HTTP/1.0 200 OK Content-Type: text/html
Pubdate: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 Source: BBC News (UK Web) Copyright: 2001 BBC Feedback: http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking_point/ Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/ Forum: http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking_point/forum/ COLOMBIAN GOVERNORS DECRY COCA HERBICIES Four regional governors from Colombia, on a visit to Washington, have sharply criticised an American-backed aerial offensive to eradicate thousands of hectares of illegal coca and poppy plantations. At a news conference, the governors called for a different approach in the fight against the illegal drugs trade, saying that the herbicides currently being used were harmful to public health and the environment. They said spraying merely displaced thousands of coca growers to other areas and contributed to the country's internal conflict. The US has defended the use of defoliants in tackling drug production in Colombia, which is the world's leading supplier of cocaine. From the newsroom of the BBC World Service - --- MAP posted-by: Terry F