Pubdate: Fri, 01 Dec 2000
Source: LA Weekly (CA)
Copyright: 2000, Los Angeles Weekly, Inc.
Contact:  P.O. Box 4315, L.A., CA 90078
Fax: 323 465-3220
Website: http://www.laweekly.com/
Author: Sandra Hernandez

BARRY MCCAFFREY'S GOODBYE TOUR

Retiring U.S. drug czar General Barry McCaffrey showed up last week in 
Colombia for a final meeting with President Andres Pastrana, but his visit 
only raised more questions about what many see as confusion in the 
U.S.-aided fight against the cocaine cartels.

Appearing before a handful of local and international reporters in the 
capital city of Bogota, McCaffrey issued this daring prediction: "It is my 
professional judgment, from watching your own leadership, that in the 
coming five years you will achieve your objective of separating drug money 
from the FARC, the ELN and the AUC, contributing to the peace process and 
the economic recovery in this huge beautiful country."

Now, as far as many Colombians were concerned, McCaffrey might as well have 
been reading tea leaves, for all the objective reality underlying his bold 
assertions. As of now, peace talks between Colombian government officials 
and the country's leading guerrilla group - the Revolutionary Armed Forces 
of Colombia, or FARC - are on ice. The FARC says it's unhappy with the 
government's approach to dealing with paramilitary groups, known as AUCs. 
Meanwhile, rebel groups have set up blockades and cut off the main roads to 
the Putumayo region of the country, where much of the coca is grown, 
leaving most of that state without food, medical supplies and other basic 
provisions.

Even McCaffrey's attempt at courtesy, a special mention in his opening 
remarks of top Colombian drug official Maria Inez Restrepo, backfired.

Just two days after McCaffrey's visit, a teary-eyed Restrepo - a member of 
Pastrana's inner circle in charge of the crop-substitution-and-eradication 
program - addressed the country after her son was arrested in Miami for 
alleged possession of cocaine while attempting to enter the U.S.

McCaffrey's primary reason for coming to Colombia was to stump for Plan 
Colombia, Pastrana's $7.5 billion proposal for addressing mounting violence 
that in recent years erupted into a civil war that has cost thousands of 
lives. Leftist guerrillas are said to be using the profits from the sale of 
drugs to finance their forces.

The U.S. has pledged $1.3 billion to the plan, most of that in military 
assistance. For their part, Colombian rebels have denounced Plan Colombia 
and promised to target U.S. officials in their country as well as to 
abandon any talks to bring a peaceful end to the conflict.

McCaffrey was joined in his remarks by Undersecretary of State Thomas 
Pickering, who startled observers by declaring that Plan Colombia was 
already yielding important successes in the battle to curb drug production 
and consumption.

When asked what results he could be referring to, Pickering replied, "First 
and foremost, the major success has been both the development of the plan 
and the international cooperation that goes with that. Secondly, the 
tremendous amount of financing that has been put in place for the future 
not only from the United States, but international financial institutions 
of countries as far afield as Europe and Japan, as well as Colombia itself."

So, just having an expensive plan is enough.

Perhaps that explains how McCaffrey could issue his rosy five-year 
prediction in the face of a recent congressional study that found Plan 
Colombia isn't likely to cut drug production within six years, according to 
an Associated Press report.

In any event, McCaffrey insisted that the U.S. won't be directly involved 
in Colombia's civil war, but rather will supply only intelligence, and 
Justice Department and political support in the international community. 
"The United States' principal contribution to Plan Colombia will be the 
reduction of drug use in the United States," McCaffrey contended.

Then why did so many military officials accompany the general on his 
farewell tour?
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