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(Note:  the unique message record number (MRN) has been modified.  The original MRN was 08 PARTO 000005, which duplicates a previous PARTO telegram number.) 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
DEPT. PLEASE PASS TO USTR, AARON ROSENBERG, AND BENNETT 
HARMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS:              
PGOV, PHUM, PREL, PTER, SMIG, VE, CO 
SUBJECT: Secretary Rice's Meeting with Colombian 
President Alvaro Uribe 
 
 1. (U) January 25, 2008; 3:30 p.m.; Medellin, Colombia. 
 
 2. (U) Participants: 
 
United States 
The Secretary 
Ambassador William Brownfield 
Representative Melissa Bean 
Representative Eliot Engel 
Representative Jane Harman 
Representative Alcee Hastings 
Representative Ron Klein 
Representative Rick Larsen 
Representative Solomon Ortiz 
Representative Ed Perlmutter 
Representative David Scott 
A/S Jeffrey Bergner, H 
A/S Sean McCormack, PA 
A/S Tom Shannon, WHA 
A/S Daniel Sullivan, EEB 
S Chief of Staff Brian Gunderson 
Director of House Affairs Scott Kamins 
Deputy Executive Secretary Kevin Whitaker 
Carolyn Cooley, Embassy Notetaker 
 
COLOMBIA 
President Alvaro Uribe 
Ambassador Carolina Barco 
Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos 
Minister of Interior and Justice Carlos Holguin Sardi 
Minister of Culture Paula Moreno Zapata 
Social Protection Minister Diego Palacio 
Acting Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism Eduardo 
Munoz 
National Planning Director Carolina Renteria 
Director of Social Action Diego Molano Aponte 
Director of Presidential Program for Human Rights Carlos 
Franco 
High Commissioner for Reintegration Frank Pearl 
Vice Minister of Labor Relations Andres Palacio Chaverra 
Governor of Antioquia Luis Alfredo Ramos 
Medellin Mayor Alonso Salazar Jaramillo 
MFA U.S. and Canada Coordinator Patricia Cortes 
Presidential Press Secretary Cesar Velasquez Ossa 
Presidential Advisor Jose Obdulio Gaviria Velez 
Presidential Advisor Jorge Mario Eastman Robleado 
Presidential Advisor Carlina Restrepo Ruiz 
Presidential Private Secretary Alicia Arango 
 
 3. (SBU) SUMMARY. President Uribe outlined his 
administration's progress on security and social issues. 
 
 
He noted that Colombian government support for labor 
rights began prior to ratification efforts, and he 
reviewed recent government actions to address U.S. 
concerns, including the addition of new prosecutors and 
investigators, increased funding for protection programs 
and the judicial system, and labor reform legislation. 
Uribe underscored Colombian government efforts to 
prosecute human rights violators and promote respect for 
human rights in the military. He said the Trade Promotion 
Agreement (TPA) remains key to attracting foreign 
investment and reducing poverty, and encouraged a 
Congressional vote prior to the presidential elections. 
The Secretary emphasized the importance of recognizing 
Colombia's progress. END SUMMARY. 
 
 
------------------------------------------- 
COLOMBIA: ADVANCING SECURITY AND DEMOCRACY 
------------------------------------------- 
 
 4. (SBU) In a January 25 meeting with the Secretary and 
nine Members of Congress, President Uribe thanked the 
delegation for its interest in Colombia and stressed the 
importance of the bipartisan support under Presidents 
Clinton and Bush. He reviewed Colombia's progress during 
his administration, including regaining territory 
controlled by illegal groups, reducing unemployment by 
two-thirds, increasing the real minimum wage by 10 
percent, providing an additional 13 million Colombians 
with health coverage, strengthening democratic 
institutions, combating impunity, and recovering public 
optimism. Despite these improvements, Uribe acknowledged 
more needs to be done and emphasized the TPA's role in 
accomplishing the Colombian government's long-term 
security, economic, and social goals. 
 
---------------------- 
TPA: THE TIME IS NOW 
---------------------- 
 
 5. (SBU) Uribe said the TPA will encourage foreign 
investment, create jobs, and strengthen his "democratic 
security" policy. He said that to create better paying 
jobs, Colombia needs the high level of investment the TPA 
would bring. Contrasting Colombia to Chavez's 
authoritarian government and state-run economy, Uribe 
pointed out that TPA approval would signal support for 
shared democratic and economic values in the region. He 
urged the Congressional delegation to vote quickly on the 
TPA before the distraction of the U.S. presidential race 
made Congressional debate impossible. 
 
