Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 5914 / 251,287

### Articles

Brazil Sri Lanka United Kingdom Sweden Editorial United States Latin America Egypt Yemen Jordan

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
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

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 86 88 89 90 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1986/05
1988/01
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08 1990/10
2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/07 2001/10
2002/02 2002/03 2002/11
2003/02 2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Amsterdam 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 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
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Hermosillo Consulate Hamburg
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kathmandu Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Ljubljana Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy La Paz Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Mbabane Embassy Maputo Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey Consulate Milan
Embassy New Delhi Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Naples
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State 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 Shenyang Consulate Shanghai 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 Tijuana
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Consulate Vladivostok
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AF AE ASEC AORC AJ AM AR AEMR AMGT APER AG AS AU AGMT AFIN ABUD ATRN AL APECO ACOA AO AX AMED ADCO AODE AFFAIRS AC ASIG ABLD AA AFU ASUP AROC ATFN AVERY APCS AER ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG AEC ASEAN AID
BR BIDEN BO BA BU BM BEXP BRUSSELS BL BK BILAT BTIO BH BE BX BY BG BF BB BC BBSR BMGT BTIU
CH CO CI COUNTERTERRORISM CA CY CVIS CMGT CASC CS CU CJAN CE COUNTER CBW CG CLINTON CDG CIA CACM CDB CD CV CF CN CAN CIS CM CONDOLEEZZA COE CR CTM COUNTRY CLEARANCE CPAS CWC CT CKGR CB CACS COM CJUS CARSON CL CODEL
DOD DJ DA DEAX DR DHS DOE DEA DK DISENGAGEMENT DS DTRA
EINVEFIN ES ELAB EU ECON ETTC EFIN EAID ENRG EWWT ETRD EUN EC EG EINV EXTERNAL ER ECIN EPET EMIN EAGR EIND ECPS ECIP EINDETRD EN EAIR EZ ET EUC EI ELTN EREL EFIS EINT ETC ECONEFIN ENVR ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS ECA ELN EFTA ENIV EINVETC EINN ENGR EUR ESA ENERG EK ENGY ETRO ETRDEINVTINTCS ESENV ENVI ETRDECONWTOCS ECONCS ENNP ELECTIONS ECUN
FR FARC FJ FINR FAO FTAA FREEDOM FI FBI FMLN
GG GM GOI GT GZ GTMO GV GH GA GE GR GTIP GCC GAZA GANGS GY
HO HURI HILLARY HA HU HR HUMAN HYMPSK HK HSTC
IR IS IMO IZ IN INTERPOL IT INRB IAEA ID IO IV ICTY IQ ICAO IPR IRAJ INRA INRO IC IIP ILC ITPHUM IWC ISRAELI IRAQI ICRC IF IEFIN INTELSAT IL IA IBRD IMF INR IRC ITRA IACI ICJ ITALY ITALIAN
JO JA JOSEPH JAMES JP JOHNNIE JM JUS
KTFN KNNP KWBG KPAL KDEM KPKO KSCA KCRM KR KWMN KN KU KV KJUS KE KISL KCOR KPAO KG KTIP KICC KBCT KSPR KHLS KTIA KMDR KGHG KUNR KS KIRF KFRD KIPR KAWC KPWR KCIP KSUM KWAC KMIG KOLY KZ KAWK KSEC KIFR KDRG KDEMAF KFIN KGIC KOMC KGCC KPIN KBIO KHIV KNUC KPLS KIRC KACT KRAD KCOM KMCA KHDP KVPR KDEV KMPI KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KTLA KCFC KPRP KCFE KOCI KTDB KMRS KLIG KGIT KSTC KPAK KNEI KSEP KPOA KFLU KNUP KNNPMNUC KO KTER KHUM KRFD KBTR KDDG KWWMN KFLO KSAF KBTS KPRV KNPP KNAR KWMM KERG KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KTBT KCRS KRVC KSTH KREL KNSD KTEX KPAI KHSA KOMS KVIR
LY LG LE LH LU LI LO LOG LT LAB
MARR MOPS MTCRE MNUC MY MX MASS MCAP MO MPOS MAR MD MZ MEPP MA MR ML MIL MOPPS MTCR MAPP MU MG MASC MCC MK MTRE MP MDC MEPI MRCRE MI MT MQADHAFI MAPS MUCN MASSMNUC MERCOSUR MC MV
NATO NL NI NZ NG NU NO NIPP NPT NRR NE NS NAR NPG NK NSG NA NT NASA NGO NP NSF NATIONAL
OVIP OTRA OPRC OSCI OTR OVP OREP ODIP OPDC OIIP OFFICIALS OSAC OAS OEXC OFDP OECD OSCE OPIC OPCW OIE OIC
PGOV PREL PHUM PTER PK PARM PINR PINS PSI PA PE PO PINT PL PBTS PHSA PSOE PU POL POLITICAL PARTIES PROP PBIO PECON PM PREF PAK POGOV PINL PKFK PGOF PUNE PARMS PORG PMIL PTERE PF PALESTINIAN PY PGGV PNR POV PAO PFOR PHALANAGE PARTY PRGOV PNAT PROV PEL PINF PGOVE POLINT PRL PRAM PMAR PGOVLO PHUMBA PHUS PHUMPREL PG PLN PGOC POLITICS PEPR
QA
RS RU RW RO REGION RP RIGHTS RICE ROBERT RF RFE
SNAR SP SOCI SA SMIG SY SU SCUL SR SENV STEINBERG SN SO SF SG SW SL SZ SHUM SYR ST SANC SC SAN SIPRS SK SH SI SNARCS
TU TSPA TRGY TI TX TS TW TC TERRORISM TPHY TIP TBIO TH TR TT TO TFIN TD TSPL TZ TK TNGD TINT TRSY TP
UK UNGA UN UP UY UNESCO UNO UZ UNMIK US UG UNSC USEU UV USUN UNHRC UE UAE UNEP USTR UNHCR UNDP USAID UNCHS UNAUS UNCHC UNDC UNDESCO
VT VE VZ VTPREL VN VM
WI WTRO WTO WA WZ WMO WTRQ WHO WWARD WB WBG WEU WHA
XY XW XF XA XG XT XM XR XS XL XK XH XC XZ XD XE
YI YM YE YMCS
ZP ZR ZI ZU ZB ZF ZK ZANU ZOELLICK ZA ZO ZJ

