

Currently released so far... 12553 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
2011/05/01
2011/05/02
2011/05/03
2011/05/04
2011/05/05
2011/05/06
2011/05/07
2011/05/08
2011/05/09
2011/05/10
2011/05/11
2011/05/12
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
APECO
ASEC
AMGT
AFIN
APER
ACABQ
AORC
AEMR
AF
AE
AR
AGMT
AU
AY
ABLD
AS
AG
AJ
APCS
AX
AM
AMEX
ATRN
ADM
AMED
AFGHANISTAN
AZ
AL
ASUP
AND
ARM
ASEAN
AFFAIRS
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
AODE
APEC
ACBAQ
AFSI
AFSN
AO
ABUD
AC
ADPM
ADCO
ASIG
ARF
AUC
ASEX
AGAO
AA
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
AIT
AADP
ASCH
AORL
AROC
ACOA
ANET
AID
AMCHAMS
AINF
AMG
AFU
AN
ALOW
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
ACS
ADANA
AECL
ACAO
AORG
AGR
BEXP
BR
BM
BG
BL
BA
BTIO
BO
BP
BC
BILAT
BK
BU
BD
BRUSSELS
BB
BF
BBSR
BIDEN
BX
BE
BH
BT
BY
BMGT
BWC
BTIU
BN
CA
CASC
CFED
CO
CH
CS
CU
CE
CI
CM
CMGT
CJAN
COM
CG
CIS
CVIS
CR
CKGR
CHR
CVR
COUNTER
CIA
CLINTON
CY
CPAS
CD
CBW
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITEL
CDG
CW
CODEL
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
COE
CN
CARICOM
CB
CONDOLEEZZA
CWC
CACS
CSW
CIDA
CIC
CITT
CONS
CL
CACM
CDB
CDC
CAN
CF
CJUS
CTM
CBSA
CARSON
CT
CLMT
CBC
CEUDA
CV
COPUOS
CTR
CROS
CAPC
CAC
CNARC
CICTE
CBE
ECON
ETRD
EIND
ENRG
EC
ELAB
EAGR
EAID
EFIS
EFIN
EINV
EUN
EG
EPET
EAIR
EU
ELTN
EWWT
ECIN
ERD
EI
ETTC
EUR
EN
EZ
ETC
ENVI
EMIN
ET
ENVR
ER
ECPS
EINT
EAP
ES
ENIV
ECONOMY
EXTERNAL
EINN
EFTA
ECONOMIC
EPA
EXBS
ECA
ELN
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ENGR
ECUN
ENGY
ECONOMICS
ELECTIONS
EIAR
EINDETRD
EREL
EUC
ECONEFIN
EURN
EDU
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ECIP
ENERG
EFIM
EAIDS
EK
ETRDECONWTOCS
EINVETC
ECONCS
EUNCH
ESA
ECINECONCS
EUREM
ESENV
EFINECONCS
ETRC
ENNP
EAIG
EXIM
EEPET
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EUMEM
ETRA
ERNG
ETRO
ETRN
EINVEFIN
ICTY
IN
IS
IR
IC
IZ
IA
INTERPOL
IAEA
IT
IMO
IO
IV
ID
IRAQI
IEA
INRB
IL
IWC
ITU
ICAO
ISRAELI
ICRC
IIP
IMF
IBRD
ISLAMISTS
ITALY
ITALIAN
ILO
IPR
IQ
IRS
IAHRC
IZPREL
IRAJ
IDP
ILC
ITF
ICJ
IF
ITPHUM
INMARSAT
ISRAEL
IACI
IBET
ITRA
INR
IRC
IDA
ICTR
IGAD
INRA
INRO
IEFIN
INTELSAT
INTERNAL
INDO
ITPGOV
KWMN
KSCA
KDEM
KTFN
KIPR
KCRM
KPAL
KE
KPAO
KPKO
KS
KN
KISL
KFRD
KJUS
KIRF
KFLO
KG
KTIP
KTER
KRCM
KTIA
KGHG
KIRC
KU
KPRP
KMCA
KMPI
KSEO
KNNP
KZ
KNEI
KCOR
KOMC
KCFC
KSTC
KMDR
KFLU
KSAF
KSEP
KSAC
KR
KGIC
KSUM
KWBG
KCIP
KDRG
KOLY
KAWC
KCHG
KHDP
KRVC
KBIO
KAWK
KGCC
KHLS
KBCT
KPLS
KREL
KCFE
KMFO
KV
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFTFN
KVPR
KTDB
KSPR
KIDE
KVRP
KTEX
KBTR
KTRD
KICC
KCOM
KO
KLIG
KDEMAF
KMRS
KRAD
KOCI
KSTH
KUNR
KNSD
KGIT
KFSC
KHIV
KPAI
KICA
KACT
KHUM
KREC
KSEC
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KCMR
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KNAR
KNUC
KPWR
KENV
KWWMN
KWMNCS
KPRV
KOM
KBTS
KCRS
KNPP
KWNM
KRFD
KVIR
KTBT
KAID
KRIM
KDDG
KRGY
KHSA
KWMM
KMOC
KSCI
KPAK
KX
KPAONZ
KCGC
KID
KPOA
KIFR
KFIN
KWAC
KOMS
KCRCM
KNUP
KMIG
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KTLA
KCSY
KJUST
MOPS
MARR
MASS
MNUC
MX
MCAP
MO
MR
MI
MD
MK
MA
MP
MY
MTCRE
MOPPS
MASC
MIL
MTS
MLS
MILI
MAR
MU
MEPN
MAPP
MTCR
MEPI
MZ
MEETINGS
MG
MW
MAS
MT
MCC
MIK
ML
MARAD
MV
MERCOSUR
MTRE
MPOS
MEPP
MILITARY
MDC
MQADHAFI
MUCN
MRCRE
MAPS
MEDIA
MASSMNUC
MC
NZ
NZUS
NL
NU
NATO
NP
NO
NIPP
NE
NH
NR
NA
NPT
NI
NSF
NG
NSG
NAFTA
NC
NDP
NEW
NRR
NATIONAL
NT
NS
NASA
NAR
NV
NORAD
NSSP
NK
NPA
NGO
NSC
NATOPREL
