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Viewing cable 09BOGOTA3536, DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION'S VISIT TO BARRANQUILLA AND

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09BOGOTA3536 2009-11-05 21:22 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Bogota
VZCZCXYZ0154
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBO #3536/01 3092124
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 052122Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0723
INFO RHMFIUU/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0154
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0508
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ NOV LIMA
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA
UNCLAS BOGOTA 003536 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON EAID MARR CO
SUBJECT: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION'S VISIT TO BARRANQUILLA AND 
CARTAGENA, OCTOBER 22 AND 23, 2009 
 
SUMMARY 
 
-------------- 
 
 
 
1. (U) The Deputy Chief of Mission, accompanied by USAID Mission 
Director and other embassy officers, travelled to Barranquilla and 
Cartagena on October 22-23, where he met with local political, 
business, and community leaders; visited commercial enterprises; 
and visited with beneficiaries of USAID-sponsored projects.   In 
Barranquilla, the DCM toured the Mars factory, the Port of 
Barranquilla and a corporate social responsibility project.  The 
DCM visited the Mayor of Barranquilla Alejandro Char.  The DCM also 
met with various business leaders and members of the American 
Chamber of Commerce.  In Cartagena, the DCM attended a discussion 
with Afro-Colombian academics, community leaders and students about 
the challenges faced by the Afro-Colombian community.  He also 
hosted a lunch reception for U.S. historian David Bushnell, who was 
attending a Colombian Bicentennial History Conference. End Summary. 
 
 
 
Free Trade Agreement Critical to Bilateral Trade Relations for U.S. 
Company 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
-------------------- 
 
 
 
2. (U) During an October 22 trip to Barranquilla, the DCM visited a 
Mars pet food factory to observe its operations and review the 
bilateral trade relationship from a U.S. company's perspective. 
Rodolfo Arbelaez, Mars' commercial and supply regional manager, 
noted that the majority of its capital and raw materials are 
imported from the United States.  Arbelaez highlighted plans to 
expand pet food production, but cautioned that Colombian tariffs on 
U.S. imports more than offset U.S. products cheaper costs.  The 
tariff driven differential may drive Mars to look for inputs from 
within South America, despite their higher raw material and 
shipping costs, unless a free trade agreement is signed between the 
U.S. and Colombia. 
 
 
 
USAID Assistance Promoting Income Generation Opportunities for 
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
-------------------- 
 
 
 
3. (U) The DCM and USAID Mission Director visited two beneficiaries 
of USAID's program to support IDPs.   Aminta Castro Antilla 
produces glass fibers and ceramic inputs for industrial purposes, 
and Carmen Rosa Arias produces sandals. They thanked the DCM for 
USAID assistance that has successfully transformed their lives 
since they arrived in Barranquilla fleeing violence.  USAID 
assistance was provided through Actuar Atl????ntico, a Colombian NGO 
dedicated to generating employment to combat poverty and violence 
in the Department of Atlantico.  Between 2007 and 2009, the USAID 
program provided 1,750 persons with access to health services, gave 
job training to 307 heads of households and 50 youth, and supported 
350 families with new or improved employment opportunities. 
 
 
 
Port of Barranquilla Poised for Growth 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
 
 
4. (U) The Commercial Director of the Port of Barranquilla, Enrique 
Carvajales, briefed the DCM, ECON officer, and Acting Commerical 
Attache on the recent growth of the Port of Barranquilla, the 
largest port facilities in Colombia.  Seventy percent of the goods 
that pass through the port are imports, the majority from the U.S. 
 
 
Carvajales laid out the competitive advantages of the port. 
Barranquilla is the most important industrial and commercial city 
on the north coast of Colombia with infrastructure and supporting 
services that promote trade.  Barranquilla is also the most 
important educational center in the North Coast with quality 
universities and an educated and skilled labor force.  Carvajales 
noted that the port has the distinction of being the least affected 
by the economic crisis with an insignificant decrease in the cargo 
moving through the port.  Carvajales noted that the port has an 
$178 million investment plan over the next 25 years, much of which 
will be in capital equipment including cranes and major upgrades to 
security and tracking systems software.  The Sociedad Portuaria 
Regional de Barranquilla, which manages the port, also spends eight 
percent of its total revenue on corporate social responsibility 
projects through its foundation, Fundaport.  The foundation assists 
small businesses, supports youth programs against drug abuse, and 
provides support to households with female heads. 
 
 
 
Mayor of Barranquilla Emphasizes Projects to Improve Human and 
Physical Capital 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
-------------------- 
 
 
 
5. (U) Mayor of Barranquilla Alejandro Char thanked the DCM for 
continuing U.S. support for projects including the bilingual 
education programs funded through the American Chamber of Commerce 
(AmCham) and USAID projects to support the IDPs.  The Mayor 
highlighted the progress that the city has made and the challenges 
ahead.  He claimed that Barranquilla had made great strides towards 
ensuring that no children were outside the school system and that 
every resident had a health insurance card.  Along with the 
emphasis on improving the human capital, the Mayor highlighted his 
public works projects, especially the transformation of the public 
transport system, which will replace older buses with low emission 
ones.  On the topic of security, he felt that violence related to 
the actions of guerrillas and drug traffickers continued to be an 
area of concern.  He said that the extradition of the heads of 
large drug outfits has resulted in small illegal armed groups 
fighting over territory.   He emphasized that his program of free 
education and free lunch was essential to keeping kids off the 
street and away from such groups. 
 