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 06BRASILIA1910, BRAZIL: GOB OFFICIALS COMMENT ON REFUGEE CASE OF SUSPECTED FARC TERRORIST

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.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
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. #06BRASILIA1910.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
06BRASILIA1910 | 2006-09-12 13:01 | 2011-01-04 00:12 | SECRET | Embassy Brasilia

`

    VZCZCXRO3666
    OO RUEHRG
    DE RUEHBR #1910/01 2551320
    ZNY SSSSS ZZH
    O 121320Z SEP 06
    FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6608
    INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION PRIORITY 5652
    RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY 3918
    RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES PRIORITY 4256
    RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 3427
    RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE PRIORITY 5410
    RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO PRIORITY 2830
    RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO PRIORITY 7982
    RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
    RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
    RUMIAAA/USCINCSO MIAMI FL PRIORITY
    RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
    USMISSION USUN PRIORITY
    USMISSION GENEVA PRIORTY

` `

    S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 BRASILIA 001910

    SIPDIS

    SIPDIS

    C O R R E C T E D COPY - INFO ADDRESSEES ADDED

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2016
    TAGS: PREL PTER SNAR BR
    SUBJECT: BRAZIL: GOB OFFICIALS COMMENT ON REFUGEE CASE OF SUSPECTED FARC TERRORIST
    REF: A. STATE 139878 B. BRASILIA 1511 C. BRASILIA 1613

    BRASILIA 00001910 001.2 OF 003

    Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR DENNIS HEARNE. REASONS: 1.4 (B)(D).

    ¶1. (S/NF) Summary. Charge and PolCouns delivered ref A demarche to senior GOB officials, stressing USG concerns about the 14 July 2006 decision by Brazil's national refugee commission (CONARE) to grant refugee status to suspected FARC terrorist Francisco Antonio Cadena Collazos (refs B and D), despite an outstanding extradition request for Cadena from Colombia's government (GOC) and Brazil's obligation to deny safe haven to terrorist under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Antonio de Aguiar Patriota and other senior Ministry of External Relations (MRE) officials said the decision by CONARE had been complex and laborious, with "humanitarian" factors weighing heavily. They indicated CONARE, with strong encouragement from the UNHCR representative, had not regarded Cadena as a "terrorist" but as a refugee from an "internal armed conflict," which they claim is the approach that consistently has been taken by CONARE to more than 300 other Colombians settled in Brazil as refugees. Luiz Paulo Barreto, CONARE's president and the second-ranking official in Brazil's Justice Ministry, told PolCouns that the committee had deliberated for nearly a year (vice the 30 days typical in other refugee cases), had considered the GOC legal case against Cadena as weak, saw the timing of the 2005 extradition request for Cadena (who has lived in Brazil since 1992) as driven by election politics in Colombia, and had researched Cadena's history in vain for any indication that he was a FARC military commander instead of the ideological commissar, priest and political representative he claims to be. Despite credible reporting to the contrary, Barreto denied there had been political pressure on CONARE to grant refugee protection to Cadena, and said he would be prepared to revoke Cadena's refugee status "in a minute" if (1) Cadena is caught in a lie in his petition, (2) does not fulfill the conditions of his status, (3) the GOC appeals to CONARE with compelling additional information. Barreto also said he would be willing to personally receive and assume responsibility for protecting any USG intelligence information regarding Cadena that has a bearing on his refugee claim and his history with the FARC in Colombia. End summary.

