Pubdate: Wed, 07 Feb 2001 Source: St. Petersburg Times (FL) Copyright: 2001 St. Petersburg Times Contact: 490 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Website: http://www.sptimes.com/ Forum: http://www.sptimes.com/Forums/ubb/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi Author: Paul de la Garza COLOMBIA IS CAUTIONED ON SEEKING BEIJING'S AID WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Colin Powell had words of caution Tuesday for war-plagued Colombia, saying President Andres Pastrana should tread carefully as Bogota turns to China for help in solving his nation's intractable problems. At a State Department news conference, Powell responded to a question about a column in Tuesday's St. Petersburg Times that said Colombia was courting China as it sought contributions to help fight the multibillion-dollar drug trade. Two weeks ago, Pastrana's chief of staff, Eduardo Pizano, traveled to Beijing and asked China for help in developing agriculture programs in northeastern Colombia. Asked if Bogota's invitation for a Chinese role in Colombia concerned him, in light of China's presence in neighboring Panama, Powell said no. Although he was unaware of Pizano's trip to China, he added, "I don't know why it would trouble me, especially if the Chinese have something to contribute." During a joint news conference with Robin Cook, the British foreign secretary, Powell said, "President Pastrana is free to seek advice where he finds it more useful." But, the secretary of state cautioned, "One always has to be careful that you're getting the advice you sought and nothing more, and I'm sure he will be careful." The Colombian Embassy in Washington had no comment. Since the United States turned the Panama Canal over to Panama in December 1999, some members of Congress have raised concerns about Chinese intentions in Latin America. A Hong Kong company with close ties to Beijing, Hutchison Whampoa, already operates ports at either end of the Panama Canal. Noting that the "Chinese presence in the Panama Canal has been written about and spoken of," Powell said, "I have not found that the so-called presence in the form of shipping companies and the like have created any danger, to the Panamanian people, the Panamanian government, or to the canal itself. "Our interests are served," he said. "So without knowing any more about it, I don't see a thing that should cause me any great distress." Pizano revealed his trip to Beijing during a conference last week in Miami on Plan Colombia, a $ 7.5-billion, world-funded program designed to help Colombia fight the drug war. Washington has contributed $ 1.3-billion toward Plan Colombia, mostly in military aid. Colombia has said it will need additional American aid. The drug trade in Colombia helps fuel a decades-old civil war, pitting Marxist rebels against right-wing death squads and a largely ineffective army. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D