Contacts formed during the period of working for Mannesmann were put to use when Mauss and his wife became part of a special mission under the direction of German Chancellery Minister Bernd Schmidbauer, MdB (http://www.bernd-schmidbauer.de) to take up negotiations with the leader of the ELN central command (COCE).

THE AIM OF THESE NEGOTIATIONS WAS TO BRING THE ELN TO THE PEACE TABLE. At the same time, the Chancellor’s Office demanded the unconditional release of a European hostage who had been kidnapped by the ELN while working for a German company in Colombia.

Because of the interest shown by Germany in the peace process in Colombia the guerrillas immediately agreed to the release of the hostage.

After some preliminary talks, mediated by Herr and Frau Mauss, an ELN delegation travelled to Germany for personal talks with chancellery minister Schmidbauer.

The ELN delegates issued an invitation to Herr Schmidbauer, to attend a meeting to sound out the possibilities of the peace process and accepted Herr and Frau Mauss as negotiation partners. The guerrillas proposed that the first talks should take place at their central camp in the Colombian mountains. The meeting was to be attended by their number 1 commander Nicolás Rodríguez Bautista and the number 2 Antonio García. The Chancellor’s Office gave its agreement in principle, but wanted to wait for the European’s release.

At the beginning of October 1995 the couple travelled to Colombia to bring back the hostage. Colombian security forces were informed about what was to happen so as try to avoid any unnecessary danger from that quarter.

For humanitarian reasons and as a means of building some initial trust between themselves and the ELN, the couple arranged to have a field hospital provided for the treatment of sick and injured and for coping with pregnancies. This was carried out in accordance with arrangements agreed upon by the guerrillas and the Chancellor’s Office during the Bonn meeting and was done in collaboration with the Catholic Church of Colombia.

The place chosen for the handing over of the hostages was a few hours drive from the Colombian city of Valledupar. It was a hilly jungle area, which, at that time, was being fought over by military, paramilitary and guerrillas. All routes into the area had been sealed off by the military. So Mauss and his wife flew into the area in a chartered single-engine aircraft, landing at a small airstrip where they were met by the secretary of the Bishop of Valledupar. In the church jeep and accompanied by the priest, it was after midnight when the couple finally arrived at the coordinates agreed for the meeting with the guerrillas. The reception committee was one-hundred-strong force of heavily armed guerrilleros who handed over their heavily alcoholised hostage.

Torrential rain and a consequent landslide buried the jungle track in mud. On the return journey the church jeep skidded into a deep hollow in the road. It was badly damaged. With the greatest of difficulty the occupants succeeded in getting the vehicle back on its way.

It was only later discovered that a heavily armed paramilitary patrol, dressed in army uniforms had set up an ambush at one of the jungle crossings at the very same time as the jeep was making its return journey. The commanders had probably noted significant movements of their enemy on the edge of guerrilla-controlled area.

A light-coloured jeep, very similar to the church vehicle, in which some campesinos (farmers) were travelling along at that moment and blundered into the sudden glare of headlights that signalled the paramilitaries trap. Possibly they had thought to ambush the church jeep as it was coming from the direction of the guerrilla-controlled area. The ambushers immediately opened fire on the unarmed campesinos, who were badly injured. The church jeep, held up by the accident, arrived at the spot later than it should have and was stopped by the paramilitaries. They asked the church secretary, Herr and Frau Mauss and the hostage to leave the vehicle at gunpoint. The padre, with the help of Frau Mauss, was able to convince the ambushers that the jeep’s occupants were not guerilleros but all members of the church at Valledupar. It was the priest’s ability to convince that saved the lives of his companions.

Mauss, his wife and the priest administered first aid to the badly injured campesinos, one of whom had severe stomach wounds. The ostensible paramilitaries looked on impassively, however they did allow the injured persons, who were screaming in pain and bleeding heavily, to be taken away in the church jeep. The nearest medical facilities were a two-and-a-half hour drive away.

Mauss, his wife and the priest later helped the doctors, who were ill-prepared for such an emergency, to treat the injured campesinos.

Mauss had kept the Chancellor’s Office informed of events via satellite telephone throughout the operation.

It was intended that the freed hostage be flown out of Colombia on a chartered flight that morning to an airfield with a Lufthansa connection to Frankfurt airport. However engine trouble forced the plane to land before the planned stop in Valledupar and it was only with the help of a second chartered plane that the freed hostage was able – and still on schedule – to be flown out and handed over to the care of Lufthansa for the flight from Caracas to Frankfurt/M.

