Pubdate: Sat, 01 Sep 2001
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 2001 San Jose Mercury News
Contact:  http://www.sjmercury.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390
Author: Nancy San Martin, Knight Ridder

MORE ANTI-DRUG AID SOUGHT FOR COLOMBIA

U.S. Delegation Finds Money Well-Spent

BOGOTA, Colombia -- A high-level U.S. delegation that came to take a hard 
look at Colombia's battle against drug trafficking said Washington needs to 
put more money into the fight.

"President Andres Pastrana's government is engaged in a struggle that 
matters to everyone in this hemisphere because Colombians are fighting to 
re-establish two things that almost every citizen of our hemisphere wants: 
peace and prosperity," said Marc Grossman, the undersecretary of state for 
political affairs who led the U.S. delegation's three-day mission to Colombia.

"Colombia is a fellow democracy. . . . Colombians deserve the right to live 
in peace and freedom," he said.

Grossman said the 30-plus-member delegation concluded that the $1.3 billion 
investment the United States already had committed to Colombia was money 
well-spent on military operations. The U.S. group urges more aid for 
Colombia to fight traffickers, eradicate crops and support other social 
measures.

But that aid is only making a slight dent in the drug trade, which Grossman 
called "the main source of supply for continued unrest in this country." 
Leftist rebels fighting the government fund their war by selling protection 
to drug traffickers; so do right-wing paramilitaries engaged in a war of 
terror against the guerrillas.

"We need somehow to cut off their ability to finance themselves," one of 
the senior U.S. officials said.

Not all military aid

Senior U.S. government officials who accompanied the delegation said 
Washington would not provide purely counterinsurgency aid to the Colombian 
military. But they said more aid could be provided for Colombian forces who 
are deployed against drug plantations and processing labs.

The U.S. officials said success would require a broadened approach, 
including two measures that must be approved by Congress:

An $880 million proposal by President Bush for the Andean Regional 
Initiative, a counterdrug funding package aimed at efforts in Ecuador, 
Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, Brazil and Panama.

Renewal of the Andean Trade Preference Act, set to expire in December. The 
1991 measure provides trade benefits to Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru 
as an incentive to develop legitimate economies and provide alternatives to 
drug-crop production.

Policy on track

The officials dismissed speculation that the trip to Colombia signaled a 
rethinking of U.S. policy. "You never, ever have a policy that's this big 
and this complicated without trying to make sure it's right all the time," 
said a senior U.S. government official involved in the talks.

In addition to meeting with President Pastrana, the U.S. contingent also 
spent time with Colombia's vice president, foreign minister and other key 
members of the Pastrana administration.

Among the successes U.S. officials pointed to were: 33 signed agreements 
from farmers to eradicate drug-producing crops; the construction of 26 
social-infrastructure projects; the creation of 18 programs that provide 
legal services to poor and marginalized communities; and the issuance of 
$513,619 in grants to non-governmental entities that promote peace.

But, the officials said, Colombia has much more to do. The country must 
fortify its security forces, upgrade its justice system, regain control of 
territory now dominated by rebels, and reduce the level of crime and 
corruption across the nation. Asked if the Bush administration believes 
that a military solution is the answer to the continuing conflict, a senior 
U.S. government official said: "The only permanent solution here is a 
negotiated settlement."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth