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### Viewing cable 04BOGOTA144, CODEL FRIST'S MEETINGS IN BOGOTA

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
04BOGOTA144 | 2004-01-07 23:32 | 2011-04-16 00:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Bogota

`

    This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

` `

    id: 13093
    date: 1/7/2004 23:32
    refid: 04BOGOTA144
    origin: Embassy Bogota
    classification: CONFIDENTIAL
    destination: 04BOGOTA92
    header:
    This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

    ----------------- header ends ----------------

    C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BOGOTA 000144

    SIPDIS

    STATE PLEASE PASS TO USTR/BHARMAN

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/06/2014
    TAGS: ECON EINV ETRD KSUM PHUM PINR PREL PTER CO CODEL
    SUBJECT: CODEL FRIST'S MEETINGS IN BOGOTA

    REF: BOGOTA 92

    Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood Reasons 1.5 (b&d)

    ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On January 5, Senate Majority Leader Bill
    Frist met separately with Minister of Defense Jorge Alberto
    Uribe Echavarria, Minister of Foreign Relations Carolina
    Barco, and Vice Minister of Trade Claudia Maria Uribe.
    Senator Frist also had the opportunity to discuss the
    upcoming free trade agreement (FTA) with local business
    leaders.  A readout of the Senator's January 4 meetings in
    Cartagena will follow septel.  End Summary.

    ------------------------------------
    Meeting with Defense Minister Uribe
    ------------------------------------

    ¶2. (C) In their meeting with Senator Frist, Minister of
    Defense Uribe and his colleagues reviewed the year-end
    results of the internal conflict, highlighting the reductions
    in violence and kidnapping and the increases in combatants
    captured and illicit crops eradicated.  For example, during
    the first 17 months of the Uribe administration, compared to
    the last 17 months of the administration of President Andres
    Pastrana, coca eradication has increased 60 percent,
    terrorist acts have decreased 28 percent, captures of both
    guerrillas and paramilitaries have increased well over 100
    percent, and kidnappings have decreased 26 percent.  Murders
    and massacres (four or more civilians killed at one time)
    have decreased 20 and 39 percent, respectively.  This is the
    first time the murder rate has decreased since 1983 with the
    exception of a negligible decrease between 1994 and 1996.
    MOD Uribe noted that public confidence in the security forces
    has grown dramatically, citing a recent poll that indicates
    that both the military and police have approval ratings of
    over 70 percent.  Finally, MOD Uribe emphasized that respect
    for human rights is a constant priority for the security
    forces.

    ¶3. (C) MOD Uribe credited U.S. assistance ) in the form of
    training, operational guidance, and material support ) as a
    key factor in the recent security successes.  He noted that
    drug trafficking has been the main cause of Colombia,s
    continued internal conflict and said that the GOC is
    committed to eliminating drugs in Colombia.  MOD Uribe
    cautioned that, despite many reasons for optimism, the GOC
    still faces an uphill battle in establishing a state presence
    throughout the national territory.  He said that the security
    forces would focus on increasing their capacity to conduct
    joint operations in small, commando-style units and that U.S.
    training has been, and will continue to be, crucial to the
    military,s ability to carry out this type of operation.

    ¶4. (C) In 2004, the GOC will target the FARC in their
    stronghold in heavily forested southeastern Colombia, which
    will require both large-scale counterguerrilla operations and
    smaller, targeted special operations.  Armed Forces Commander
    General Carlos Ospina echoed MOD Uribe,s sentiments about
    the importance of joint operations and U.S. assistance,
    especially as the security forces attempt to confront the
    FARC in one of their strongholds.  Both Senator Frist and MOD
    Uribe agreed that they look forward to continued close
    cooperation between the Colombian security forces and the
    U.S.

    ------------------------------------
    Meeting with Foreign Minister Barco
    ------------------------------------

    ¶5. (C) Senator Frist met with Minister of Foreign Relations
    Carolina Barco, who was accompanied by Vice-Minister Camilo
    Reyes.  Barco noted the GOC supports the USG's goals for the
    upcoming Summit of the Americas meeting in Mexico.
    Vice-Minister Reyes said that he has been working closely
    with the USG delegation on the text of the final declaration,
    approximately half of which remains to be negotiated.  He
    said the GOC, like the USG, is working to make the
    declaration's language precise and include specific deadlines
    for reaching designated benchmarks.

