Pubdate: Wed, 02 May 2002
Source: New York Times (NY)
Section: International
Copyright: 2002 The New York Times Company
Contact:  http://www.nytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298
Author: Christopher Marquis
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/area/Colombia (Colombia)

U.S. SAYS COLOMBIA'S PROGRESS ON MILITARY ABUSES CLEARS THE PATH FOR AID

WASHINGTON, May 1 - The State Department reported today that Colombia is 
making progress in deterring human rights crimes by the armed forces and 
right-wing paramilitary groups, clearing the way for the release of $62 
million in American military aid.

The certification drew immediate criticism from human rights groups and was 
met with some skepticism in Congress. Lawmakers had established the 
procedure to curb abuses against civilians in Colombia, which is the third 
largest recipient of American aid.

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell determined that the Colombian armed 
forces are suspending and prosecuting military officers implicated in human 
rights crimes, breaking links with paramilitary groups and capturing their 
leaders, his spokesman said.

Mr. Powell's decision frees up the first portion of a $104 million military 
aid package this year. Congress has required a second certification 
sometime after June 1 to release the remaining funds.

The move came as no surprise from an administration that has increasingly 
warned of the dangers posed to Colombia by narcotics traffickers and their 
"terrorist" allies on both the political left and right.

The civil conflict in the country is more than three decades old, but has 
intensified in recent years as rebel groups have been fueled by money from 
drug trafficking. Peace talks with the government recently broke down as 
the rebels continued a campaign of kidnapping and violence.

Richard A. Boucher, the State Department spokesman, said a vast majority of 
human rights crimes in Colombia were committed not by the military but by 
the the country's two leftist insurgencies - the Revolutionary Armed Forces 
of Colombia and the National Liberation Army - and the main paramilitary 
organization, the Self-Defense Forces of Colombia. But, he said, the 
government must do better to protect civilians.

"Despite some real progress, both we and the government of Colombia 
recognize that the protection of human rights in Colombia needs 
improvement," Mr. Boucher said.

Senator Patrick J. Leahy, who is chairman of the appropriations 
subcommittee that oversees foreign assistance, countered that Colombia's 
record was "disappointing."

Mr. Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, added, "This certification has more to do 
with the fact that U.S. aid was running out, than with sufficient progress 
on human rights."

Mr. Leahy and several leading human rights groups charged that the 
Colombian government has done little to arrest and prosecute paramilitary 
leaders and their military allies. The groups accuse Colombian officers of 
sharing intelligence, coordinating roadblocks and remaining in close 
communication with the Self-Defense Forces during their scorched earth, 
anti-insurgency drives.

Critics cited the case of Gen. Rodrigo Quinones Cardenas, a former regional 
commander whom they accuse of involvement in massacres at El Salado and 
Chengue, and the deaths of numerous community leaders. Under pressure from 
the Bush administration, General Quinones was recently sent abroad as a 
military attache.

While administration officials held up the case as a sign of progress, 
critics said it signaled continuing impunity for military officers working 
with the Self-Defense Forces.

"The administration is proposing millions in counterterrorism aid to 
Colombia even as the Colombian military refuses to break ties with a 
designated terrorist group," said Jose Miguel Vivanco, the director of the 
Americas program at Human Rights Watch.
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