Pubdate: Fri, 12 Jan 2001
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune (MN)
Copyright: 2001 Star Tribune
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Author: Ken Guggenheim, Associated Press Writer

DESPITE RIGHTS CONCERNS, CLINTON LIKELY TO CLEAR AID FOR COLOMBIA

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Despite objections from human rights advocates, 
President Clinton is expected to clear the way next week for the release of 
the remaining money in a $1.3 billion Colombian anti-drug aid package.

" The president has supported Plan Colombia and you can expect that he will 
continue to support Plan Colombia, " said National Security Council 
spokesman P.J. Crowley.

In a report issued Friday, human rights groups urged Clinton to block the 
aid, saying Colombia has failed to meet any of the rights requirements set 
out by Congress.

The groups fear that Clinton will invoke a national security waiver to 
bypass the conditions -- as he did in August when he allowed most of the 
package' s money to go through.

" We' re pretty certain these conditions will be waived. That' s the 
message we' ve been hearing, " said Andrew Miller of Amnesty International, 
which issued the report together with Human Rights Watch and the Washington 
Office on Latin America.

What' s at stake is a relatively small part of the $1.3 billion package. 
Rights groups estimate about $100 million is left. Neither Crowley nor 
State Department officials could provide a precise figure.

Most of the package was for the last fiscal year, providing Colombia with 
helicopters and other military equipment to fight leftist guerrillas who 
partly finance their insurgency by protecting coca fields and cocaine 
laboratories.

Because of concerns about Colombian army links to paramilitaries blamed for 
most of the country' s massacres, Congress set six conditions -- five 
related to human rights -- that Colombia had to meet before the money could 
be spent.

But Congress allowed the president to waive these conditions on national 
security grounds. In August, Clinton waived five conditions and certified 
only one: that Colombia' s president has directed that soldiers accused of 
rights violations be tried in civilian courts.

Miller and George Vickers, executive director of the Washington Office on 
Latin America, said they expect one more condition will be certified: the 
deployment of a judge advocate general corps to investigate military 
misconduct. They expect the other conditions will be waived.

" It sends a p.r. message that will be played very widely in Colombia: That 
the president of the United States says that they are making progress in 
human rights concerns, when in fact nothing substantively has changed and 
in fact some things have gotten worse, " Vickers said.

Crowley said Clinton will act on the Colombian aid before his term ends 
next Saturday, but he said no decision has been made about how he will 
address the rights conditions.

On Thursday, two Democratic senators called on Clinton not to use the 
waiver again.

" The Colombian military has still not taken the firm clear steps necessary 
to remove human rights abusers from its ranks or to ensure that its 
personnel are not linked to paramilitary organizations, " Paul Wellstone of 
Minnesota and Tom Harkin of Iowa said in a letter to Clinton.

On the Net:

State Department on Colombia aid:
http://www.state.gov/www/regions/wha/colombia/index.html

Center for International Policy, which opposes the aid:
http://www.ciponline.org/colombia/aid/
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MAP posted-by: GD