Pubdate: Sat, 05 Aug 2000 Source: New York Times (NY) Copyright: 2000 The New York Times Company Contact: 229 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036 Fax: (212) 556-3622 Website: http://www.nytimes.com/ Forum: http://www10.nytimes.com/comment/ Author: Marc Lacey CLINTON PLANS A DAY TRIP TO BOLSTER COLOMBIA EDGARTOWN, Mass., Aug. 4 -- President Clinton will make a one-day trip to Colombia this month to support its struggle against narcotics and spotlight the $1.3 billion aid package that Congress approved last month, the White House said today. "Colombia's success is profoundly in the interest of the United States," Mr. Clinton said in a statement released here today after he had arrived on Martha's Vineyard with his wife and daughter for several days of vacation and political fund-raising events. "A peaceful, democratic and economically prosperous Colombia will help promote democracy and stability throughout the hemisphere." The package proposed by Mr. Clinton and passed by the House and Senate will equip and train military units assigned to fight cocaine traffickers, who supply an estimated 90 percent of the cocaine that enters the United States. Along with 18 Blackhawk helicopters and 42 Huey 2 helicopters to ferry anti-drug forces, the package includes money to promote judicial reform, human rights protection and economic development. The money did not clear Congress without controversy. Opponents complained that much of the money went to the Colombian Army, which has been accused of human rights abuses, and that the United States might be dragged into an internal conflict in which it is sometimes difficult to separate drug traffickers from antigovernment guerrillas. To highlight the bipartisan nature of the aid, Mr. Clinton will travel with lawmakers of both parties, including House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Republican of Illinois, and Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., Democrat of Delaware. An administration official said Mr. Clinton's visit on Aug. 30 was meant to show solidarity with President Andres Pastrana, who is fighting economic woes as well as drug traffickers, leftist guerrillas and rightist paramilitary units. The trip will follow a similar mission to Nigeria to support Olusegun Obasanjo, the first democratically elected president there in 16 years. An administration official involved in the Colombia efforts said that much of the money would go to southern Colombia, the region with the most coca fields. "You're going to have counternarcotics battalions of the army going in and helping to secure these fields," the official said, "and you're going to have police going in and helping to dismantle laboratories and to eradicate the coca production." Officials said security would be a top priority on the trip. Mr. Clinton will not remain overnight in Colombia but will fly from Washington and return that evening. In announcing the visit, the White House noted that Colombia has one of the highest homicide and kidnapping rates and is a dangerous working environment for American officials and other citizens. - --- MAP posted-by: Don Beck