 
 
 6. (SBU) Acknowledging that some of the delegation might 
not agree on the urgency of the TPA, the Secretary said no 
problem in Colombia will get better if the USG does not 
ratify the TPA. It would be a mistake not to recognize 
Colombia's progress. She observed that Colombia provides 
an inspiration throughout the world for those attempting 
to overcome civil conflict. 
 
----------------------------------- 
LABOR RIGHTS: ONGOING IMPROVEMENTS 
----------------------------------- 
 
 7. (SBU) Uribe said his administration's determination to 
protect trade unionists began his first day in office and 
plays an integral role in his "democratic security" 
policy. He underscored the link between a strong and 
independent judiciary and combating impunity, noting he 
had doubled the justice administration budget. Uribe 
added that he had recently approved a 12 percent staffing 
increase in the Prosecutor General's office for new 
investigators and prosecutors. Since 2001, the Prosecutor 
General has convicted 134 individuals guilty of violence 
against unionists. The Colombian government recently 
increased Ministry of Labor staffing to monitor employer 
compliance with labor laws. 
 
 8. (SBU) Uribe noted that 1, 959 of the 9,444 Colombians 
receiving protection under the Colombian government's USD 
40 million protection program are trade union leaders, and 
128 are journalists He reported the murder rate for 
trade unionists is now lower than that of the general 
population. Before he entered office, there were over 250 
trade union murders annually. In 2007, this dropped to 26 
cases. 
 
 9. (SBU) Uribe summarized the three labor reform bills 
submitted to Congress to bring Colombian laws in line with 
International Labor Organization (ILO) standards. The 
first would ensure benefits (e.g., minimum wage and social 
security) to cooperative workers. The second would shift 
the power to determine the legality of public sector 
strikes from the executive branch to independent labor 
judges. The third bill would mandate an increased period 
of employer-union negotiation prior to requiring 
arbitration. Representative Klein said approval of the 
ILO-compliance bills would be essential to demonstrating 
GOC commitment to labor rights. 
 
 10. (SBU) Uribe attributed much of Colombian trade unions' 
 
 
opposition to the TPA to ideology rather than policy 
concerns or labor violence. He said many public sector 
unions oppose the TPA because of disagreements with the 
Colombian government over its recent restructuring of the 
state-owned oil company Ecopetrol. Still, he said the 
majority of private sector unions believe the TPA would 
prove beneficial to labor. 
 
--------------------------- 
SECURITY: JOINT OPERATIONS 
--------------------------- 
 
 11. (SBU) Uribe said that when he took office, 30 percent 
of the country was under Revolutionary Armed Forces of 
Colombia control and 40 percent under paramilitary 
control. The Colombian government now has a security 
presence in every municipality. Minister of Defense 
Santos outlined the military's measure of success { the 
amount of territory reclaimed from illegal organizations. 
Asked by Representative Larsen about inter-service 
cooperation, Uribe described joint operations across 
military branches and across government ministries. He 
said the military works with other government agencies to 
bring social assistance, including doctors, teachers, and 
judicial administrators, to rural areas. He likened the 
Colombian government's efforts to defeat terrorist and 
narco-groups to a diet where the first pounds are easy to 
shed but the last prove more difficult. Uribe stressed 
the importance of ongoing USG support until the task 
reaches completion. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS: RARE AND PROSECUTED 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
 12. (SBU) Uribe said his administration did not tolerate 
human rights violations when Representative Harman asked 
about extrajudicial killings. He said the government 
supports judicial investigation and sentencing in the 
isolated instances where the military did commit a crime. 
Defense Minister Santos added that earlier in the week, 
the military had introduced a comprehensive policy for 
human rights in armed forces operations, noting that 
almost every military operation would require the consent 
of a human rights legal advisor. Citing a recent poll, 
Santos said the armed forces had an 80 percent approval 
rating { higher than either the church or media { and that 
such high approval ratings could not exist if the military 
regularly violated human rights. 
RICE