| ID: | 156626 |
| Date: | 2008-06-03 19:21:00 |
| Origin: | 08BOGOTA2024 |
| Source: | Embassy Bogota |
| Classification: | CONFIDENTIAL |
| Dunno: | |
| Destination: | VZCZCXYZ0003 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHBO #2024/01 1551921 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 031921Z JUN 08 ZDK FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3044 INFO RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0498 RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JUN 9467 RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 6233 RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA PRIORITY 1810 RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO PRIORITY 6903 RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL PRIORITY 4446 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY |
C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 002024 SIPDIS FOR WHA/AND E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/03/2018 TAGS: CO, PTER, PGOV, PREL, SNAR SUBJECT: MARULANDA'S DEATH SPARKS SPECULATION ON FARC'S FUTURE Classified By: Political Counselor John S. Creamer Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d) ------- Summary ------- 1. (C) Most GOC officials and outside analysts believe the death of FARC founder Pedro Marin (Manuel Marulanda) will have little impact on the FARC's approach to a humanitarian hostage exchange or broader peace talks with the GOC. Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo called new FARC leader Guillermo Saenz (Alfonso Cano) a "Leninist ideologue" who will need to consolidate his leadership position. Polo Democratico official Daniel Garcia Pena agreed Cano is committed to "all forms of struggle," and predicted he will try to strengthen ties with Venezuela. Restrepo and other observers speculated that Marulanda's death will accelerate desertions and fragmentation within the FARC, creating opportunities for the GOC to pursue deals with individual commanders. End Summary --------------------------------------------- --- Marulanda's Death: Improved Prospects for Peace? --------------------------------------------- --- 2. (U) The death of FARC founder and long-time leader Pedro Marin (Manuel Marulanda) has triggered speculation about what this means for the FARC's approach to a humanitarian hostage exchange, prospects for broader GOC-FARC peace talks, and the FARC's military strategy. In the immediate aftermath of Marulanda's death, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Marulanda's death "raises great hope" and urged new FARC leader Alfonso Cano to release the FARC's civilian hostages. Similarly, Yolanda Pulecio, mother of FARC hostage and former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, called Cano a "cultured and progressive man" and said any FARC move to release the hostages would be well-received by the international community. -------------------- Or More of the Same? -------------------- 3. (C) Still, in its May 27 communique acknowledging Marulanda's death--and the appointment of Guillero Saenz (Alfonso Cano) as his successor--the FARC ratified its proposal conditioning humanitarian exchange talks on the GOC's demilitarization of Florida and Pradera municipalities. GOC Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo told us May 30 that Marulanda's death will not lead to any progress on a humanitarian accord or peace process in the near future. Cano is a "Leninist ideologue" who founded the Colombian Clandestine Communist Party and the Bolivarian Movement. In the short-term, he will need to consolidate his position and will not be able to show any sign of weakness. In fact, Restrepo said Cano may push for heightened military action to show he is in charge. 4. (C) Restrepo downplayed the notion of a rivalry between Cano and FARC military leader Jorge Briceno (Mono Jojoy), noting that Cano's political hard-line complements Jojoy's military toughness. It would have been more difficult for Cano to assert control if Raul Reyes, who saw himself as the FARC's political leader, were still alive. Restrepo dismissed the other Secretariat members as lacking stature, saying the Secretariat is effectively a Cano-Jojoy organization. New Secretariat member Jorge Torres (Pablo Catatumbo) functions as Cano's secretary; Milton Toncel (Joaquin Gomez) will follow Jojoy's line; Rodrigo Londono (Timochenko) is an "errand boy" who does not command any troops and lives in Venezuela; and Luciano Marin (Ivan Marquez) also spends most of his time in Venezuela. 