Chancellery minister Schmidbauer later invited the courageous priest and the Bishop of Valledupar to come to Germany to a personal reception in the Chancellor’s Office. The minister and Herr and Frau Mauss personally thanked the churchmen for their lifesaving actions.

Finally, with the successful release of the hostage, and delivery of the field hospital accomplished, all conditions were fulfilled for Herr and Frau Mauss, with the backing of the chancellery office, to take up an invitation to visit the ELN’s central camp in Colombia. The plan was to prepare the leadership of the ELN as main group in the conflict for possible freedom talks.

For the purposes of documentation it was planned that Mauss and his wife should be accompanied on their dangerous journey to the ELN camp by a team of journalists. A series of discussions was therefore held with various publishers and journalists.

At the suggestion of the two agents it was agreed that members of the editorial team of the news magazine “DER SPIEGEL” as well as news editorial staff from “SPIEGEL TV” a camera team, and a legal adviser of Herr and Frau Mauss should accompany the couple to Colombia. The Federal Chancellery gave its approval.

For the purposes of agreeing legal arrangements, members of Spiegel’s publishing management team met with the Mauss’s legal adviser at the time, Prof. Dr. Wenzel in Stuttgart. A secrecy obligation was signed as a safeguard before the camp visit.

In the wording under points 3 and 8 of the contract of November 3rd 1995, “DER SPIEGEL” committed itself, amongst other things, to the following:

3. “If M. and/or his wife should be photographed or filmed, alone, or in the company of others, by any SPIEGEL employee, that film and/or the corresponding negative will be destroyed by “DER SPIEGEL”, if necessary after its cutting out from the film”.

8. In case of violation of the preceding obligations “DER SPIEGEL” undertakes to pay a breach of contract penalty to the amount of 50,000 Deutschmarks to M. for each individual case of violation and without regard for the continuing nature thereof.

The group led by Mauss and his wife was guided by a priest and transported in vehicles supplied by the Catholic Church to the fringes of the guerrilla-controlled territory. From that point on a command group from the ELN took over. In order to reach the ELN camp, it was necessary for the party to cross a minefield on mules. This particular danger was only revealed to Herr Mauss by the ELN sometime later.

During their four-day stay at the camp, both Mauss and has wife became aware of the ELN’s willingness to participate in peace negotiations and were given assurances that this was the case. Members of the “SPIEGEL” and “SPIEGEL TV” teams too, with the encouragement of the agents, found themselves in a position to get involved in intensive dialogue with the guerrilleros. The camera team filmed life in the camp and the interviews, often for up to eight hours. This was also the case with discussions involving the commander of the central command.

Negotiations also took place at this time for the release of two Italian citizens who were being held by the ELN, a request being made that they be released on humanitarian grounds and without the payment of ransom money.

In Camp: The team from SPIEGEL filmed, Mauss lending support with around 1,800 photographs.

After a four-day stay at the ELN headquarters, the travellers returned to Bogotá using a variety of small aircraft. The SPIEGEL team stayed on in Bogotá. Herr and Frau Mauss returned to Germany for two days to talks in the Chancellor’s Office. This opportunity allowed Herr and Frau Mauss to hand over the film material made at the camp to SPIEGEL editorial staff in Frankfurt. The SPIEGEL TV film was shown on November 19th 1995 on the German RTL television channel. In accordance with the terms of the contract of November 3rd 1995, Mauss nor his wife were mentioned in the TV report.

An article on the Colombian mission appeared in issue no. 47 of DER SPIEGEL, of November 20th 1995. The SPIEGEL editors stuck to the agreement. On page three of the same issue, SPIEGEL published an editorial note with illustration and the following caption: Guerrilleros, SPIEGEL TEAM in Colombia. The picture was taken in the camp by Herr Mauss and made available to SPIEGEL.

The German authorities, coordinated by chancellery minister Schmidbauer MdB, supported the agents’ proposals to invite the ELN to Germany as well as the proposed method for obtaining the release of the Italian hostages. Both the Italian and the Colombian governments were informed of this.

After their return to Bogotá the couple flew back to the ELN-controlled jungle area with the SPIEGEL team. The Italian hostages were formally handed over to the SPIEGEL people by the ELN as was later shown in the RTL report. The agents then accompanied the released Italian hostages to Bogotá where they were handed over to waiting members of the Italian Embassy staff.

