Pubdate: Fri, 05 Oct 2001
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2001 The New York Times Company
Contact:  http://www.nytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298
Section: International
Author: Juan Forero

CULTURE MINISTER'S KILLING ADDS TO COLOMBIAN LEADER'S PROBLEMS

With Colombians outraged over the rebel killing of a beloved musical 
figure, President Andres Pastrana is facing what may be his most difficult 
decision since he embarked on a peace effort, whether to continue 
negotiations with a guerrilla group reviled by most Colombians.

Mr. Pastrana has given himself until Tuesday to decide whether to let the 
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia remain in control of a swath of land 
that his government ceded as an inducement to begin talks three years ago. 
Although he has extended the rebels' hold on the land before, his 
government is facing mounting opposition since the killing last weekend of 
Consuelo Araujo, 62, an energetic promoter of Colombian music and a former 
culture minister whom the rebels had kidnapped.

A poll published on Tuesday in El Tiempo, the largest newspaper in the 
country, said 61 percent of respondents agreed that the peace effort should 
end in light of the killing. Just 23 percent said they believed that the 
talks should continue. The execution-style killing touched an emotional 
chord among Colombians, who have grown accustomed to brutal acts after 
decades of civil conflict.

An emotional candlelight vigil in Ms. Araujo's hometown, Valledupar, drew 
thousands of people who mourned the death of a woman who was a close friend 
of Gabriel Garcia- Marquez, the Nobel Prize-winning writer, and the wife of 
the inspector general of Colombia. In Bogota, Congress suspended regular 
sessions.

"There is no respect for life, for the law, for free movement," said Lina 
Beltran, 37, a teacher in the capital who said talks should be called off. 
"Pastrana is a weak president, and the only thing he looks for is to 
maintain a demilitarized zone, so he can say, `I tried.' "

Experts and politicians are calling for the antiterrorism effort being 
waged by Washington to include the rebel force, known as FARC, as a target. 
Although many experts said they did not believe that the Bush 
administration would move directly against the rebels, military officials, 
conservative members of Congress and many people from the upper classes are 
apparently hoping that Washington, already bankrolling a $1.1 billion 
antidrug program in Colombia, will become even more heavily involved.

"I think many of the people in the Colombian society who are tired of the 
peace process see an advantage in America's war on terrorism," said Michael 
Gold-Biss, a Colombia expert at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.

After the terrorist attacks on the United States, the army placed an ad in 
El Tiempo that showed towns leveled in rebel offensives and issued a report 
about the high number of foreigners kidnapped by the rebels. Army 
officials, who usually refer to the rebel force as "narcoguerrillas" or 
bandits, have made sure to refer to the rebels as terrorists.

For Mr. Pastrana, the situation is dire. A poll released on Monday showed 
that 87 percent of Colombians believed that he had failed to accomplish 
what he had promised. Some Colombians said they were displeased with Mr. 
Pastrana's response since Ms. Araujo's death. In brief remarks after her 
body was found, he denounced the killing and said he would evaluate the 
peace talks.

"How can it occur to him to only say that he will evaluate the process?" 
Jaime Barretto, 34, a lawyer in Bogota, asked. "Does he think that will do 
some sort of harm to the FARC? The country is tired because the guerrillas 
and the paramilitaries do what they want, and no one says anything."
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