Pubdate: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 Source: Reuters Copyright: 1999 Reuters Limited. Author: Jonathan Wright U.S. SEES REASONS FOR OPTIMISM IN COLOMBIA WASHINGTON - The Clinton administration Tuesday gave a strong endorsement to the Colombian government's plans to counter guerrillas and drug dealers. A senior U.S. official told a Senate caucus that the administration saw reasons for optimism about the South American country, where guerrillas control 40 percent of the territory and cocaine finances a vast alternative economy. Rand Beers, assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs, said the Colombian police were performing well and for the first time the Colombian military was committed to fighting the drug trade. Colombian President Andres Pastrana, after one troubled year in office, drew up a five-point national recovery plan expected to cost $7.5 billion over three years, up to $1.5 billion of which could come from the United States. Pastrana met President Clinton in New York Tuesday and will have meetings in Washington Wednesday with leaders of Congress, which would have to approve any U.S. aid money. ``There are reasons for optimism,'' Beers told the Senate caucus. ``In the Pastrana administration, the United States finally has a full and trustworthy partner.'' ``The Colombian National Police ... has continued its superb record of counternarcotics activity, reinforcing its image as one of the premier counternarcotics forces in the world. ``Now, for the first time, the CNP's (Colombian police's) committed to counternarcotics has been adopted by the Colombian armed forces,'' Beers added. Together the police and military have recently been able to inflict significant defeats on the guerrillas, who have thrived on drugs money and cooperate with drug dealers, he said. Inside the armed forces a ``cultural transformation'' is taking place as Defense Minister Luis Fernando Ramirez and Armed Forces Commander Fernando Tapias tackle a legacy of human rights abuses and impunity, he added. Beers was part of a high-level U.S. delegation that visited Colombia in August to assess the government's plans and see what it might need from the United States. He said despite the positive signs, the Colombian military still needed to improve its training, doctrine, organization and equipment to deal with the twin threat. >From the U.S. point of view, a major priority is to start operations against cocaine production in the southern province of Putumayo, which government aircraft that spray herbicides cannot reach because of the guerrilla presence, he added. ``As long as this region remains a sanctuary for traffickers, progress elsewhere will be undermined,'' he said. Beers said Pastrana's plan clearly implied U.S. funding. ''We are currently involved in discussions within the administration regarding how we can use existing authorities and funds to support counternarcotics operations, and whether new and additional resources might be required,'' he added. ``In Colombia, we have ... a leadership that regularly demonstrates the political will to execute the needed reforms and operations. Our challenge is to identify ways in which the U.S. government can assist and to assure that we deliver that assistance in a timely manner,'' he said. Colombia is already the third-largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid, after Israel and Egypt. It is receiving $287 million in aid this year and the U.S. drug czar, Gen. Barry McCaffrey, previously suggested Colombia and other countries in the region might need an extra $1 billion in emergency assistance. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea