murder rates declined 40 percent since 2002, violence against 
union members fell over 60 percent, and kidnapping rates 
plummeted 76 percent.  Increased security has led to an 
economic boom, registering 7.5 percent growth for the first 
semester of 2007, and poverty levels dropped 20 percent. 
More than 40,000 combatants, mostly paramilitaries, laid down 
their arms since 2002, and the Uribe Administration has 
focused aggressively on reducing human rights violations. 
The Government beefed up the judiciary, reformed the judicial 
process, and protected at risk union members, journalists and 
human rights workers.  Venezuelan President Chavez' November 
decision to put relations with Colombia "in the freezer" and 
his ad hominem attacks on President Uribe have sharpened the 
importance of strong relations with the United States in the 
minds of most Colombians.  The delay in U.S. ratification of 
the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Act (CTPA) has raised 
concern about our commitment to Colombia.  CTPA will likely 
create hundreds of thousands of jobs for citizens now 
vulnerable to terrorist or narco recruitment. 
 
¶2. (U) On this trip your delegation will witness first hand 
those dramatic changes.  In Medellin you will speak with 
demobilized persons and see the dramatic security and 
economic improvements that occurred in previously one of the 
most violent cities on earth.  In Bogota you will meet with 
President Uribe to hear his positive vision for Colombia and 
U.S. relations in the region, as well as the continuing 
challenges posed by narcotrafficking and the Revolutionary 
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).  End Summary. 
 
------------------------- 
Positive Economic Outlook 
------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Significant gains in security have helped boost the 
Colombian economy, with GDP growth in 2007 near 7.5 percent. 
Both exports and imports grew more than 20 percent in 2006. 
The U.S. remains Colombia's largest trade partner 
(approximately 40 percent of exports and 26 percent of 
imports).  Colombian exports to the U.S. have grown USD 1 
billion per year since the Andean Trade Preferences Act's 
(ATPA) renewal and expansion in late 2002, while U.S. exports 
to Colombia increased approximately USD 2 billion.  Total 
foreign direct investment in Colombia has quadrupled since 
2002, reaching some USD 8 billion in 2007.  The largest U.S. 
investors - Drummond (coal), ChevronTexaco and ExxonMobil - 
plan considerable expansion due to the improved investment 
climate and security situation. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The CTPA remains the Colombian government's highest 
economic priority, and Colombians remain bewildered over the 
U.S. delay in passage since Colombian consider themselves 
staunch U.S. allies in a complex region.  The Colombian 
Congress ratified the CTPA in June by a substantial margin. 
Our Congress extended trade preferences for Colombian 
exporters under the ATPA through February 2008.  The Uribe 
Administration has redoubled efforts to win U.S. 
Congressional support for CTPA, and hosted visits by 
President Bush, Defense Secretary Gates, Commerce Secretary 
Gutierrez, U.S. Trade Representative Schwab, Overseas Private 
Investment Cooperation CEO Mosbacher, and Senate Majority 
Leader Reid in 2007. 
 
------------------- 
Democratic Security 
------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) Increased security and the paramilitary demobilization 
has achieved tangible results.  Colombians from all walks of 
like will tell you that for the first time in decades they 
can drive across the country without fear of kidnapping or 
vote in elections without intimidation from armed groups. 
Civil society and political parties operate more openly than 
ever before.  In May 2006, the leftist Polo Democratico 
candidate for President received over 2.5 million votes, the 
highest level ever for a leftist candidate.  Colombia's 
October 28 local elections occurred without significant 
violence or problems, according to the Organization of 
American States.  More than 80,000 victims stepped forward in 
the new more secure Colombia to denounce paramilitary crimes, 
and Uribe and the Courts have aggressively pursued 
investigations against almost 50 members of the Colombian 
 
Congress for alleged paramilitary ties. 
 
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Labor 
----- 
 
¶6. (U) Violence against trade unionist has declined 
dramatically under Uribe, but impunity remains a major 
concern.  Colombia developed excellent relations with the 
International Labor Organization (ILO),  and in 2006 the ILO 
recognized Colombia's progress and removed it from discussion 
in the ILO's Committee for the Application of Standards for 
the first time in 21 years.  A resident ILO representative 
arrived in Colombia in January 2007 to implement the 
agreement, which commits the government to finance the ILO 
Special Technical Cooperation program and allocate USD 1.5 
million annually to the prosecute cases of violence against 
trade unionists.  The GOC has assigned nearly 100 prosecutors 
and investigators to a special unit dedicated to this task in 
the Prosecutor's office.  Labor leaders and the UN High 
Commission on Human Right's (UNHCHR) local representative 
praised the initiative. 
 
¶7. (U) The Colombian government has taken several steps to 
protect labor leaders and prosecute those responsible for 
union violence. In 2006, the Colombian government protected 
10,000 human rights activists and other individual at risk, 
including over 1,500 union members. The Colombian government 
plans to spend USD 35 million on protection in 2007.  You 
will meet Prosecutor General Mario Iguaran who has reaffirmed 
to us that his office remains committed to prosecuting cases 
of violence against labor. Since 2001, the Colombian 
government has won convictions in 56 cases of violence 
against union members, resulting in sentences against 118 
suspects. 
 