5. (C) Former Peace Commissioner for Presidents Barco and Gaviria Carlos Eduardo Jaramillo told us the FARC identified Cano as Marulanda's eventual successor near the end of the Caguan process. He agreed with Restrepo's assessment that the FARC would not change its strategy in the short-term, noting that "the Secretariat functions as a collegial decision-making body." Marulanda's death signals a generational shift in the FARC leadership, with power passing from the peasant founders to more urban, Communist Party educated leaders who were active in protest movements in the 1970s, but the group's commitment to armed confrontation is unlikely to change. 6. (C) Polo Secretary General and former President Samper peace advisor Daniel Garcia Pena also predicted Marulanda's death will mean little to the FARC's day-to-day management of the war. Marulanda was a FARC icon and unifying figure, but the transition to Cano--who was Marulanda's choice--was relatively smooth. The murder of Secretariat member Manuel Munoz (Ivan Rios) by his own men and the desertion of Nelly Avila (Karina) were bigger blows to the group because of what they say about FARC morale. Garcia Pena views Cano as an intransigent ideologue who is less pragmatic than Jojoy and is committed to "all forms of struggle." He added that the FARC has yet to name a replacement for Raul Reyes as head of the FARC's International Relations Department, making any change in position on a humanitarian accord more difficult. Restrepo noted that the disruption of the FARC's international network after Reyes' death will also complicate any FARC shifts on an exchange. ---------------- FARC-Chavez Ties ---------------- 7. (C) Garcia Pena expects Cano to try to strengthen the FARC's political ties with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, since Chavez provided the group important "political oxygen" before the Colombian military attack on the Reyes camp in Ecuador. Chavez will need to be careful about supporting the FARC given the Reyes computer files, but Chavez and important sectors of his movement continue to see the FARC as a potential military ally in the event of a U.S. invasion. Hence, Chavez will continue to look for ways to help the FARC and, to a lesser extent, the ELN. Restrepo also believes Chavez will continue to help the group, but said Marulanda's historical role held a special attraction for Chavez. With his passing, Chavez would no longer have an interlocutor of equal stature within the FARC. --------------------------------------------- --------- Prospects for Increased FARC Desertions, Fragmentation --------------------------------------------- --------- 8. (C) Prior to Marulanda's death, local ICRC delegate Barbara Hintermann said the increasing Colombian military pressure on the FARC was disrupting Secretariat command-and-control over FARC fronts, giving greater autonomy to individual FARC commanders and leading to more desertions. She speculated that the death of FARC Secretariat members Raul Reyes and Ivan Rios would accelerate FARC desertions, including some senior FARC officials. Presidential advisor Jose Obdulio Gaviria told us Marulanda's demise completes the Secretariat's disintegration. The Secretariat's members cannot communicate or take decisions. Only Cano and Jojoy give it a sense of national structure and international projection. He said the GOC needs to try to negotiate a partial peace deal with Jojoy--who he considers more reasonable than Cano--or to seek deals with individual front commanders. 9. (C) Restrepo told us that on May 22, he spoke with FARC commander Jose Cabrera (Fabian Ramirez) who questioned Restrepo about the legal benefits he might receive if he were to turn himself in with Ingrid Betancourt. Ramirez said he did not have physical control of Ingrid, but implied he might be able to negotiate her release as well. Restrepo noted that Ramirez' profile--substantial narcotics wealth managed by his family, unhappiness with his superiors, and concern about the FARC's future--applies to other FARC commanders such as 1st Front commander Gerardo Aguilar (Cesar). He promised to keep us posted as the Ramirez situation evolves. --------------------------------------------- ------- The ELN Path: Internal Division and Military Decline --------------------------------------------- ------- 10. Former Foreign Minister and current Cambio editor Rodrigo Pardo speculated that Marulanda's passing opens the prospect that the FARC will end up like the ELN after the death of "Father Manuel Perez" in 1998. Without its long-time leader, the ELN has entered a steady process of decline, characterized by internal divisions, diminishing military capacity, and erratic participation in peace processes with the GOC. BROWNFIELD |
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