VZCZCXYZ0211
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSJ #0812/01 2671802
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241802Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1236
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 4546
RUEABND/DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMIN HQ WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

UNCLAS SAN JOSE 000812 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PREL PINR ASEC PTER SNAR PREF CO CS
SUBJECT: COSTA RICA'S CLOSE RELATIONS WITH COLOMBIA 
 
REF: A. 08 SANJOSE 263 
     ¶B. 07 SANJOSE 069 
     ¶C. SANJOSE 478 
     ¶D. SANJOSE 532 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Costa Rica has an expanding political and 
economic relationship with Colombia, which it currently sees 
as its second closest partner in Latin America, behind 
Panama.  Politically, Presidents Arias and Uribe share a warm 
relationship, and the two countries coordinate closely on law 
enforcement issues.  Economically, bilateral trade has 
increased nearly 350 percent over the past ten years, though 
the trade gap is clearly in Colombia's favor.  However 
average Costa Ricans often express dislike of Colombians, 
primarily due to an increase in crime and drug use (both seen 
to be related to Colombian narco-trafficking) in recent 
years.  And while Uribe and Arias have discussed the need for 
a "united front" between themselves and Panama against Hugo 
Chavez and his followers, for now the GOCR is hesitant to 
formalize a more-robust partnership with Colombia.  Yet as 
Costa Rica seeks friends with compatible points of view, 
continued close ties between the two countries can be 
expected. End Summary. 
 
----------------------- 
A POLITICAL PARTNERSHIP 
----------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Costa Rican-Colombian bilateral relations have 
traditionally been strong, and close ties between the two 
countries have persisted through various Costa Rican 
administrations, largely due to common interests.  While the 
GOCR and the GOC do not agree on all points, both governments 
have positioned themselves in opposition to the rise of 
populists/Chavistas in Central and South America.  Colombian 
Ambassador to Costa Rica Luis Fernandez recently told us that 
Arias and Uribe, while attending El Salvadoran President 
Mauricio Funes' June 1 inauguration, spoke of the "need for a 
united front among Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia against 
the socialists."  Another source, who was present at 
Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli's swearing in 
ceremony, said that Martinelli told Arias and Uribe of the 
need for a "C-P-C block against the Chavistas" at the 
inauguration. 
 
¶3. (SBU) On the other hand, the GOCR has some concerns over 
the possibility of an even closer relationship with Colombia. 
 Alejandro Solano, Director of Foreign Policy for Costa 
Rica's MFA, told us that they will sign an agreement with 
Panama in October which will, among other things, permit 
border crossings between the two countries with only a 
national identification card (instead of a passport). 
However, due to concerns about Colombia's security situation 
and the possibility for transit of narcotraffickers, the GOCR 
was not prepared to formalize a similar relationship with 
Colombia at this time.  Solano said that after concluding 
their wider agreement with Panama, they will begin to look at 
areas where Costa Rica and Colombia could formalize tighter 
relations in specific sectors, excluding border security and 
immigration issues. 
 
-------------------------------- 
SECURITY AND DISASTER ASSISTANCE 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) Costa Rica's deteriorating domestic security situation 
is clearly linked with the relatively recent rise in 
narco-trafficking related crime.  FARC or narco-related 
Colombians have often sought refuge in Costa Rica, which has 
generally had a soft-on-crime reputation in practice and 
deed.  Recently, the GOCR has sought to bolster its law 
enforcement capabilities, including strengthening its law 
enforcement relationship with Colombia. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Costa Rica has worked with the Colombian government 
to find, prosecute or deport criminals wanted by the 
Colombian government (Ref B).  One particularly high-profile 
case came in March 2008, when Costa Rican authorities, using 
Colombian information obtained during a GOC raid on FARC 
commander Raul Reyes' camp, confiscated $480,000 in FARC 
funds at the home of a retired Costa Rican university 
professor (Ref A).  The GOC has trained Costa Rican police in 
courses in Colombia, as well as brought Colombian trainers to 
Costa Rica to conduct in-country police training.  (Note: 
Post has also sent Costa Rican SWAT-like police officers to 
the USG-sponsored Jungla commando course in Colombia. End 
note.) 
 
¶6. (SBU) Additionally, Colombia assisted Costa Rica with 
disaster assistance following the January 2009 earthquake, 
when the GOC sent a helicopter team (flying a UH-60 Blackhawk 
with a US military-trained crew) to Costa Rica to assist with 
rescue operations.  As a result of an Arias request to Uribe, 
in May of 2009 the GOC also brought in a team of seven 
high-level Colombian disaster relief experts to consult with 
their Costa Rican counterparts on disaster preparedness. 
 
------------------------------------- 
ECONOMIC LINKS, BUT NO FTA ON HORIZON 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) Costa Rica and Colombia have a robust economic 
relationship, which has shown enormous growth over the past 
ten years as trade between the two countries has increased by 
nearly 350 percent.  Trade products include fuel (bunker to 
Colombia; petroleum to Costa Rica), textiles, medical 
supplies, and insecticides.  However, there exists a wide 
trade deficit between the two partners, as Costa Rica's 
imports ($471 million in 2008) dwarf its exports ($68 million 
in 2008) to Colombia. 
 
¶8. (SBU) To address this trade imbalance, the GOCR is 
currently conducting an analysis of its trade relationship 
with Colombia to identify potential markets for Costa Rican 
businesses.  While there has long been discussion of a 
potential free trade agreement (FTA) between the two 
countries, Costa Rican MFA Chief of Staff Elaine White 
recently told us that the idea was currently a non-starter. 
She said that while the Colombian business community was 
strongly in favor of an FTA, the Costa Rican private sector 
was dead-set against an agreement because of significant 
overlaps in the two countries' major products. 
 
-------- 
REFUGEES 
-------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Between 1998 and 2000 the GOCR granted over 10,000 
Colombians refugee status with little scrutiny.  The UNHCR 
and International Organization on Migration were seldom 
involved in this process, except for rare cases when 
Colombian refugees in Costa Rica requested resettlement in a 
third country.  While this flood has lessened and Costa Rican 
procedures have improved, Colombians still top the list of 
those granted refugee status each year.  Refugees currently 
account for approximately one-third of all Colombians (est. 
30,000) in Costa Rica. 
 
------------------------- 
TICOS WARY OF COLOMBIANOS 
------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) While political/economic links might be strong, 
average Costa Ricans often blame Colombians for the 
relatively recent rise in crime and drug use in the country. 
In a recent public opinion poll on attitudes towards minority 
groups, 34 percent of those polled named Colombians as the 
group they most "distrusted", almost double the next highest 
group (Nicaraguans) and well ahead of all other groups (such 
as "other foreigners", Muslims or homosexuals).  Colombian 
Ambassador Fernandez says he believes there is significant 
discrimination against Colombians due to some "bad elements" 
that have come to Costa Rica and received major media 
attention.  Additionally, Fernandez believes there is some 
jealousy towards Colombians, who are generally very 
enterprising and have had good success in business ventures 
in Costa Rica. 
 
----------------------------- 
COMMENT: A STRONG PARTNERSHIP 
----------------------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU)  Though Costa Rica has traditionally had a strong 
relationship with Colombia, this partnership has become more 
important with the disappearance of other allies in the 
hemisphere.  Beyond Panama, Costa Rica sees Colombia as its 
strongest political and economic partner in the region.  And 
while Costa Rica might not be ready to formalize a 
comprehensive relationship with Colombia just yet, we expect 
the political partnership between the two countries to 
continue to deepen in the coming years. 
BRENNAN