In the night of November 16th to 17th 1996, Herr and Frau Mauss were illegally arrested at Jose Maria Córdoba airport, Medellin-Rio Negro. This was later established res judicata in the acquittal of May 20th 1998.

A few days after the couple were arrested, SPIEGEL, in what seems to have been a move designed to stimulate sales, sold film material it had made with the cooperation of Herr and Frau Mauss at the ELN camp in 1995. During the first three months after the couple’s arrest, the film was often shown more than ten times per day on Colombian television. It was cut in such a way as to be deliberately misleading. It showed scenes of arrival and departure, where Herr and Frau Mauss, in a way perfectly typical for South America, were seen embracing ELN guerrilleros. Film scenes showing members of the “DER SPIEGEL” team involved in the same kinds of behaviour with ELN members had “of course” been left out. For the viewers, this gave a misleading impression.

For outsiders, such as the Colombian army for example, the film sold by Spiegel and shown in Colombia gave the impression that a “special relationship” existed between the agents and the ELN. The Columbian criminal prosecution authorities had believed the SPIEGEL film material to have been recorded in secret, without the couple’s knowledge, and not as part of a contractually regulated cooperation agreement. This film, shown while the couple were in prison, put their lives in danger, exposing them to a much greater risk of being attacked by either the military or paramilitary forces.

On the basis of this, the DAS, the Colombian secret service, began preliminary proceedings against Mauss and his wife after consultation with the Fiscal General (Attorney General).

This situation, led to a prejudicial and damaging spread of disinformation on the couple among the Colombian authorities as well as in sections of the press and general public. The couple’s lawyer, Professor Dr. Wenzel then wrote a letter to the SPIEGEL management on September 15th 1997 from Stuttgart demanding clarification of the facts. SPIEGEL bosses understood and reacted quickly. On September 19th 1997 a reply from SPIEGEL’S legal adviser was sent to Stuttgart to be presented to the President of the DAS, General Henrique Montenegro Rinco.

TRANSCRIPT OF LETTER:

Dear Professor Wenzel,

Herr X (SPIEGEL management) has directed me to inform you that all of the filming carried out in November of 1995 by a Spiegel TV team on the occasion of the visit of Herr Mauss and his wife to the ELN camp was done in consultation – certainly not conspiratorially – with the said persons. Spiegel TV used this material only after the couple’s arrest. For this reason Herr and Frau Mauss had no influence on the content or presentation of the later Spiegel TV programme.

…signed by the SPIEGEL legal adviser

Upon presentation of the SPIEGEL letter, the additional pending criminal proceedings against Herr and Frau Mauss because of the film were immediately dropped via order 20598 by the President of the DAS on November 5th 1997. The letter placated the Colombian authorities for the irritation caused by the Spiegel programme, and the reputations of Mauss and his wife were redeemed.

See also: FOCUS no. 46/ 1997 [Link]

With the consent of the Chancellor’s Office the couple held conciliatory talks from the very beginning of the operation with the then President of Colombia Ernesto Samper, Interior Minister Horacio Serpa and the former Columbian Consul in Berlin Carlos Villamil Chaux. The last named was at the time appointed special commissioner to the talks at the Federal Chancellery by President Samper.

See also letters from the President of Colombia to the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from:

May 17th 1996 [Link],
June 13th 1996 [Link],
June 28th 1996 [Link],
July 11th 1996 /Extract/ [Link]

On September 22nd 1996 a meeting between the Columbian President, Ernesto Samper, Carlos Villamil Chaux, Chancellery Minister Schmidbauer and Herr and Frau Mauss took place at the UN Embassy in New York. The discussion brought a concrete proposal for the setting up of a peace table in Germany under the patronage of the Bishops’ Conferences of Germany and Colombia.

Source: La Semana, Colombia, March 2nd 1998; title story: Mauss at full gallop; weekly magazine [LINK]

In November of 1995, the ELN leadership announced that members of their central command (COCE) would follow Herr and Frau Mauss to Germany to explore the possibility of peace talks. At the beginning of 1996 the couple travelled to the Colombian jungle in a coordinated operation to bring back the commanders. They were prepared to give themselves over unarmed to the agents. This action was later described as historic.

