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DE RUEHBO #1373/01 1051344
ZNR UUUUU ZZH (CCY AD7FE924 MSI5420-695)
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FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
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RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 8135
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0231
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ APR LIMA 6087
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA 1489
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RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEAWJC/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS BOGOTA 001373 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY CAPTION 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV EAID EAGR PTER PREL ECON SOCI CO
SUBJECT:  AMBASSADOR BROWNFIELD'S VISIT TO QUIBDS, CHOCS ON MARCH 
28, 2008 
 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY.  The Ambassador traveled on March 28 to the 
predominately Afro-Colombian town of Quibds, Chocs to meet  local 
military, political and economic figures, civil society leaders, and 
university students.  Chocs is the department with the highest 
percentage of Afro popolulation in Colombia-about 90%.  The 
Ambassador also visited USG-funded social and economic development 
projects.  His interlocutors underscored that improvements in the 
regional security situation reflect increased confidence in the GOC 
and provide opportunities for economic growth.  The Ambassador 
emphasized the USG's continued commitment to social programs and 
initiatives in the region, the role of the private sector in 
generating economic growth, and USG commitment to securing approval 
of the Free Trade Agreement between the US and Colombia.  End 
Summary. 
 
Improved Security Fuels Economic Growth 
--------------------------------------- 
¶2.  (U) During his March 28 trip to Quibdo, the Ambassador met with 
Department of Chocs Secretary of the Interior Cristobal Cordoba 
Mosquera and Quibds Mayor Francis Ceballos.   Mosquera and Ceballos 
agreed that the security situation in the region seemed to have 
improved and that this could lead to economic growth.  The meeting 
was held the day after the arrest of nine lawyers associated with 
the Governor's law firm on corruption charges.  In his remarks to 
the press, the Ambassador underscored that corruption was an issue 
that Colombian institutions must address. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Local Quibds Army commander, Colonel Luis Javier Perez 
Orellanos and national police commander, Colonel Jos Javier Herrera 
Velandi, presented the Ambassador with an overview of operations 
and challenges within the Chocs Department.  They noted that the 
tropical jungle topography and the 479km Atrato River make the 
region a haven for drug-trafficking and other operations by 
Colombia's illegally armed groups.  These security challenges are 
exacerbated by underdeveloped transportation infrastructure, lack of 
sufficient military presence and law enforcement riverine 
capabilities, and the presence of two Revolutionary Armed Forces of 
Colombia (FARC) fronts (the 34th and 57th) that handle logistics 
between Panama and FARC units throughout the rest of Colombia.  In 
spite of these challenges and substantive numbers of internally 
displaced persons within this region, both civil society and public 
security forces agreed that the overall security situation in the 
region had improved, reflecting increased confidence in the GOC. 
 
¶4.  (U) Elsa Delgado, Executive Director of the Quibds Chamber of 
Commerce, opened a luncheon and roundtable discussion with the 
Chamber's board of directors by describing the challenges and 
opportunities facing the economy in Chocs.  Chamber President Martin 
Sanchez and others stated that better infrastructure was needed to 
advance the region's economic development.  They noted the 
importance of improved roads to the coast and the interior, as well 
as construction of a Pacific coast port.  The Ambassador encouraged 
the private sector to generate economic growth, highlighted the 
importance of corporate social responsibility programs, and 
emphasized the USG's commitment to securing approval of the Free 
Trade Agreement between the U.S. and Colombia. 
 
USG Commitment to Social Programs 
--------------------------------- 
¶5.  (U) The Ambassador visited the Quibds Justice House-an 
institution that combats domestic violence and promotes 
community-based conflict resolution by providing access to all 
government agencies at a single location.  He met with its 
Coordinator and representatives of key institutions including the 
Regional Ombudsman's Office, Public Defender's Office, and the 
Regional Prosecutor's Office and encouraged their efforts at 
promoting peace in the region. 
 
¶6.  (U) The Ambassador also met representatives of five U.S. Agency 
for International Development (USAID) supported civil society 
organizations that advocate for Afro-Colombians, indigenous 
communities, and women's and children's rights.  They outlined 
problems faced by communities in the region, including alleged human 
rights violations by illegal armed groups, the challenges of limited 
access to health and education services, food insecurity, and gender 
and race discrimination. 
 
¶7.  (U) The Ambassador visited the Pedro Grau and Arola School to 
highlight the USG's ongoing commitment to displaced and vulnerable 
children and the importance of investing in education.  The 
Ambassador toured the school's vocational training center and 
participated in a school-wide assembly in a multipurpose auditorium, 
 
both of which were constructed with USAID funds.  He encouraged the 
students to take advantage of the school's educational and 
vocational training opportunities and donated books and other 
didactic materials to the school's library. 
 
¶8.  (U) The Ambassador also visited the Documentation Center of 
Afro-Colombian Cultures at the Universidad Tecnolsgica del Chocs and 
met twelve USG-funded Martin Luther King (MLK) Fellows for a 
dialogue on bilateral relations and educational opportunities in the 
United States. 
 
Successful Press Coverage 
------------------------- 
¶9.  (U) A television crew from Telemundo, the second-largest Spanish 
language content producer in the world and second-largest SL TV 
network in the United States, accompanied the Ambassador during his 
visit to Quibds.  Telemundo used their footage to create an 
eight-minute documentary reflecting a day in the life of the 
Ambassador.  The piece aired on a prominent investigative news show 
on a Colombian national television channel, Canal Uno, a week after 
the Ambassador's visit. Colombia's major nationwide television 
channels, RCN and Caracol, featured the Ambassador's visit on their 
midday news broadcast, guaranteeing ample coverage of the visit. 
Several broadcast outlets also reported the Ambassador's trip on the 
evening news.  His animated dialogue with a CNP police dog was a 
particularly high moment in the report. 
 
BROWNFIELD