Pubdate: Wed, 12 Jan 2000 Source: Orange County Register (CA) Copyright: 2000 The Orange County Register Contact: P.O. Box 11626, Santa Ana, CA 92711 Fax: (714) 565-3657 Website: http://www.ocregister.com/ Section: News Page: 20 Author: Frank Davies, Knight Ridder Newspapers AID PROPOSED TO WAGE DRUG WAR Narcotics: Questions Still Linger, Though, About $1.2 Billion For Colombia WASHINGTON -- The Clinton administration on Tuesday proposed a massive infusion of aid to Colombia,totaling $1.3 billion in the next two years, to cripple drug production and smuggling and shore up a government besieged by guerrilla attacks and economic woes. "Strengthening stability and democracy in Colombia, and fighting the drug trade there, is in our fundamental national interest," said President Clinton. "We must and we will intensify this vital work." Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and drug czar Barry McCaffrey described the aid package as a "good mix" of military, security and economic assistance. They also defended it as a necessary part of the drug war in the United States. "This will not just benefit the 36 million people of Colombia, but American children," said McCaffrey. "We are experiencing an explosion of cocaine and heroin from Colombia flowing to the 4.1 million Americans addicted to drugs." The biggest component in the aid proposal would help the Colombian military and national police take the offensive against narco-traffickers and guerrilla groups that control about 40 percent of the country, especially in the southern region. That's where coca production has almost doubled in the past two years. About $600 million in the next two years would help train and equip two more special anti-drug military units to join a battalion that is about to begin operations. The aid package includes 30 Blackhawk helicopters and 18 more Huey copters to make these units more mobile. Albright also pledged that aid would not go to military units implicated in human-rights abuses, and that the assistance is targeted at drug traffickers, not insurgents - a difficult distinction in a messy civil conflict where they often work together. "This is not a counter-insurgency program," said Albright. "This is a counter-narcotics program." Republican leaders on Capitol Hill have chided the administration for foot-dragging in preparing the aid package, which was requested by Colombian officials last summer. Two GOP senators proposed their own aid plan in the fall. But those two senators were generally supportive Tuesday. Michael DeWine of Ohio said: "I finally welcome the White House plan to provide timely and needed assistance. There is simply too much at stake not to take action." Administration officials said the aid plan was worked out in detail with President Andres Pastrana, whose $7.5 billion Plan Colombia seeks significant help from the United States, European nations and international agencies. They also said Tuesday's announcement might give Pastrana more leverage in his efforts to negotiate with guerrilla groups. McCaffrey emphasized the importance of aid to farmers in Colombia to wean them off of coca production. Such programs, along with crop eradication, have scored major successes in Bolivia and Peru, but also pushed more of the drug production into southern Colombia. Colombia already receives about $150 million a year in aid, ranking behind only Israel and Egypt as an aid recipient. But U.S. officials said the big boost in aid would not lead to an increase in U.S. forces. There are about 130 U.S. military and security personnel in Colombia, many of them involved in training programs. Several organizations that monitor human rights warned Tuesday that the Clinton proposal was too heavily weighted toward military and security aid, citing links between the Colombian military and paramilitary groups that have committed massacres. "U.S. military aid to Colombia is tantamount to underwriting the Colombian 'dirty war,'" said Carlos Salinas of Amnesty International. - --- MAP posted-by: Eric Ernst