When the ELN commanders arrived in Germany, Chancellery Minister Schmidbauer MdB made it clear that the freeing of all European hostages held by the ELN was a condition that must be met before peace talks could commence. The commanders immediately declared their readiness in principle to comply with the German proposal. The ELN has a confederalist structure. It became necessary at this point therefore to get the approval of the Frente leaders (local leaders) of the Colombian guerrillas for the COCE decision.

It became the task of Herr and Frau Mauss to persuade every single local guerrilla leader in the Colombian jungle of the necessity of releasing their hostages.

By November of 1996 Mauss and his wife had succeeded in securing the release of ten European hostages, a job done at risk to their own lives in dangerous war zones and in time that might have been spent in more leisurely pursuits. The Federal Chancellery remained in constant personal and cooperative contact with the governments concerned before and during the operations. All governments were informed of the couple’s mission and fully supported it.

One businessman whose company was active internationally and who had had one of his employees kidnapped wrote to thank the German Chancellor personally for his role in securing the releases.

Extract:

March 11th 1996

Dear Chancellor,

…….

In these difficult times of ever-increasing worldwide competition it is good to know that you have done the groundwork necessary to be ready, in particularly difficult countries, to take appropriate action to help German companies in precarious situations.

One of your aims, you have said, is “to talk to those to whom no one else speaks.” This policy, Herr Chancellor, has brought about the release of our colleague without a demand for the payment of ransom. You have helped our company group to avoid even greater troubles, saved the life of Herr X and made a young family happy again.

Herr X is in a reasonably good state, all things considered, although he and his wife have still some way to go before they can get over the psychological shock. As soon as he feels up to it, Herr X would like to send you a letter personally………..

The entire operation was very professionally and efficiently organised from start to finish by Minister of State Schmidbauer. The commendable personal courage of Herr and Frau Y is to thank for bringing Herr X back from the jungle. The feeling of security that your office gave us over the entire period was due to the fact that there was no weak link in the chain. Our feelings are very much those of great respect and gratitude.

Herr Chancellor, family X, my employees and I thank you very warmly for the support you have given us. We admire your courage and political will and are proud to have you as our Chancellor.

With kind regards,

Signed

Regrettably, Herr X, the freed hostage referred to in the above letter never recovered from the psychological shock. He has died.

The last hostages that Herr and Frau Mauss were involved in rescuing were kidnapped by criminals, not by the ELN. The ELN peace table delegates in Germany aided by their Frente helped in their discovery. The ELN liberated the hostages and handed them over to Herr and Frau Mauss in the Colombian jungle. Risking their own lives yet again, Mauss and his wife traversed the war zones disputed by military, paramilitary and guerrillas to bring the hostages safely to the airport at Medellin. The criminal kidnappers were later arrested by the police, accused by the Fiscalía – public prosecutor’s office – and given long prison sentences. The facts as presented here were later documented in detail in the acquittal judgement of May 20th 1998.

Intrigue and corruption led to the arrest of the agents on November 17th 1996 at the airport in Medellin. After having taken possession of the hostages they were seized, despite being in possession of a covering letter from the German government, for “alleged kidnapping” of the hostages. This was only possible through criminal manipulation of Colombia’s autonomous judicial system.

THE HOSTAGE FREED BY HERR AND FRAU MAUSS WAS FORCIBLY TAKEN FROM THEM AT THE AIRPORT BY LOCAL SECURITY FORCES.

“PARADOXICALLY” THEN TAKEN DIRECTLY TO THE HOTEL INTERCONTINENTAL IN MEDELLIN BY THE POLICE AND HANDED OVER TO EMPLOYEES OF THE CONTROL RISK COMPANY WHO WERE ALREADY THERE “WAITING” FOR THE HOSTAGE.

That same evening, immediately after their reception of the hostage, the men from Control Risk called their bosses in England, presumably to tell them of the “great success of their work”. This account of the what took place has been verified by the investigations of the Procuradoruía – public prosecutor’s office for, among other things, state and authority corruption. They investigated later due to the dubious behaviour of the police. Telephone calls made by Control Risk during their stay at the hotel were therefore checked and the information recorded as evidence.

The judgement of the High Tribunal of Antioquia of May 20th 1998 revealed, among other things, that Control Risk had tapped into corruption in the Colombian authorities, deliberately plotted against Herr and Frau Mauss, and, consequently, against their peace efforts. This was done for reasons of financial interest and with the intention of bringing about the couple’s arrest.

