Jorge Alberto Uribe
Encyclopedia
Jorge Alberto Uribe Echavarría (born October 30, 1940 in Medellín
) is
a Colombia
n politician and businessman.
He was educated at primary and secondary schools in Colombia, with two years spent at Culver Military Academy in the United States
. He completed a first degree in economics
at George Washington University
in the USA and did post-graduate work in international marketing
at Besançon University
in France
.
He served as his country's minister of defense
, succeeding Martha Lucía Ramírez
, who was Colombia's first female defence minister. Prior to that appointment, he served as Finland
's honorary consul in Bogotá
for a period of ten years.
Jorge Alberto Uribe Echavarría is not related to fellow medellinense President
Álvaro Uribe Vélez, but the two are old friends.
According to one of the cables released by WikiLeaks, on November 16, Defense Minister Mr. Jorge Alberto Uribe requested a meeting with the Ambassador to explain an article in El Nuevo Herald that claimed he had made a conjugal visit to a woman imprisoned in Medellin. The woman, Dora Adriana Alzate Restrepo, was arrested and sentenced to nine years in jail when authorities found heroin in her suitcase bound for Miami in the Medellin airport in February 2003. Uribe told the Ambassador that he had had a ten-year, personal relationship with Alzate, whom he met while he was president of Delima Marsh and she worked for an associate company. On the day of her arrest, Uribe and Alzate were traveling separately to the U.S. from Medellin and were chatting in the airport. Alzate was detained by security and Uribe boarded the plane unaware of her fate. After her arrest, Uribe said that he visited her in prison once and spoke with her on the telephone once.
He emphasized he had no prior knowledge of her drug trafficking activities and has not had any contact with her since becoming Minister. Uribe subsequently called the Ambassador back to tell him that he had talked to President Uribe, who had given him full support.
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
) is
a Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n politician and businessman.
He was educated at primary and secondary schools in Colombia, with two years spent at Culver Military Academy in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He completed a first degree in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
in the USA and did post-graduate work in international marketing
International marketing
International marketing or global marketing refers to marketing carried out by companies overseas or across national borderlines. This strategy uses an extension of the techniques used in the home country of a firm...
at Besançon University
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
He served as his country's minister of defense
Defence minister
A defence minister is a person in a cabinet position in charge of a Ministry of Defence, which regulates the armed forces in some sovereign nations...
, succeeding Martha Lucía Ramírez
Martha Lucía Ramírez
Marta Lucía Ramírez is a Colombian lawyer, diplomat, and politician. She served as Minister of National Defence, and 6th Minister of Foreign Trade of Colombia, the first woman to ever hold either post...
, who was Colombia's first female defence minister. Prior to that appointment, he served as Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
's honorary consul in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
for a period of ten years.
Jorge Alberto Uribe Echavarría is not related to fellow medellinense President
President of Colombia
The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...
Álvaro Uribe Vélez, but the two are old friends.
According to one of the cables released by WikiLeaks, on November 16, Defense Minister Mr. Jorge Alberto Uribe requested a meeting with the Ambassador to explain an article in El Nuevo Herald that claimed he had made a conjugal visit to a woman imprisoned in Medellin. The woman, Dora Adriana Alzate Restrepo, was arrested and sentenced to nine years in jail when authorities found heroin in her suitcase bound for Miami in the Medellin airport in February 2003. Uribe told the Ambassador that he had had a ten-year, personal relationship with Alzate, whom he met while he was president of Delima Marsh and she worked for an associate company. On the day of her arrest, Uribe and Alzate were traveling separately to the U.S. from Medellin and were chatting in the airport. Alzate was detained by security and Uribe boarded the plane unaware of her fate. After her arrest, Uribe said that he visited her in prison once and spoke with her on the telephone once.
He emphasized he had no prior knowledge of her drug trafficking activities and has not had any contact with her since becoming Minister. Uribe subsequently called the Ambassador back to tell him that he had talked to President Uribe, who had given him full support.