NW
NPG
NSFO
OPDC
OTRA
OIIP
OREP
OVIP
OSCE
OEXC
OIE
OPRC
OAS
OPIC
OTR
OMIG
OSAC
OFFICIALS
OECD
OSCI
OBSP
OFDA
OPCW
ODIP
OFDP
OES
OPAD
OCII
OHUM
OVP
ON
OIC
OCS
PHUM
PREL
PGOV
PINR
PTER
PARM
PREF
PM
PE
PINS
PK
PHSA
PBTS
PRGOV
PA
PORG
PP
PS
PGOF
PL
PO
PARMS
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PAK
POL
PPA
PINT
PMAR
PRELP
PREFA
PALESTINIAN
PBIO
PINF
PNG
PMIL
PFOR
PUNE
PGOVLO
PAO
POLITICS
PHUMBA
PSEPC
PTBS
PCUL
PROP
PNAT
PNR
POLINT
PGOVE
PROG
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PDEM
PECON
PROV
PHUMPREL
PGOC
PY
PCI
PLN
PDOV
PREO
PGIV
PHUH
PAS
PU
POGOV
PF
PINL
POV
PAHO
PRL
PG
PRAM
POLITICAL
PARTIES
POLICY
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PGGV
PHUS
PSA
PHUMPGOV
PEL
PSI
PAIGH
POSTS
PBT
PTERE
RS
RU
RW
RM
RO
RP
REGION
RSP
RF
RICE
RCMP
RFE
RIGHTS
RIGHTSPOLMIL
ROBERT
RUPREL
RELATIONS
ROOD
REACTION
RSO
REPORT
SENV
SNAR
SCUL
SR
SC
SOCI
SMIG
SI
SP
SU
SO
SW
SY
SA
SZ
SAN
SF
SN
STEINBERG
SG
ST
SIPDIS
SNARIZ
SNARN
SSA
SK
SPCVIS
SOFA
SAARC
SL
SEVN
SARS
SIPRS
SHUM
SANC
SWE
SHI
SYR
SNARCS
SPCE
SYRIA
SEN
SH
SCRS
SENVKGHG
TRGY
TSPL
TPHY
TSPA
TBIO
TI
TW
THPY
TX
TU
TS
TZ
TC
TH
TT
TIP
TO
TERRORISM
TRSY
TINT
TN
TURKEY
TBID
TL
TV
TNGD
TD
TF
TP
TFIN
TAGS
TK
TR
UNSC
UK
UNGA
UN
US
UNHRC
UG
UP
UNMIK
UNHCR
UE
USTR
UNVIE
UAE
UZ
UY
UNO
UNESCO
USEU
USOAS
UV
UNODC
UNCHS
UNFICYP
UNEP
UNIDROIT
UNDESCO
UNDP
UNPUOS
UNC
UNAUS
USUN
UNCHC
UNCHR
UNCND
UNICEF
UNCSD
UNDC
USNC
USPS
USAID
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 06BOGOTA555, HARDBALL POLITICS BEGIN IN COLOMBIA'S ELECTION
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #06BOGOTA555.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
06BOGOTA555 | 2006-01-23 14:32 | 2011-03-02 12:30 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Bogota |
Appears in these articles: http://www.elespectador.com/wikileaks |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
231432Z Jan 06
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BOGOTA 000555
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2016
TAGS: PGOV PTER CO
SUBJECT: HARDBALL POLITICS BEGIN IN COLOMBIA'S ELECTION
SEASON
Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood
Reason: 1.4 (b,d)
-------
Summary
-------
¶1. (C) Colombia's election season is in full swing, with all
sides playing political hardball and displaying no sign of
letting up. Pro-Uribe parties expelled 5 candidates from
party lists recently, apparently because of their
paramilitary links, and additional expulsions from all
parties (including the Liberals, who expelled one of their
own) would not be surprising. Pro-Uribe "Partido de la U"
leader Juan Manuel Santos launched a serious attack on
Liberal Senator Rafael Pardo, accusing him of illegitimate
and possibly illegal FARC contacts aimed at defeating Uribe;
the President's spokesperson later confirmed the allegations
and said they had forwarded them to the Prosecutor General
for further investigation. Peace Commissioner Restrepo
summarized the evidence the Uribe Administration claimed to
have against Pardo, and it does not amount to much (hearsay
and a mysterious CD that no one appears to have seen), but
Uribe's Communications Director Jaime Bermudez insisted the
information warranted the prosecutor's attention. Pardo
consistently and categorically denied the allegations and
accused Uribe of playing dirty. (On January 22 Uribe
apologized to Pardo and said he was withdrawing the
