Pubdate: 23 Aug 1999 Source: Associated Press Copyright: 1999 Associated Press Author: Any Cabrera, Associated Press Writer Related: http://www.mapinc.org/latin.htm DRUG CHIEF WARNS OF COLOMBIA COCAINE The White House's drug policy chief warned Monday that Colombia faces a "giant threat" because of cocaine production. Gen. Barry McCaffrey said that production in Colombia sparked economic and security problems and hindered government talks with leftist guerillas, adding the problem had worsened in the last four years. But the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said there was "absolutely zero" chance of direct U.S. involvement in the region. "Our vision is that the United States must be prepared to provide resources, equipment, training and intelligence but the most important thing is to provide political support," McCaffrey said at a news conference in Brazil, the first stop on a four-nation visit to Latin America. McCaffrey met Monday with Brazil's President Fernando Henrique Cardoso and security officials to discuss combating drug trafficking. He will travel on to Argentina, Peru and Bolivia to do the same. His tour precedes a November summit of 34 nations from the Americas with the aim of developing a program of cooperation against drugs. McCaffrey said cocaine consumption in the United States had declined 70 percent fall over the last decade, prompting traffickers to seek new markets in Europe and Asia. He said Brazil becoming a shipment route for those markets. - --- MAP posted-by: Thunder