Pubdate: Sat, 28 Jul 2001
Source: Daily Southtown (IL)
Copyright: 2001 Daily Southtown
Contact:  http://www.dailysouthtown.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/810
Author: Margarita Martinez

COLOMBIA SUSPENDS AERIAL ERADICATION OF DRUG CROPS

BOGOTA, Colombia - A Colombian court on Friday ordered a suspension 
of aerial eradication of drug crops using the chemical glyphosate, 
the main prong of a U.S.-backed counterdrug offensive in the South 
American country.

The ruling by a Bogota district court came in response to a petition 
by an organization representing Colombia's native Indian communities.

President Andres Pastrana said his legal experts were studying the 
ruling. He did not indicate whether he was ordering an immediate stop 
to the spraying against the plants used to make cocaine and heroin.

Addressing a news conference, Pastrana reiterated his government's 
official policy of spraying herbicides only against large-scale drug 
plantations and of inviting poor peasant farmers to join voluntary 
manual eradication programs.

But Indian groups, small farmers and environmentalist say that poor 
farmers' drug crops are also being wiped out by planes dumping 
herbicides and that the spraying is poisoning rivers and making 
people sick.

"As a provisional measure, all aerial fumigation with glyphosate is 
ordered suspended," the ruling said.

The court decision comes amid growing opposition in Colombia to 
herbicide use against drug crops and as Congress considers additional 
drug fighting aid for the country. Last year U.S. lawmakers approved 
a $1.3 billion package.

Washington is bankrolling the offensive against coca and poppy fields 
in Colombia. The aid program provides crop-dusting aircraft and 
escort helicopters that carry out spraying missions using glyphosate 
- - the main ingredient in the commonly used backyard fertilizers.

A court official, speaking on condition that he not be identified, 
emphasized that Friday's ruling was preliminary. He said it a more 
definitive verdict would be issued within 10 days.

The officials said the court would clarify as early as Monday whether 
the suspension applied to spraying in the entire country or only on 
Indian reservations. Judge Gilberto Reyes could not be reached for 
comment.

His ruling asked the government to respond within three days to a 
series of questions about the legal framework, precision and the 
possible health and environmental damage caused by the fumigation 
program against coca and poppy plantations.

Colombia is the world's leading producer of cocaine and a growing 
exporter of heroin to the United States and Europe.
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MAP posted-by: Kirk