allegations against him.) Curiously, the dispute has not
resulted in a closing of the pro- and anti-Uribe ranks, as
leading Liberal Party presidential candidate HoracioSerpa
has been silent (and is apparently annoyed at Liberal leader
Gaviria's vocal support for Pardo in the dispute) and
pro-Uribe leader of the "Cambio Radical" party, German Vargas
Lleras, distanced himself from the initial Santos attack.
End summary.
--------------------------------------------- --------------
Uribista Parties Announce Expulsions for Paramilitary Links
--------------------------------------------- --------------
¶2. (C) In an unusual joint press conference January 17, Juan
Manuel Santos and German Vargas Lleras, leaders respectively
of the pro-Uribe "Partido de la U" (the U Party) and of
"Cambio Radical" (Radical Change), announced they had removed
from their legislative lists five candidates running for
election in the March Congressional poll: three candidates
from the U Party (DiebMaloof - Magdelana; HabibMerheg -
Risaralda; and Luis Eduardo Vives - Magdalena) and two from
Cambio Radical (Jorge Castro - Magdalena; and Jorge Caballero
- Magdalena). Santos told polcouns that he had previously
removed two unnamed candidates from the U Party list.
Neither Santos nor Vargas Lleras announced the reasons for
the removal, but all five candidates dismissed on January 17
are widely regarded as having paramilitary links. The
expulsions came shortly before a new Electoral Tribunal
created by the Electoral Guarantees Law was to begin its work
in scrutinizing the conduct of campaigns and candidates.
¶3. (C) Immediately following the joint press conference,
pro-Uribe Senator Mario Uribe (the president's cousin) said
his "Colombia Democratica" (Democratic Colombia) party had
already accepted Merheg into its ranks and had not yet heard
of requests from the other dismissed candidates but would
consider them if received. He was forced to back down within
hours after the president's spokesperson announced that any
party accepting the expelled candidates would automatically
disqualify themselves from being considered part of the
president's team.
--------------------------------------------- ------
Gaviria Says Expulsions Limited, Throws Out Liberal
--------------------------------------------- ------
¶4. (C) Liberal party leader and former president Cesar
Gaviria told D/polcouns January 19 the expulsions were
welcome but limited to candidates from the Magdalena region
and its environs, which he said was "territory of
narcotrafficker Jorge 40." In Gaviria's view, Santos and
Vargas Lleras made a hasty announcement because they feared
that the Liberals were about to denounce the Magdalena
paramilitary links of the candidates concerned (Gaviria said
he was in fact about to make the announcement). Gaviria said
there are much worse situations involving uribista candidates
with paramilitary links in Cordoba, for example, and he
expected further expulsions from pro-Uribe ranks. Gaviria
praised the statement from the president's campaign that
Uribe would not permit his allies to accept expelled
candidates, but argued that Uribe would have had much more
impact if he had made the statement personally rather than
have it delivered through a spokesperson. According to
Gaviria, Mario Uribe's CambioDemocratico party list for
Congress "is full of narcos and paras, it's a mafia list."