What is an established fact is, that during the course of their investigations between the beginning of 1997 and the verdict of acquittal on May 20th 1998, the Procuradoría – public prosecutor’s office for state and authority corruption – and the Fiscal General – General State Prosecutor for General Criminal Law – established A CRIMINAL COLLABORATION BETWEEN AUTHORITIES IN MEDELLIN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FREEING OF THE HOSTAGES AND THE COMPANY CONTROL RISK.

The judgement states: “As was the case with the court of the first instance, this court too is surprised by the amount of influence exercised by “Control Risk” in the handling and coordination of the process (the word process here refers to the procedures involved in the freeing of the hostages). This went so far that the representative of the English company secured a place on the irregular “committee” created on the fringes of legality by the provincial government of Antioquia for the purpose of carrying out “investigations”.

The multinational concern (Control Risk) came to have such a powerful influence on the committee that they succeeded in manipulating higher police and civil authorities and the handling of information. The judgement goes on: “The deception of the authorities (Colombian authorities) by those who had only their own and not the interests of peace at heart has all been for nothing in the end.” (End of citation)

The investigation records also make it clear that “Control Risk” abused their position as members of the committee through the dissemination of disinformation in 1996, thereby hindering the early release of the German hostages.

The Federal Government reacted to the couple’s arrest in early 1997 with a multilateral governmental declaration which was delivered to the Fiscal General - General State Prosecutor of Colombia - along with a verbal note issued on January 25th 1997 by the German Embassy in Bogotá. The government declaration explained the open and official nature of the couple’s role in the peace process and provided documentary clarification of this.

IN A LETTER WRITTEN TO ANOTHER WESTERN GOVERNMENT SOME YEARS LATER, ON THE 22ND OF MAY 2001, BY FORMER GERMAN MINISTER OF STATE BERND SCHMIDBAUER MdB, THE FACTS OF THE MATTER AS STATED HERE ARE FULLY CONFIRMED . The former Minister Schmidbauer MP, writes:
- original letter - [ Link ]

Even before the delivery of the government declaration, the Procurador General, Jaime Bernal Cueller began secretly investigating corruption amongst the Fiscales – public prosecutors – and police active in the Mauss case. His prosecutors very quickly ascertained that there had been manipulation and interference with witnesses who were forced by Colombian police to testify against the couple. Punishment, imprisonment and torture were the consequences threatened for disobedience. The witnesses, the majority of whom were already serving prison sentences in Medellin, were promised rewards, including reduced penalties, for testifying against Herr and Frau Mauss. The false statements of these prisoners were decisive in the issuing of the couple’s arrest warrants.

The contents of the “arrest warrant” and “charge” were kindly read out to Herr and Frau Mauss in prison on Christmas Eve, 1996 by court officers of the Medellin Fiscal and the documents then handed over to them. According to the charge, a 60-year prison sentence was the prospect facing the couple on that “Christmas Eve”.

Because of the reasonable suspicion of official corruption, in early 1997 the Procurador General convened a secret investigation commission to investigate the prosecutors – Fiscales – and police officers involved in the Mauss case.

The Procuradores – public prosecutors for, amongst other things, state and authority criminality – first of all re-examined the evidence that had led to the arrest warrant against the couple. Amongst other things, their research provided probative evidence to establish that the couple could not even have been in Colombia on one of the days mentioned by a witness. On the day in question they had been in a meeting in the Chancellor’s Office. The prosecution witnesses were re-examined. Before the investigating prosecutors, they retracted their earlier statements and stated that all allegations against the couple were manipulated and false.

Many of the very poor in Colombia were horrified by the arrest of Herr Mauss and his wife, the couple’s imprisonment dashing hopes that had just begun to be raised by the advent of the German-initiated peace process.

The central command of Ejercito de Liberación Nacional – ELN – reacted in December of 1996 with a comprehensive eight-point official communiqué which was published in the media.

The ELN text:

AN ADDRESS TO NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC OPINION

In reaction to the conjecture surrounding the arrest of Werner Mauss and his wife at José Maria Córdoba International Airport in Rio Negro, Antioquia, on November 25th 1996, the central command of EJERCÍTO DE LIBERACIÓN NACIONAL – National Liberation Army – wishes to make the following statement to the national and international community. ........

