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id: 145113
date: 3/10/2008 16:27
refid: 08MONTEVIDEO134
origin: Embassy Montevideo
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 
header:
VZCZCXYZ0002
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMN #0134/01 0701627
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 101627Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8021
INFO RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY 2654
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 4937
RUEHMU/AMEMBASSY MANAGUA PRIORITY 0130
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO PRIORITY 1948
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO PRIORITY 3103


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C O N F I D E N T I A L MONTEVIDEO 000134 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
WHA/BSC FOR KBEAMER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2018 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER CO VE EC UY
SUBJECT: URUGUAYAN REACTIONS TO FARC COMMANDER'S DEATH 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Frank E. Baxter 
for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) 
 
 ¶1.  (C) SUMMARY: The GOU's balanced response to the killing 
of FARC secretariat member Raul Reyes by Colombian forces 
inside Ecuadorian territory was remarkable given the internal 
and external pressures to side with Ecuador and Venezuela. 
On March 3, the GOU issued a measured statement calling for 
dialog among Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela to "resolve and 
overcome their existing differences" and to return their 
relations to normalcy, a comment that the Colombian 
ambassador to Uruguay characterized to us as among the 
region's most "balanced and civilized."  Meanwhile, the 
political arm of the ruling Frente Amplio (FA) party issued a 
six-point declaration that included a "total rejection and 
condemnation of the military incursion by the Colombian 
government into Ecuador."  Foreign Minister Fernandez told 
the Ambassador last Thursday that he wanted Uruguay to become 
more involved in a solution than in the conflict, in part to 
restore Uruguay's international image after it had been 
tarnished by his anti-U.S. predecessor.  We do not know what 
role Uruguay can play in the process since the Rio Group has 
defused the crisis.  Nevertheless, FM Fernandez's intention 
to once again make Uruguayan diplomacy a force for good in 
the world is a good development.  The views of the resident 
Ecuadorian and Colombian ambassadors are also useful for the 
record.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) On March 6, the Ambassador and DCM paid a courtesy 
call on newly-appointed Foreign Minister Gonzalo Fernandez. 
He told them that he had hoped for a few days of calm to put 
the MFA's house in order. Instead, he was immediately 
challenged by the Ecuador-Colombia-Venezuela conflict that 
began with the March 1 cross-border incident in which 17 FARC 
guerillas were killed inside Ecuadorian territory by 
Colombian forces.  Fernandez said one of his main aims was to 
recover Uruguay,s international prestige on matters of 
diplomacy, contributions to international law and the pacific 
settlement of disputes -- an image that had degraded under 
his predecessor.  He reminded that Uruguay has a long 
tradition of expertise in international law and a reputation 
for being both balanced and prudent.  Fernandez will attend 
the March 17 OAS meeting of Foreign Ministers in Washington. 
He said he wanted Uruguay to meaningfully contribute to the 
solution of the Colombia-Ecuador conflict and appealed for 
U.S. support for Uruguay to be part of the process. 
 
¶3. (C) When queried about prospects for more constructive 
engagement with Uruguay,s OAS Perm Rep Lujan Flores, he 
obliquely answered, "I must strike a delicate balance among 
what I, the President, the opposition, and my party want.  We 
must walk very carefully over the rocks." (Note: This was in 
reference to former Foreign Minister Reinaldo Gargano who is 
now back in the Senate, where he recently tried hard to push 
through a harsh anti-Colombia resolution. End Note.) 
 
¶4. (C) Regarding the Colombia-Ecuador conflict, Fernandez 
said he tried to construct a "progressive" strategy based on 
international law, the promotion of peace and consultations 
with Mercosur.  He claimed to have received little help from 
Argentina and asserted that Argentine FM Taiana declared that 
the FARC are not labeled as terrorists in South America, but 
only by the EU and the UN.  He maintained that Argentina 
plays closely with Venezuela; that Nicaragua contends that 
the U.S. is using Colombia to conduct a proxy war; and that 
Mercosur is much more difficult with Chavez inside it. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Ecuadorian Ambassador Edmundo Vera Manzo told the 
DCM during a courtesy call that Ecuador wanted to hear what 
the "independent voices of the international organizations" 
such as ALADI, MERCOSUR and the OAS had to say in the matter. 
 Ecuador also wants a formal apology from Colombia with the 
firm promise that its "unacceptable" incursion would never 
again be repeated, he said. He added that the apology should 
be backed by "confidence building measures" guaranteed by 
other countries. Vera complained about the GOC's announcement 
that it would not send any troops to its borders with 
Venezuela or Ecuador. He asserted it was Colombia's duty to 
guard the border and prevent further incursions from the FARC. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The DCM also paid a courtesy call on Colombian 
Ambassador Claudia Turbay, who said that despite difficulties 
surrounding the conflict, there were important opportunities 
as well, "because lots of previously hidden truths are now on 
the table."  She lauded the constructive efforts of Uruguay's 
new Foreign Minister and believed that the GOU's statements 
on the conflict were among the region's most "balanced and 
civilized."  She noted that the positions of Former FM 
Gargano and other "hard core Communists" contrasted with the 
more moderate elements in the FA administration. 
 
COMMENT: 
-------- 
¶7. (C) While Uruguay is not readily apparent as a player in 
the resolution of the Colombia-Ecuador-Venezuela conflict, FM 
Fernandez, desire to further engage Uruguay at the OAS is a 
possibility worth considering.  New at the MFA's helm, FM 
Fernandez is much more pro-U.S. than his predecessor and is 
already taking a statesman-like approach to Uruguay's foreign 
policy, as evidenced by his replacement of political 
appointees at the MFA with career diplomats, regardless of 
party affiliation. We note that the headquarters of both 
MERCOSUR and ALADI are located in Montevideo, so that the 
GOU's moderate voice can sometimes carry additional weight in 
those fora. END COMMENT. 
Baxter 

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