Gaviria asked rhetorically how the president could permit
support of this nature and said the Liberals would make more
of the issue in the coming weeks.
¶5. (C) Gaviria had party problems of his own to deal with as
he announced on January 18 that he had removed sitting
Liberal Senator Vicente BlelSaad from the Liberal Party
Senate list, following press allegations linking Blel to
narcotics trafficking charges facing others in the U.S.
Gaviria told D/polcouns that Blel met with him January 19 to
protest his removal but was not overly forceful in doing so.
(Gaviria also said he had received no calls from Liberals
protesting the decision to remove Blel.) Gaviria said he was
unaware of Liberals with paramilitary links on party lists,
but insisted they would be removed immediately if such people
existed. Gaviria admitted that there were "probably" Liberal
candidates with links to different kinds of criminality, and
said he would get rid of them as soon as any information came
to light.
-----------------------
The Rafael Pardo Affair
-----------------------
¶6. (C) In a somewhat bizarre twist, U Party leader Santos
responded to a media question at the January 17 press
conference by saying he was aware of information linking
Liberal Party presidential candidate (and former Defense
Minister under Gaviria) Rafael Pardo to an attempt to forge
an unspecified electoral alliance with the FARC to ensure
Uribe's reelection defeat. Santos said the information would
be forwarded to the prosecutor general for further
investigation. (Cambio Radical leader Vargas Lleras declined
to associate himself with the Santos statement at the press
conference; Gaviria told D/polcouns January 19 the media
question was planted.) Later that evening, a presidency
spokesperson released a statement confirming Santos's
information. On January 19, Uribe's Communications Director
Jaime Bermudez told polcouns Uribe was fed up with Gaviria's
andPardo's attacks on the peace process with the AUC and on
the Justice and Peace law in Europe and the U.S. Now that
they had come into possession of "serious information"
regardingPardo, Bermudez said, it was time for the public to
hear "both sides." (Gaviria told D/polcouns the Uribe
campaign's attack on Pardo was motivated by anger at Pardo's
campaign against the Justice and Peace process.) Peace
Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo said the GOC's proof of the
Pardo allegations amounted to two statements to Restrepo
personally, one by an unidentified person whose family member
is held by the FARC, and one by an unidentified GOC
interlocutor with the FARC. According to Restrepo, the sum
of the statements is that Pardo sent a CD to the FARC
requesting a meeting with them and outlining the importance
of defeating Uribe. Restrepo said he knew the identities of
the informants but would not release them publicly for
security reasons. Restrepo did not say he had seen or
listened to the CD.
¶7. (C) Pardo has consistently and categorically denied the
allegations of FARC contact, including minutes after
Restrepo's statement. He said there is no such proposal for
a meeting or electoral arrangement with the FARC, either on
CD, DVD, video, or in writing.Gaviria said Pardo assured
him there was no truth to the allegations. Gaviria accused
Uribe January 18 of threatening democracy by authorizing the
attacks on Pardo.
¶8. (C) On January 22 Uribe apologized to Pardo, withdrew the
allegations against him, and asked for a private meeting with
the Senator. Pardo accepted the apology but declined the
meeting, saying a cloud remained over his name because Uribe
said he would withdraw the allegations only because he could
not ensure the alleged witnesses came forward, not because
the allegations were false. Press commentaries January 23
said Peace Commissioner Restrepo declined to supply Uribe
with the names of the witnesses and instead offered his
resignation, which Uribe declined to accept.
-------
Comment
-------
¶9. (C) The political spats of the last few days mark the
real start of Colombia's hardball election season.
Presidential advisor Fabio Echeverri told the Ambassador
January 19 that the campaigns will be tough and negative. We
would not be surprised to see additional expulsions, from all
parties, since a number of professional politicians or
would-be politicians are tainted with illegal or questionable
activities of some sort. With regard to the allegations
against Rafael Pardo, Uribe had to apologize and withdraw
them, apparently because he could not persuade Restrepo to
supply the names of the witnesses. Uribe was faced with
crafting an apology that saved face and kept his Peace
Commissioner in place. Most commentators, including Pardo's
opponents, have regarded the allegations as unlikely.
Curiously, the Pardo affair has not resulted in a closing of
the pro- and anti-Uribe ranks. Leading Liberal presidential
candidateHoracioSerpa has been silent, and is apparently
annoyed that Gaviria has rushed so eagerly to Pardo's
defense. For his part, prominent pro-Uribe leader of Cambio
Radical, German Vargas Lleras (and Juan Manuel Santos's
principal rival), has kept his distance from the attacks on
Pardo.
WOOD