Extract from the ELN’s official communiqué [Link]

Finally, in August of 1997, after nine months of criminally motivated detention, Herr and Frau Mauss were released from custody.

Prior to this time, Frau Mauss had been brought once a month, bound hand and foot, from the “Buen Pastor” prison where she was serving her sentence for an eight-hour visit to the Itaguí maximum-security prison in which her husband was incarcerated. During the first three months, she was brought in an armoured car, sitting between soldiers and screened behind an iron door bolted on the outside. Her vehicle was accompanied by a convoy of military trucks full of soldiers in battle dress and steel helmets.

On May 20th 1998, final acquittal for Werner [LINK] and Letizia Mauss [LINK] All confiscated property needed for their missions was returned.

The 78-page acquittal judgement stated:

• that the detention of the couple on November 17th 1996 in Medellin had been illegal and due to manipulated and false statements, which are also specified in detail in the judgement
  
• that Herr and Frau Mauss had never, during any of their stays in Colombia, nor or any of the missions with which these stays were connected, infringed any Colombian laws.
  
• that their assignment had only been motivated by the Colombian peace process
  
• that the arrests had been due to the intrigues of a group of identified persons motivated by self-interest

The judgement was based upon an eighteen-month investigation by the Fiscal General – prosecutor for punitive justice -, the Procurador General – public prosecutor’s office responsible for, among other things, state and authority offences – and the investigation and interrogation records compiled by their offices which ran to more than 6000 pages.

In the summer of 1999 the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung printed a factually inaccurate article. Mauss’s lawyer Dr. Waldemar Garmer in Stuttgart wrote to the newspaper demanding correction and requiring that they desist. The paper then printed a second article on October 7th 1999 rectifying the factual content. Their legal department signed a declaration of discontinuance. [Link]

Immediately following their release, the agents were requested by the Colombian authorities, with guarantees given by the President, to resume their contact to the ELN and resurrect the peace process.

Once again, with the support of the Colombian government and the consent of the Chancellor’s Office, the agents ventured into the Colombian jungle.

Between September 1997 and May 1998 they made a total of eight trips, each one requiring a five-day mule ride through the conflict zones of the Colombian jungle in order to reopen negotiations with the commanders of the ELN central command – COCE. The Colombian government supported them during these operations. With the help of two satellite telephones the couple were able to carry on negotiations from the jungle between the government and the guerrillas. They were able to solve many problems, in some cases to avert military confrontations and kidnappings and reduce acts of aggression.

After their acquittal on May 20th 1998, Mauss and his wife were officially commissioned by the National Peace Council.

In detail:

Presidencia de la República, Presidency of the Republic

Alto Comisionado de la Paz, High Commission for Peace

Consejo Nacional de Paz, National Peace Council

The National Peace Council was at that time represented by:

Prof. Dr. Sabas Pretelt de la Vega, present Colombian Interior and Justice Minister - At that time, beginning May 20th 1998, the main contact person for Herr and Frau Mauss. He was also present at Mainz and Kloster Himmelspforten (Himmelspforten Convent).

Dr. Jaime Bernal Cuellar, then Procurador General - General State Prosecutor, also with responsibility for Human Rights - At that time, beginning May 20th 1998, a main contact person for Herr and Frau Mauss. He was also present at Mainz and Kloster Himmelspforten (Himmelspforten Convent).

as were the delegates Samuel Moreno Rojas, Gustavo Alvarez Gardeazabal, José Noé Rios Muñoz and Rafael Rincón.

At that time Gustavo Alvarez Gardeazabal was the elected representative of the Governors’ Association of Colombia in the National Peace Council and thus Governors’ representative in the National Peace Council in the government of President Pastrana.

In a letter dated August 5th 1998, Gardeazabal expressed his thanks to Minister Schmidbauer, MdB for the support of the German government and Herr and Frau Mauss in the Colombian peace process. [Link]

After their acquittal on May 20th 1998, Herr and Frau Mauss entered into preliminary talks via satellite telephone with Antonio García, second in command of the ELN. This was done with the agreement and cooperation of the Colombian Peace Commission. Garcia also sent personal birthday greetings to chancellery minister Schmidbauer, MdB via satellite fax

written on May 28th, received on May 29th 1998 [Link]

as well as a further communication, written on June 2nd, received on June 4th 1998 [Link]

Both communications make evident the ELN’s readiness to enter into peace talks and propose that a personal meeting with Herr and Frau Mauss should be arranged as soon as possible in order to discuss details.