    Foreign Ministry Demarches ----------------------------------

    ¶2. (SBU) DCM (serving as Charge at the time) made ref A demarche to Ambassador Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, MRE Under Secretary for Political Affairs, on 4 September. DCM SIPDIS stressed that the CONARE decision appeared at odds with Brazilian commitments under UNSCR 1371. Patriota did not appear to be very familiar with the details of the Cadena decision, but indicated he had discussed it with Foreign Minister Amorim and others. He said that, according to the MRE representative in CONARE, the UNHCR representative in CONARE had pressed hard to grant refugee status, in what had been an extensive and "impassioned" process in the commission. He noted that some of the key considerations were "humanitarian" -- i.e., that Cadena has lived in Brazil peacefully for over 15 years and has a Brazilian wife and child.

    ¶3. (SBU) PolCouns followed up with a second demarche on 5 September to the MRE's Assistant Secretary for International Organizations, Ambassador Maria Luiza Veotti. Veotti was joined by Marcus Fagundes, Chief of the OAS Division and an alternate representative for the ministry on the CONARE board. PolCouns emphasized that the USG had no intent to interfere in Brazilian legal processes, but noted USG dismay with the Cadena decision and questioned how the GOB could square this decision in view of its obligations under UNSCR 1371.

    ¶4. (SBU) Veotti emphasized that CONARE classified Cadena as a refugee, and is not a beneficiary of political asylum. Refugee status is granted solely and independently by CONARE,

    BRASILIA 00001910 002.2 OF 003

    which includes GOB representatives from the justice and foreign ministries, as well as UNHCR and civil society and faith-based NGOs. Political asylum is a national process, in which the GOB would be directly involved, but Cadena's request was for refugee status, and was sent to CONARE. As a refugee in Brazil, Veotti affirmed that Cadena cannot be extradited, and the judiciary's role at this stage is essentially passive, she said. If refugee status is revoked for any reason by CONARE, extradition can again be contemplated by the courts. Veotti reiterated Patriota's description of the CONARE deliberation as a laborious one in which humanitarian issues emerged as paramount. She said it was important to note that CONARE "never defined or characterized Cadena as a terrorist," but rather as a Colombian "involved or affected by the internal armed conflict in his country, and who feared death, harm or persecution, in accordance with the 1951 UN definition on which CONARE bases its proceedings. " This is the same context in which CONARE has approached other Colombian refugee seekers in Brazil, she added. PolCouns noted that he would be seeing the president of the CONARE board that adjudicated Cadena's appeal, and Veotti urged poloff to seek more detailed clarifications in that meeting.