--------------- 
U.S. Assistance 
--------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) In January, the Colombian government presented a 
Plan Colombia "consolidation strategy" pledging a Colombian 
investment of USD 78 billion between 2007 and 2013.  The 
proposal contains a heightened emphasis on social 
development, assigning new resources to consolidate 
governance, human rights, displaced people, and 
Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities.  It also aims to 
reintegrate 42,000 demobilized ex-combatants and deserters 
and to promote Colombia's competitiveness and licit exports. 
The Colombian government seeks funding from the United States 
and European countries, but also brings substantial resources 
of its own to the table.  USG security assistance combats 
drug trafficking and terrorism and includes training, 
material aid, and technical assistance to security forces and 
other institutions.  It also provides support for Colombian 
government aviation, essential for all programs-civilian or 
military-outside Colombia's major cities. 
 
¶9. (U) Under Plan Colombia, the USG provided more than USD 
600 million in economic and social assistance over the past 
seven years.  In FY2007, the USAID Mission in Colombia funded 
USD 139 million of programs in four key strategic sectors: 
alternative development and economic policy reform; justice 
reform, human rights and strengthening governance; 
demobilization and reintegration of illegal armed groups; 
assistance to internally displaced persons (Colombia has 
between 2 and 3 million displaced persons), Afro-Colombians 
and other vulnerable populations.  The USAID Mission has 
coordinated closely with other sections of the Embassy to 
strengthen the integration of security, counter-narcotics and 
economic assistance. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Drug Eradication and Interdiction 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) Eradication of coca and poppy crops and 
interdiction of cocaine and heroin reached record levels in 
2006, and political support for manual and aerial eradication 
continues to grow in Colombia.  President Uribe understands 
that manual eradication cannot replace aerial eradication 
without a sharp increase in expenditures, and he seeks a 
complementary approach using both methods.  The National 
Police and military forces seized over 203 metric tons of 
cocaine and coca base in 2006, a near-record quantity, and 
destroyed 200 cocaine laboratories, also a record.  We 
continue to work with the Colombian government to refine our 
eradication strategy and determine how best to transfer key 
tasks from the USG to the Colombian government. 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Military Justice and Improved Human Rights Record 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶11. (SBU) The Uribe Administration remains strongly committed 
to progress on human rights, and to eliminating military 
abuses or collaboration with armed groups.  Members of the 
military and police receive mandatory human rights training. 
Minister of Defense Juan Manuel Santos has made military 
justice reform a top priority; in October, he named the first 
civilian - and the first woman - as director of the Military 
Criminal Justice System.  Santos has also taken steps to 
eliminate extrajudicial killings by security forces.  The 
UNHCHR and human rights groups all play active roles here. 
 
----------- 
Extradition 
----------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) President Uribe remains a strong supporter of the 
U.S.-Colombia extradition relationship.  Since taking office, 
he has approved over 565 extraditions to the United States 
including 154 cases so far in 2007, a new record. 
 
--------------------------------- 
Demobilization and Peace Process 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶13. (SBU) Over 32,000 former paramilitaries have demobilized 
since 2002, and a further 11,000 have deserted other illegal 
armed groups (about one-half from the FARC).  This has 
resulted in the largest reintegration program ever attempted 
and operates while the Colombian government continues to 
battle the FARC and National Liberation Army (ELN).  A small 
number of renegade former-United Self-Defense Forces of 
Colombia (AUC) members have joined new criminal groups 
focused on drug trafficking.  The Colombian government has 
identified increased investment in small and medium 
enterprise development as a priority for promoting job 
creation for demobilized ex-combatants. 
 
¶14. (SBU) The ELN has negotiated with the Colombian 
government for almost two years, but prospects for success 
remain doubtful.  The ELN still uses kidnapping to finance 
its operations, but their military capability continues to 
decline.  The FARC has refused to engage in any meaningful 
peace talks, and in June killed eleven state legislators that 
they had held hostage.  At the end of August, Venezuelan 
President Hugo Chavez offered his assistance in facilitating 
peace talks between the Colombian government and the FARC and 
ELN, and on November 6, Chavez met with FARC Secretariat 
member "Ivan Marquez" in Caracas.  President Uribe ended the 
Chavez effort on November 21 citing a lack of results and 
Chavez' failure to adhere to rules of the game he had agreed 
to with GOC.  Chavez reacted by freezing relations with 
Colombia, withdrawing his ambassador to Colombia, and 
launching a series of personal attacks ion President 
Uribe--calling him a traitor and "pawn of the imperialist." 
 
 
------------- 
U.S. Hostages 
------------- 
 
¶15. (SBU) The three U.S. contractors captured by the FARC in 
February 2003 are the longest held U.S. hostages in the 
world. Their safe release remains our top priority.  The 
Colombians provide full assistance, and President Uribe has 
assured us that he will include the U.S. hostages in any 
exchange.  On November 29, GOC security services detained 
three suspected members of the FARC and discovered video, 
photos and letters for 16 FARC-held hostages, including the 
Americans--the first visual proof of life for the American 
hostages since 2003. 
Nichols