Pubdate: Sat, 12 Jan 2002 Source: The Post and Courier (SC) Copyright: 2002 Evening Post Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.charleston.net/index.html Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/567 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) COLOMBIA'S LAST CHANCE FOR PEACE President Andres Pastrana has made a last bid for peace, giving Marxist guerrillas a 48-hour ultimatum: "Negotiate or I'll send in the army." But his initiative is probably too late. The United States must prepare for a possible military showdown between the government and guerrillas in the beleaguered South American country. President Pastrana, who has only 6? months of his term left, with presidential elections due in three months, brought failure on his own head. He gave the Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, a safe haven, granting them a state within a state. Instead of using the territory, which is the size of Switzerland, to negotiate without clashing with the Colombian army and police, the FARC guerrillas exploited President Pastrana's generosity. The free zone became a holding area for thousands of kidnap victims held while the guerrillas awaited payment of millions of dollars in ransom. Within the territory, the FARC provided protection for the narcotics cartels, which have been producing cocaine and heroin. The sanctuary has allowed the FARC to acquire considerable wealth from its kidnapping and drug earnings and equip themselves with modern weapons. As he has done so many times in the past, President Pastrana gave the guerrillas a deadline to come to the negotiating table, but then allowed it to pass without acting. In any case, the time limit for the free zone is due to expire on Jan. 20, and the army has been making preparation to move into the area the FARC now considers its own sovereign territory. Barring a miracle, Colombia's 40-year-long civil war seems likely to enter a new and more violent stage. The United States' $1.4 billion aid package to help Colombia eradicate drugs was criticized because it was largely destined for the Colombian military, for training and modern weapons and equipment. But, should it come to a showdown, that investment in the military will be necessary. Critics of President Pastrana have argued from the start that the only way to bring the FARC to the table is to negotiate from a position of military strength. The left-wing insurgencies in the Central American countries did not end until the guerrillas realized that they could not win by military means. The failure of President Pastrana's generous overtures to the FARC suggests that negotiating from strength is also the best formula to bring peace to Colombia. - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl