COLOMBIAN-VENEZUELA BORDER DISPUTE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP08C01297R000700060011-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 10, 2012
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: February 22, 1971
• Content Type: CABLE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/21: CIA-RDP08C01297R000700060011-9
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R '.?21454Z FEB 71
FM AMEMBASSY CARACAS
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1460
INFO AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
USCINCSO
SECTION 1 OF 2 CARACAS 844
LI MD Is
017422
USCINCSO FOR POLAD
SUBJECT: COLOMBIAN-VENEZUELAN BORDER DISPUTE
REF: BOGOTA 984, 985
1. THIS EMBASSY SHRES CONCERN EXPRESSED REFTELS OVER APPARENT
DETERIORATION OF SITUATION ARISING OUT OF CURRENT BORDER DISPUTE
BETWEEN 'COLOMBIA AND VENEZUELA.
2. COLOMBIAN AMBASSADOR CH RRY SAMPER IS UNDOUBTEDLY AN ACTIVIST
AND REPORT OF HIS APPROACH TO EMBASSY BOGOTA (BOGOTA 985)
IS CONSISTENT WITH HIS PREVIOUS RECORD OF APPROCHES TO THIS
EMBASSY (CARACAS 500) AND HIS DISCUSSION WITH UK AMBASSADOR
(CARACAS 684). IT APPEARS QUITE CLEAR THAT HE SEES US
NVOLWEMENT AS PRIME TACTICAL OBJECTIVE IN PRESENT SITUATION.
3. REFERENCES BY COLOMBIANS IN BOGOTA,984..TO WEAKNESS OF CALDERA
GOVERNMENT AND ITS SUSCEPTIBILITY TO MILITARY COUP SEEM TO
US OVERDRAWN.
4. AMBASSADOR JOVA'LUNCHED ON FEBRUARY 19 WITH FONMIN CALVANI
AND INTERNATIONAL POLICY DIRECTOR PEREZ CHIRIBOGA. CONVERSATION
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INEVITABLY TURNED TO COLOMBIAN-VENEZUELAN RELATIONS, WITH CALVANI
STRESSING THAT VENEZUELA H D ONLY PEACEFUL INTENTIONS. HE
'EMPHASIZED THAT VENEZUELAN ARMY MOVEMENTS REPORTED FROM THE
FRONTIER AREA WERE PURELY DEFENSIVE AND PRECAUTIONARY AND IN
NO WAY AIMED AGGRESSIVELY AT COLOMBIA. MOREOVER, HE WENT ON,
'REPORTS OF VENEZUELAN ARMY MOVEMENTS COULD EASILY BE BALANCED BY
-SIMILAR REPORTS FROM COLOMBIAN SIDE OF FRONTIER. CALVANI THEN
PRODUCED REPORT FROM VENEZUELAN AMBASSADOR IN BOGOTA DESCRIBING
.CONDITIONS IN RICHACH AREA AND PURPORTING TO GIVE EYEWITNESS
ACCOUNTS OF TRUCK CONVOYS, CONCENTRATIONS OF SEVERAL THOUSAND
'UNIFORMED MEN IN VARIOUS LOCALITIES, CONSTRUCTION OF SMALL
AIRFIELDS, SIGHTING OF ARMY VEHICLES PARKED BEHIND REMOTE FARM
HOUSE, ALLEGATIONS OF SEEING DISMANTLED
TANKS AND CANNON OF TWO-INCH BORE BEING TRANSPORTED, AND
FACT THAT SUPPOSEDZYJJDIAN TRIBES IN BORDER AREAS ARE ARMED
WITH RIFLES AND, YHILE IOT UNDER ARMY DISCIPLINE, ARE
TRAINED JUNGLE FIGHTERS. SAME REPORT ALSO DEALT WITH
ACTIVITIES OF ONE JACQUES NOEL, PURPORTEDZY A FRENCH DEFENSE
ATTACHE, PROMOTING SALE OF ARMS TO COLOMBIAN FORCES.
5. CALVANI POINTED UP ROLE OF PRESS IN ADDING UNNECESSARILY
TO PRESENT TENSION. CAPRILES NEWSPAPER CHAIN HAD DRUMMED UP
JINGOISTIC FEELINGS IN VENEZUELA, BUT THIS CERTAINLY WAS NO
REFLECTION OF GOV POSITION. MANY ARTICLES IN ALL SECTORS
OF COLOMBIAN PRESS, INCLUDING THOSE CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH
PERSONALITIES HIGH IN GOC, WERE OF SIMILAR VEIN. CALVANI SAID
If COULD ALSO POINT TO VARIOUS PRESS CONFERENCES AND OTHER ?
.'STATEMENTS MADE BY COLOMBIAN FOREIGN MINISTER AND OTHER HIGH
? OFFICIALS TH T CONTRIBUTED LITTLE TO CALMING OF SPIRITS ON
9TKER SIDE OF BORDER.
6. WITH REGARD TO ARMS ACQUISITION, CALVANI ARGUED THAT PRESENT
EQUIPMENT OF VENEZUELAN ARMED FORCES TENDED TO BE A MIS1-
ASHPOF UNSYNCHRONIZED ITEMS. WHEN PRESIDENT CALVANI HAD
ASKED PRESIDENT NIXON FOR ASSISTANCE IN MODERNIZATION OF
MILITARY EQUIPMENT, IT WAS NOT WITH ANY ANTI-COLOMBIAN DESIGN
IN MIND, BUT ONLY REFLECTED NATURAL DESIRE OF ANY SOVEREIGN
STATE TO KEEP UP TO DATE ITS DEFENSE SYSTEM. TO DO OTHERWISE
WOULD OPEN ANY GOVERNMENT TO CH RGES OF IRRESPONSIBILITY.V
-SINCE THEN, HOWEVER, ARMS PICTURE HAD CHANGED COMPLETELY WITH
COLOMBIAN MOVE TO ACQUIRE FRENCH-MADE MIRAGE AIRCRAFT. THr$
HAD ALARMED VENEZUELAN MILITARY AND CORRESPONDINGLY INCREASO
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PRESSURES ON GOV.
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7. WITH REGARD TO BASIS FOR PRESENT DISPUTE, CALVANI APPEARED
TO AGREE WITH POSITION TAKEN BY COLOMBIANS PREVIOUS DAY WITH
JOVA IN BOGOTA. HE ADMITTED THAT, WHILE COLOMBIANS
INDOCUMENTADOS AND OTHER ELEMENTS MIGHT BE AGGRAVATING
CIRCUMSTANCES, HARD CORE OF PROBLEM LAY IN DEFINITION OF RESPECTIVE
BOUNDARIES IN GULF OF VENEZUELA.
$. DRAWING A MAP TO ILLUSTRATE POINTS AT ISSUE, CALVANI
EMPHASIZED THAT VENEZUELAN POSITION HAD IN NO WAY CHANGED
FROM THAT EXPOUNDED BY PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT OF PRESIDENT LEONI.
GOV HAD ALWAYS MAINTAINED THAT LINE DRAWN ON PARALLEL FROM
CASTILLETAS POINT MARKED LIMIT BELOW WHICH GOV WOULD NOT EVEN
DISCUSS MATTERS, CONSIDERING THIS TO INCLUDE PURELY VENEZUELAN
WATER. IN CONTRAST, LINE EXTENDING LAND BOUNDARY OUT INTO DEA,
WHILE CONSIDERED "NORMAL AND CORRECT", WAS SUBJECT TO NEGOT-
IATION. CALVANI SAID HE WAS ENCOURAGED BY FACT COLOMBIANS
HAD SHOWN SOME FLEXIBILITY IN ACKNOWLEDGING RIGHT TO TERRITORIAL
WATERS FOR ISLAS LOS MONJES AND THAT THIS WAS FAVORABLE
DEVELOPMENT. GOV SIMILARLY WOULD BE PREPARED IN NEGOTIATION TO
HAV AN OPEN MIND AND TO DISCUSS SOME ALTERATIONS IN AREA
SURROUNDING WHAT IT CONSIDERED TO BE LOGICAL EXTENSION OF
COMMON FRONTIER INTO SEA. RETURNING TO CASTILLETAS PARALLEL,
HOWEVER, CALVANI SAID AGAIN THAT AREA SOUTH OF THAT COULD
NOT EVEN BE DISCUSSED AS IT WAS NOT ONLY VENEZUELAN TERRITORY
BUT WAS OF CRITICAL STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE TO VENEZUELA,
COVERING AS IT DOES THE ENTRANCE TO LAKE MARACAIBO.