For the purposes of the operation the Colombian government provided a plane which took the agents to the edge of the guerrilla controlled areas. From here, the couple were again led on a five-day mule ride along secret jungle paths by a detachment from the ELN to the central camp of the COCE.

In agreement with the Chancellor’s Office and the Chairman of the Bishops’ Conference and with the authority of the above-mentioned policy makers from the Colombian government, Herr and Frau Mauss began a new round of negotiations after their arrival at the camp at the beginning of June 1998. The profile of the talks was actively coordinated between Herr and Frau Mauss, the Colombian Peace Commission in Bogotá and passively with chancellery minister Schmidbauer, MdB via constant satellite telephone contact.

During the discussions at the camp, the COCE declared their willingness to send a delegation to Germany under the leadership of ELN military chief Pablo Beltrán to begin peace talks. The guerrillas also declared their readiness to put their trust in Herr and Frau Mauss and to accompany them, unarmed and under their leadership, on the journey from the Colombian jungle to Mainz.

On the afternoon of June 8th 1998 the ELN commanders withdrew for private discussions which went on until after midnight. They then handed over three documents ratified by the COCE to Herr and Frau Mauss, which Herr Mauss immediately sent off from the jungle to the various addressees by means of satellite telephone fax.

Read the documents:

1. Petition to the Federal German Government [Link]

2.Letter Cardinal Karl Lehmann [Link]

3. Request to the Federal German Government [Link]

After their return to Bogotá, the couple reported to the Colombian National Peace Commission. With the agreement of the Colombian government, the National Peace Commission authorised the journey of the six guerrilleros, led by their military commander, Pablo Beltrán, with Herr and Frau Mauss guaranteeing security, from the Colombian mountains all the way to the peace table in Mainz.

On June 11th 1998, the National Peace Council informed the then Chancellor, Dr. Helmut Kohl, and the chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, now Cardinal Dr. Karl D. Lehmann, of the decision. Earlier, the National Peace Council had been informed by the chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, via the Columbian Bishops’ Conference, that permission had been given for the commencement of peace talks with the guerrillas in Germany. [Link]

After Colombian and German approval for the secret operation had been granted, Herr and Frau Mauss took on and successfully completed the extremely difficult and dangerous job of escorting the guerrillas from their hideout in the Colombian mountains, via several South American countries, to Europe and the peace table in Mainz.

See also article from “Die Zeit” June 14th 1998, [LINK]

The first peace talks began around the middle of June 1998 in the Hilton Hotel in Mainz between representatives of the Colombian government and the ELN under the patronage of the German and Colombian Bishops’ Conferences and with Herr and Frau Mauss in attendance as observers.

As a first result of the peace conference between the Colombian opponents, all participating parties signed a declaration of intent on June 28th 1998. [Link]

On June 29th 1998, the Chairman of the Bishops’ Conference, today Cardinal Karl Lehmann, invited the conference participants from Colombia along with other supporters of the peace process, including Herr and Frau Mauss, to his residence, the bishop’s house in Mainz.

THE WELCOME ADDRESS OF CARDINAL KARL LEHMANN, JUNE 29th 1998 [Link]

See also letter of July 8th 1998 from the then Colombian Environment Minister Eduardo Verano de la Rosa to Chancellery Minister Schmidbauer MdB, [Link]

The German Bishops’ Conference had invited all participating parties and supporters for the peace talks proper to the Carmelite monastery at Würzburg on July 15th 1998. Again, Herr and Frau Mauss were invited as observers.

See also: “FOCUS” July 4th 1998, interview with Werner Mauss: “Todesängste während der Haft

"dpa" July 1st 1998, Mauss: Friede für Kolumbien ist greifbar nahe [Link]

"ap" July 5th 1998, Kolumbianische Guerilla läßt 15 Frauen frei; Wachsende Hoffnung für Friedensgespräch in Mainz [Link]

After four days of talks the opposing parties put their signatures to a five-page agreement which was then made public. [Link]

Aim of the agreement was, among other things, to convene a national convention whose task would be to work out proposals for a comprehensive pacification and democratisation of Colombian society.