    ¶6. (C) Senator Frist praised the USG-GOC Article 98
    agreement, which Barco characterized as the fruit of a
    constructive and respectful bilateral relationship.  Barco
    described the agreement as resting on three premises: (1)
    that although Colombia is a party to the ICC, the United
    States is not; (2) that the operation of the Colombian and
    U.S. judicial systems should be respected; and (3) that
    crimes against humanity should be punished.  Barco said the
    final agreement successfully satisfied the principles on
    which all three premises are based.  The Ambassador noted
    that the USG is using its Article 98 agreement with Colombia
    as a model for negotiations with other nations.
    ¶7. (C) In response to an inquiry from the Senator, Barco said
    she believes Venezuela's short-term stability depends on
    President Chavez's response to the referendum on his
    presidency.  She said that oversight of the referendum
    process provided by representatives of the OAS and the Carter
    Center is key to assuring that the GOV adheres to democratic
    principles.  Barco was frank in characterizing bilateral
    relations with Venezuela as "difficult" and emphasized the
    problems caused by the unstable security situation along the
    Venezuelan border.  She also acknowledged recent incidents in
    which Venezuelan troops have crossed into Colombian territory
    and noted that drugs and members of illegal armed groups
    cross the thinly populated border with ease.  Barco said that
    President Uribe has asked President Chavez for increased
    information-sharing along the border and has consistently
    told him Colombia's security problems could quickly reproduce
    themselves in Venezuela if the GOV does not expeditiously
    address the issue.  Barco opined that bilateral relations are
    not a political priority for Chavez, and said her goals are
    to increase working level cooperation on border issues and to
    prevent bilateral relations from becoming a political issue
    in Venezuela.  Barco added that GOC border cooperation with
    the governments of Peru, Ecuador, and, more recently, Panama
    is excellent, and that cooperation with Brazil is improving.
    Barco added that the GOC's strongest allies in Europe are the
    United Kingdom and Spain.

    ¶8. (C) As noted in reftel, Senator Frist and Ambassador Wood
    emphasized the high importance of Summit of the Americas
    issues to the USG and outlined them for the FM.  Senator
    Frist very effectively explained why these issues were
    important.

    ---------------------------------------
    Meeting with Vice Trade Minister Uribe
    ---------------------------------------

    ¶9. (SBU)  In his meeting with Vice Trade Minister Claudia
    Maria Uribe and Vice Minister of Finance Ricardo Ortega, the
    Senator was assured that the GOC will be prepared to begin
    negotiations of a FTA in April.  They have assembled a
    government-wide committee at the vice ministerial level to
    study the issues and to coordinate with the negotiating team,
    which will be led by Hernando Jose Gomez, a former ambassador
    to the WTO.  The GOC has also established a secure website to
    facilitate coordination and communication among ministries,
    while an active program of outreach to the private sector
    seeks to educate and include all economic actors.  Ortega
    stressed that Colombia had made a strategic decision to move
    away from the model of a closed regional economy with
    Ecuador, Peru and Brazil, toward a free-market model based on
    an open relationship with the U.S.  The Senator requested,
    and the Ambassador seconded, reconsideration of Colombia's
    restrictions on the import of refurbished industrial engines
    (Cummins engines), an issue VM Uribe said they take
    seriously, but for which she made no commitment.

    ------------------------
    Colombians Discuss Trade
    ------------------------

    10.(SBU)  In his meeting with business leaders, the Senator
    heard primarily positive reactions to the planned FTA.
    Energy sector executives expressed confidence in Colombia's
    long-term potential, particularly in natural gas and coal,
    although they related a need for more transparency and legal
    protections for foreign investors.  Similarly, the head of
    the flower exporters association outlined their market
    successes.  He emphasized the importance of trade
    preferences, stability in the exchange rate, and improvements
    in air transportation rates to his industry.  He caught
    Senator Frist's attention by noting that flower growers
    employ 15 people per hectare vice two or three per hectare in
    other agricultural commodities.  The banking association
    representative explained how GOC reforms have saved the
    financial sector from crisis, and expressed interest in a FTA
    that would permit branches of Colombian banks to be located
    in U.S. communities with large Colombian populations.
    However, he also explained that requirements sought by U.S.
    banks to use the global capital of a bank in calculating
    lending limits in Colombia would be extremely onerous.  A
    representative of the rice growers association sounded a note
    of caution and placed trade negotiations in the context of
    Colombia's rural poverty.  He said that opening up the market
    in the early 1990's led to a 30 percent drop in agricultural
    output and an equal increase in food imports, which triggered
    unemployment and illegal activity in rural areas.  In
    response, the Senator and several participants agreed that
    FTA would create "some winners and some losers," but that
    discouraging illegal activities should be a goal of the
    agreement.  The Senator pointed out that Tennessee textile
    producers had suffered a similar transition, so he understood
    the problem, but that change was necessary.

    ¶11. (U) Senator Frist did not have an opportunity to clear
    this message.
    WOOD

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

`