 
 
6. (SBU) The DCM asked the Mayor about his views on President 
Uribe's re-election prospects.  The Mayor responded that he was 
very grateful for the support that he has received from President 
Uribe and that Uribe may be the best President the country has ever 
had.  However, he expressed concern about the long-term 
institutional consequences of amending the constitution one more 
time.  The Mayor maintained that he strongly supports U.S. 
assistance and use of Colombian military bases, offering his 
support for any U.S. operations in Barranquilla. 
 
 
 
DCM Meets with Business Leaders and American Chamber of Commerce 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
-------------------- 
 
 
 
7. (U) Barranquilla AmCham Director Victoria Ibanez and the AmCham 
board hosted a reception for embassy officials.  AmCham members 
stressed the positive business climate in the city, underscoring 
strong prospects for growth.  The contrast between Colombia's 
economic policies and others in the region had led to strong 
investment by companies formerly based in Venezuela and Ecuador. 
Panama, however, was a major competitor for investment.  Several 
AmCham members expressed concern about Colombia's relations with 
Venezuela, which had already harmed exports from Colombia's north 
coast.  They also feared that bellicose rhetoric from Venezuela 
could lead to an actual armed conflict.  Ibanez reviewed 
Barranquilla AmCham's programs to train English teachers and 
 
 
promote corporate social responsibility.  The DCM thanked AmCham 
members for their leadership in improving ethical business 
practices and applauded the local business community for its 
commitment to these objectives. 
 
 
 
USG sponsored Good Governance Program Trains Private and Public 
Sector Employees 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
-------------------- 
 
 
 
8. (U) The DCM addressed a class of 55 people taking a course 
entitled "Mastering Good Governance, Ethics and Sustainability for 
your Business."  This was part of AmCham Barranquilla's Good 
(Corporate) Governance Program (GGP) sponsored by the U.S. 
Department of Commerce, through the International Trade 
Administration (ITA).  The students are mostly mid-level managers 
in private companies along with a few public sector employees.  The 
DCM discussed the U.S. financial crisis as an example of the large 
and long term consequences of many individuals in discrete parts of 
the economy choosing to avert their eyes from the ethical course of 
action when it conflicted with short term profit motives. 
 
 
 
Corporate Social Responsibility Project Improves Childhood 
Education 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
-------------------- 
 
 
 
9. (U) The DCM traveled to a small school in a poor neighborhood of 
Barranquilla to donate books and learn about the Promigas 
Foundation's successful corporate social responsibility project, 
which strives to improve the quality of elementary and pre-school 
education for community children.  The natural gas company Promigas 
(52% owned by Houston-based Ashmore Energy International) 
established the Foundation over ten years ago.  The Foundation has 
assisted 500 official educational institutions and trained 2,000 
teachers, benefiting over 200,000 students.  The DCM encouraged the 
Foundation's director to find ways to measure the benefits of the 
program to refine and replicate its techniques.  The DCM shared the 
Embassy book donation with a group of students and highlighted the 
importance of education. 
 
 
 
Afro-Colombian Academics, Civil Society Leaders in Cartagena 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
--------------- 
 
 
 
10. (U) The DCM met with Afro-Colombian academics, community 
leaders and students at the University of Cartagena.  The community 
presented challenges that they face in the economic, social and 
cultural spheres and discussed how many Afro-Colombians refuse to 
self-identify themselves because of the apparent stigma attached 
with this identity.  They emphasized the importance of educational 
and research initiatives that highlight the achievements of the 
Afro-Colombian community in Colombia's history.  The DCM commended 
the leaders on their work in their community's cause and reiterated 
USG commitment to helping them achieve their goals. 
 
 
 
US historian David Bushnell 
 
------------------------------------ 
 
 
 
11. (U) DCM hosted a lunch in honor of U.S. historian and former 
 
 
Fulbright scholar David Bushnell, who specializes in Colombian 
history and is one of the most prolific twentieth century writers 
on the subject.  A select group of participants attending the 
Bicentennial History Conference as well as members of the city 
government, private sector and University of Cartagena attended. 
David Bushnell was visiting Colombia to participate in an 
international seminar on Colombian history (Encuentro con Nuestra 
Historia) organized by the President's Office as one of many 
activities organized between July 2009 and 2010 to celebrate 
Colombia's Bicentennial in Cartagena.  During the conference, 
Professor Bushnell addressed audiences in Cartagena on the subject 
of elections and political representation in Colombia.  Bushnell 
also touched on these themes during the lunch and also spoke about 
his perceptions in the social and political changes in Colombia 
over the past 60 years. 
 
BROWNFIELD 
BROWNFIELD