Francisco Santos, co-editor of the largest Colombian daily newspaper “El Tiempo”, TODAY VICE PRESIDENT IN THE GOVERNMENT OF COLOMBIA, was a member Colombia’s National Peace Commission in 1998. In that year, he and Sabas Pretelt de la Vega, presently Interior and Justice Minister, were joint initiators of a move to obtain an official mandate from the National Peace Council for the work of Herr and Frau Mauss in the peace process.

He, too, as “fighter for peace” was present at the Carmelite convent of Himmelspforten and described the meeting as the first historic step towards peace for his country.

Between October 1997 and the acquittal of May 20th 1998, Francisco Santos held many meetings with Herr and Frau Mauss to discuss the Colombian conflict. Santos also brought other senior “El Tiempo” journalists in on the discussions from time to time.

Source: Berliner Zeitung, July 16th 1998 Erste Schritte zum Frieden in Kolumbien - Guerillas und Politiker unterzeichnen Abkommen [LINK]

As a sign of their faith in Herr and Frau Mauss, the ELN issued the couple with a written "Mandate for Peace" on November 9th 1998. [Link]

Herr and Frau Mauss wish, through the factual account of events and incidents recorded here, to rectify a situation whereby a handful of journalists have, over several decades and from various motives, been disseminating disinformation.

A LETTER SENT BY HERR BERND SCHMIDBAUER MdB TO ANOTHER WESTERN GOVERNMENT ON MAY 22ND 2001 ALSO SERVES IN THIS RECTIFICATION OF FALSE INFORMATION.

The former Minister of State writes:(Original letter Link)

Bernd Schmidbauer MdB
Former Minister of State, dated May 22nd 2001

Dear…………….

I gladly confirm that husband and wife, Ida and Werner Mauss, in close coordination with the German government and with Chancellor Dr. Helmut Kohl, initiated and have maintained contacts to the ELN (Ejército de Liberación Nacional) in Colombia.

As Minister of State and coordinator of the intelligence services between 1991 and 1998, I initiated and carried through a number of activities with Herr and Frau Mauss.

These included meetings in Europe intended to move on the peace process in Colombia; discussions and negotiations with the Catholic Church led to positive negotiations in Germany.

Technology was used to help maintain contact so that the dialogue would not be interrupted. For this reason Frau Ida Mauss maintained contact via satellite telephone.

For the German government, the activities of the Mauss family as recorded above were transparent and agreed upon in advance.

One lasting result of these activities was the successful conclusion of several humanitarian missions and the opening of a dialogue between the opposing parties in Colombia.

I remain at your disposal for further discussion of this issue.

Yours sincerely

SIGNATURE

Bernd Schmidbauer MdB
Former Minister of State

In conclusion, Letizia and Werner Mauss wish to make the following clear:

All operations carried out worldwide over several decades, in Europe, South America, Asia and the Middle East have always been effected with the cooperation of German governmental agencies and authorities and with their full awareness and collaboration.

With regard to the circumstances of the Colombian affair it needs to be reiterated that the German government made it clear from the very beginning, with the arrival of the ELN commanders in January of 1996, that before any peace talks could take place all ELN-held European hostages were to be released. In spite of these conditions, Herr and Frau Mauss were successful in negotiating the handing over of ten hostages. They took possession of these hostages in conflict zones in the Colombian jungle and escorted them back to safety.
Contrary to what has been reported elsewhere, the appropriate Colombian authorities were always informed before any of these hostage actions. This is also documented in the Colombian judicial enquiry against Herr and Frau Mauss and in the acquittal of May 20th 1998.

No ransom money was paid for any of these hostages.

The available funds were used for the procurement of humanitarian supplies and equipment, which were handed over to the guerrillas only after this had been officially approved. These included such things as field hospitals, surgical instruments, and sterile equipment, as well as the necessary logistics costs connected with making such things utilisable under extreme jungle conditions. Arrangements were also made for the seriously injured to be flown out of the crisis zones in order to save the needless loss of life.

The German broadcaster MDR asked Stephan Lamby to produce a film entitled “The Top Agent – The Secret Life of Werner Mauss“ . ARD broadcasted it on February 17th 1999, NDR on September 4th 2000, and Phoenix on February 12th 2002. Among other things, the film documented the role of Herr and Frau Mauss in the Columbian peace process. See Scenes from documentary [LINK]

See also: Article by Stephan Lamby in "Die Zeit" of May 14th 1998 Interview mit Werner Mauss, Der Agent, der in die Wärme ging, [LINK]