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O R 012059Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1292
INFO RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
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S E C R E T BOGOTA 003483 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/12/01 
TAGS: MARR MCAP MOPS PREL PGOV PTER IS PE PM CO
SUBJECT: COLOMBIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY SOURS ON ISRAELI DEFENSE FIRM 
 
REF: A) BOGOTA 715; B) PANAMA 831 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: William R. Brownfield, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(A), 
(B), (D) 
 
SUMMARY 
 
------- 
 
¶1. (S/NF) General Oscar Naranjo, Director of the Colombian National 
Police (CNP), told the Ambassador on November 24 that Defense 
Minister Gabriel Silva was souring on the Defense Ministry's 
relationship with Israel.  Naranjo said that the CNP's relationship 
with retired Israeli Major General Yisrael Ziv and his firm Global 
CST had been a "disaster."  Naranjo said he understood Ziv was 
trying to make inroads in Panama and Peru -- and that he had shared 
his concerns with authorities in Panama and would do the same with 
Peru if asked.  He noted that Silva overruled Colombian Armed 
Forces Commander General Freddy Padilla's decision to purchase 
Israeli UAVs.  Government of Colombia (GOC) officials described 
their experience with Global CST under the "Strategic Leap" process 
as mixed.  End Summary. 
 
MOD SOURS ON GLOBAL CST 
----------------------- 
 
¶2. (S/NF) CNP Director Naranjo told the Ambassador on November 24 
that Defense Minister Silva was souring on the Defense Ministry's 
relationship with Israel.  Naranjo said that the CNP's relationship 
with retired Israeli Major General Yisrael Ziv and his firm Global 
Comprehensive Security Transformation (Global CST) had been a 
"disaster."  Naranjo said he had provided this negative feedback to 
Panamanian authorities upon their request.  He indicated that Ziv 
was now also trying to sell his services to Peru.  If Naranjo is 
asked by Peruvian authorities, he will share the same warning with 
them. 
 
GOC DECLINES UAV PURCHASES 
-------------------------- 
 
¶3. (S/NF) Naranjo told the Ambassador that in a sign of this 
growing dissatisfaction, Minister Silva had recently overruled 
Armed Forces Commander Padilla's decision to purchase Israeli 
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).  In late July 2009, Padilla had 
commissioned a delegation of Colombian military officers to travel 
to Israel to research possible acquisition of an 
Israeli-manufactured Hermes-450 UAV system.  (Comment:  This 
represents another sign of what is reported to be a distrustful and 
distant relationship between Minister Silva and General Padilla. 
End Comment.) 
 
¶4. (S) GOC officials have expressed security concerns about Global 
CST in the past, and found it difficult to work with a private firm 
on national security matters as they were prevented from sharing 
USG intelligence with them.  In February 2008, CNP sources reported 
 
that a Global CST interpreter, Argentine-born Israeli national Shai 
Killman, had made copies of classified Colombian Defense Ministry 
documents in an unsuccessful attempt to sell them to the 
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) through contacts in 
Ecuador and Argentina.  The documents allegedly contained high 
value target (HVT) database information.  Ziv denied this attempt 
and sent Killman back to Israel. 
 
ROLE IN STRATEGIC LEAP 
---------------------- 
 
¶5. (S) Colombia's defense cooperation with Israel cooled during the 
1980s and 1990s, when some Israeli mercenaries reportedly helped 
train paramilitary forces in Colombia.  Over the last two years, 
Embassy officers visiting the MOD and Colombian military have 
observed an increased presence of Israeli advisors.  Beginning in 
December 2006, Colombia's Ministry of Defense engaged Global CST to 
help the GOC conduct a strategic assessment of the internal 
conflict (see ref A).  General Ziv was a personal acquaintance of 
then-Minister of Defense Juan Manuel Santos. 
 
¶6. (S/NF) The Global CST assessment focused on defeating the FARC 
and other internal terrorist and criminal organizations by 2010, 
but also included an evaluation of external threats including 
Venezuela and Ecuador.  The MOD spearheaded the exercise -- 
originally named the "Strategic Leap" -- which was approved by 
President Uribe in February 2009.  The Strategic Leap was 
subsequently rebranded as the National Consolidation Plan (PNC). 
Colombian officials have described their experiences with Global 
CST under the Strategic Leap planning process as mixed.  Former 
Colombian Vice Minister of Defense Juan Carlos Pinzon told us that 
many of Global CST's programs and recommendations -- which carried 
a heavy consulting fee -- were already being implemented by the 
USG. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶7. (S) Over a three year period, Ziv worked his way into the 
confidence of former Defense Minister Santos by promising a cheaper 
version of USG assistance without our strings attached.  We and the 
GOC learned that Global CST had no Latin American experience and 
that its proposals seem designed more to support Israeli equipment 
and services sales than to meet in-country needs.  Global CST was 
not transparent with us, and tried to insert itself into our 
classified discussions with the GOC.  Given the GOC's experience 
with Global CST, it is no surprise that the Defense Ministry is 
pulling back from them and warning neighbors that their deals are 
not as good as advertized.  End Comment. 
BROWNFIELD