VZCZCXYZ0004
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBO #3028 2311713
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 181713Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4220
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 8329
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0881
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 6459
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA PRIORITY 2169
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO PRIORITY 7151
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 003028 

SIPDIS 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/13/2018 
TAGS: MARR PREL SNAR MCAP PGOV CO
SUBJECT: GOC WANTS QUICK AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPAL ON DEFENSE 
COOPERATION AGREEMENT 

REF: SECSTATE 85514 

Classified By: Ambassador William R. Brownfield 
Reasons 1.4 (b and d) 

¶1.  (C) SUMMARY.  The Ambassador delivered draft text of the 
Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) to the Acting Foreign 
Minister, Minister of Defense, and Armed Forces Commander on 
September 13-14.  All agreed that a formal agreement was 
necessary, hoped to announce agreement in principle soon, and 
hoped it could be portrayed to the media as continuation of 
long-standing cooperation.  END SUMMARY. 

¶2.  (C) The Ambassador on August 13, met with acting Foreign 
Minister Camilo Reyes and passed him a diplomatic note in 
both English and Spanish containing the draft U.S-Colombia 
Defense Cooperation Agreement (reftel).  The Ambassador 
summarized our full proposal for use of Palanquero, Apiay, 
and Barranquilla, and other provisions regarding privileges 
and immunities.  He told Reyes that following Ecuador's 
decision not to renew the agreement covering the Cooperative 
Security Location (CSL) at Manta, the USG wanted to provide 
the GOC our draft now.  The Ambassador said the USG would not 
publicly release any information on the agreement; the 
decision on when and how to make the agreement public rested 
with the GOC.  The Ambassador also met separately with 
Minister of Defense Juan Manuel Santos and Armed Forces 
Commander General Freddy Padilla, and provided them with 
copies of the draft and similar talking points. 

¶3.  (C) Reyes told us that the GOC wanted to reach an 
agreement in principal as quickly as possible, and would also 
review the U.S. agreement covering Manta.  Reyes indicated 
that once an agreement in principal is reached, our 
governments would be able to iron out remaining details 
later.  This would allow the GOC to quickly and more easily 
control the release of news on the agreement.  He said the 
GOC would likely frame the agreement as a "continuation of 
our historic cooperation."  Reyes added that he planned to 
review the U.S. agreement with Ecuador over the use of Manta 
as a "point of comparison." 

¶4.  (C) Defense Minister Santos, after initially questioning 
whether a formal agreement was needed--and worth the public 
scrutiny--told the Ambassador he agreed that this new step in 
the U.S.-Colombia security partnership would require 
something formal.  Like Reyes, he very much hoped the new 
agreement could be couched publicly in terms of continuation 
of long-standing bilateral cooperation.  He added that 
President Uribe would likely want to conclude an agreement 
quickly, noting that Uribe planned to visit Washington 
September 18.  Uribe would probably prefer to finish by 
November, he added.  Santos also indicated that a formal 
agreement would assure continuity in key elements of the 
U.S.-Colombia relationship over the long-term.

BROWNFIELD 

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