    CONARE President ----------------

    ¶5. (C) Justice Ministry Executive Secretary (Deputy Minister-equivalent) Luiz Paulo Barreto met with PolCouns on 6 September to receive ref a demarche and discuss the Cadena issue. Barreto, in addition to being the senior career legal officer at the ministry, is the President of CONARE and chairs its deliberations. Barreto is a long-time and cooperative contact of the Embassy on a range of law enforcement and counter-terrorism issues. Requesting confidentiality on our part, and breaking the official SIPDIS silence that normally surrounds CONARE decisions on refugees, he outlined the factors weighing in CONARE's handling of Cadena's refugee appeal: -- Barreto said the committee regarded the GOC allegation and extradition request against Cadena as legally specious. Noting that the crime alleged had been committed in 1991, and that the extradition request to Brazil had been lodged only in 2005, Barreto claimed the case appeared to hinge entirely on the testimony of one recently-revealed witness, who Brazilian sources indicate has had his sentence reduced in Colombia and received financial compensation in exchange for accusing Cadena. CONARE interviewed Cadena extensively, and he denied the murder allegations and claimed that he was in Venezuela on the date of the 1991 attack on the Colombian National Police base in which the murders occurred. Barreto acknowledged that Cadena had no one to corroborate his denials. -- Barreto said CONARE viewed the GOC's interest and timing in pursuing Cadena's extradition as being driven by domestic political factors in Colombia. Barreto said that Cadena had resided in Brazil since 1992, but that during that time he had returned on occasion to Colombia, in some cases with the consent of the GOC. Barreto said the GOB had official information, supported by Cadena's own testimony, that Cadena has occasionally served in a negotiator role between the GOC and FARC, most recently in 2000. CONARE questioned why previous GOC administrations had seemed to regard Cadena as innocuous or even tacitly supported his role as a dialogue facilitator, allowing him to enter and leave Colombian territory, but the Uribe government -- in an election year -- had suddenly sought extradition. Barreto claimed that the GOC and Colombian Embassy's interventions with CONARE regarding the case had virtually ceased when Uribe was re-elected. (Comment: That is a specious argument given the fact that refugee status was granted to Cadena less than 2 months after Uribe's re-election. End comment.) -- Barreto said the GOB, including its intelligence service and military, had assisted CONARE over several months in "exhaustively researching" Cadena's history in Colombia with the FARC, and had found no information that supported GOC allegations that Cadena was a FARC field commander capable of

    BRASILIA 00001910 003.2 OF 003

    leading an attack on a military base. Cadena claims to have been a political commissar, teacher, and priest for FARC in Colombia, and later an informal representative for the group in Brazil, but not a combatant, much less a commander. Barreto claimed the information developed by CONARE and the GOB could not disprove that position (he noted the only picture the GOB had obtained of Cadena in FARC uniform is 30 years old and shows him holding a bible in one hand and a gun in the other). -- Barreto noted that there are 350 Colombians living in refugee status in Brazil, re-settled after successfully convincing CONARE that they faced threats related to the country's internal conflict if they returned. Some have been resettled at GOC requests, others have applied for refugee status on their own, and they come from the ranks of the Colombian security forces, paramilitaries and guerrillas, as well as ordinary citizens. These include, Barreto said by way of a contrasting example to Cadena, two former Colombian army soldiers who killed FARC commanders during a fire fight, but who could not be guaranteed safety from reprisals by the GOC once they demobilized. Noting that CONARE took nine months to consider the Cadena case - versus the one month timeframe for most refugee decisions - Barreto said the committee had painstakingly weighed all the information. But in the end, he claimed Cadena had made a convincing case to CONARE that he faced a well-founded fear of death at the hands of paramilitary elements should he return to Colombia, which overshadowed the GOC allegation and extradition request, which appeared questionable on several points to CONARE, as noted above.

    ¶6. (C) In response to a direct question from PolCouns, Barreto indicated that CONARE had not suffered political pressure from any source in evaluating the case. He added that Cadena's status in Brazil is contingent on his fulfilling his obligations as a refugee (i.e., no further political activism on Brazilian soil, rupture of his ties to FARC), and that if CONARE were to be presented with compelling evidence that Cadena had lied in any aspect of his petition, Barreto would recommend to the committee "in a minute" that his status be revoked and the legal path opened for extradition. Barreto indicated CONARE is open to further appeals and new information from the GOC about the case. He also invited the USG to provide any relevant information it might have regarding Cadena directly to Barreto, undertaking to personally assume responsibility for appropriate security and handling of the information should it involve intelligence sources and methods.

    ¶7. (S/NF) Comment. The GOB officials demarched, especially Barreto, provided a cogent explanation for the Cadena decision, although from our perspective not a particularly credible one. They evidenced understanding for the points in our demarche, were frank and not defensive in their reactions, and had ready answers that seemed to reflect an exhaustive deliberative process conducted within the expected UNHCR parameters. None of that changes our view, per previous sensitive reporting, that the CONARE decision was driven largely by heavy pressure from the very top of the Brazilian government, and that the GOB members of CONARE ultimately yielded to that pressure (we think the UN and NGO members were likely disposed in that direction in any event). That said, if the GOC is prepared to fight this, it needs to develop the strongest, most detailed possible legal case against Cadena on the specific charges relating to his alleged command of the attack on the CNP base in 1991 and the two deaths that resulted. Coupling that with any further information or intelligence that the GOC or USG assets can develop on Cadena's history in FARC military actions would also be useful.

    Sobel

`