SECRET
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FM AMEMBASSY CARACAS
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1461
INFO AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
USCINCSO
SEC R ET SECTION 2 OF 2 CARACAS 844
LI MDI S
USCINCSO FOR POLAD
SUBJECT: COLOMBIAN-VENEZUELAN BORDER DISPUTE
EF: BOGOTA 984, 985
017444
9. IN REPLY TO QUESTION BY AMBASSADOR JOVA, CALVANI AFFIRMED
THAT VENEZUELAN PUBLIC OPINION WOULD RESIST TALKING MATTER
TO ARBITRATION OR TO AN INTERNATIONAL BODY IN VIEW OF
VENEZUELA'S UNFORTUNATE PAST EXPERIENCES. IN ANY CASE,
RE SAID, DIRECT BILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS WERE IN PROCESS AND
SHOULD BE CONTINUED IN EFFORT WORK OUT MUTUALLY AGREEABLE
SOLUTION. GOOD OFFICES, MEDIATION, AND ARBITRATION SHOULD BE
KEPT AS LAST RESORTS IF AND WHEN BILATERAL DISCUSSIONS MIGHT
FAIL. MEANWHILE, HE THOUGHT IT WISE TO INVOLVE NEITHER
FOREIGN MINISTERS NOR PRESIDENTS DIRECTLY IN THIS MATTER
LEST THIS SERVE ONLY TO UNDERCUT ROLE OF NEGOTIATORS. CALVANI
SAID THAT HE HOPED TO HAVE A FURTHER CONVERSATION ON THE SUBJECT
WITH AMBASSADOR MCCLINTOCK AT THE FOREIGN MINISTRY UPON
AMBASSADOR'S RETURN AND, IN MEANTIME, HOPED JOVA WOULD CONVEY
TO HIM GENERAL OUTLINE OF CONVERSATION.
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10. JOVA ASSURED FONMIN OF AMBASSADOR MCCLINTOCK'S DEEP INTEREST
IN MATTER, BUT POINTED OUT DELICATE POSITION OF USG AND OWN
BELIEF THIS WAS BILATERAL MATTER AFFECTING TWO CLOSE FRIENDS
AND BEST SETTLED DIRECTLY BETWEEN THEM. JOVA SAID THAT
SHOULD IT AT ANY TIME APPEAR TO GOV THAT THERE MIGHT BE A
USEFUL AND NON-INTERFERING ROLE TO BE PLAYED BY ITS FRIENDS --
WHETHER USG, OAS, OR SOME OTHER ENTITY -- HE KNEW AMBASSADOR
MCCLINTOCK WOULD BE GLAD TO RECEIVE ANY SUCH SUGGESTION AND
SUBMIT IT FOR CONSIDERATION. FONMIN EXPRESSED APPRECIATION
AND HOPE THAT BILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS WOULD LEAD TO POINT WHERE
THIRD-PARTY ROLE MIGHT BE USEFUL. JOVA SAID THIS SEEMED TO
BE POSITION SHARED BY HIS OPPOSITE NUMBERS IN BOGOTA, AND CALVANI
APPEARED INTENSELY INTERESTED IN THIS AND TO INTERPRET IT AS
PROMISING INDICATION OF COLOMBIAN GOOD INTENTIONS.
1. FONMIN CLOSED THIS PART OF CONVERSATION BY REPEATING WITH
CONSIDERABLE FERVOR THAT VENEZUELA HAD NO INTENTION OF SEEKING
OTHER THAN PEACEFUL SOLUTION. HE STRESSED THAT THROUGHOUT
THEIR YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE VENEZUELA AND COLOMBIA HAD HAD MANY
DISPUTES BUT HAD ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO RESOLVE THEM THROUGH
NEGOTIATIONS OR OTHER PEACEFUL MEANS. GP-3.
MCCLINTOCK
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