WASHINGTON - President Bush is expected to approve the resumption of anti-drug surveillance flights in Colombia that result in the forcible grounding or destruction of planes suspected of smuggling narcotics, officials said Tuesday. This so called shoot-down policy in Colombia and Peru was suspended two years ago after a small plane flying over Peru was identified as suspicious and later shot down. An American missionary, Veronica Bowers, and her infant daughter, Charity, were killed in the crash. An inquiry by U.S. and Peruvian officials found that a disastrous series of mistakes, aggravated by language problems and procedural shortcuts, had caused the incident. Since then the Bush administration, which provides intelligence to those tracking the flights, has negotiated with Peru and Colombia to impose safeguards. [continues 163 words]
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 - With aggressive aerial spraying in the past year, antidrug forces in Colombia for the first time have reduced the amount of coca being cultivated in the Andean country, Bush administration officials said today. Land being used to grow coca - the raw material for cocaine - fell by 15 percent in 2002 to 356,791 acres, said the officials, who used satellite images to estimate production. The report comes as the administration's efforts in Colombia are coming under fresh scrutiny with the kidnapping of three Americans by leftist rebels on Feb. 13 after their plane crash-landed in the jungle. [continues 457 words]
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 - The Bush administration has concluded that Guatemala is deeply mired in corruption and no longer deserves to be listed among allies of the United States in the fight against drug trafficking, officials said today. In a letter to Congress, President Bush will "decertify" Guatemala's antidrug efforts but waive penalties because of the United States' own vital interests, the officials said. Although the move is mostly symbolic, it signals growing anger and frustration on the part of the Bush administration toward the government of President Alfonso Portillo. Mr. Portillo, who was elected in a landslide in 1999, has largely failed to stablize his government and curb corruption, undercutting cooperation with the United States. [continues 423 words]
Voters in 40 states weighed in on a wide array of citizen-backed ballot initiatives and referendums that sought fundamental changes in health care, drug policy, school programs and transportation. In Oregon, a plan to create a single statewide health plan for all residents appeared to be in trouble as the initiative's supporters conceded that they were likely to lose. The proposal would have replaced almost all public and private health care programs and individual health insurance, at a cost to state taxpayers of $1.7 billion in the first year. [continues 660 words]
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 - Voters in dozens of states will face a series of initiatives and referendums when they go to the polls next week, including proposals to expand after-school programs in California, abolish bilingual education in Massachusetts, decriminalize Nevadans' personal use of marijuana and, in Florida, set new guidelines for the confinement of pregnant pigs. Oregon has two of the most closely watched and intensely fought ballot initiatives. The more ambitious would provide comprehensive health care for all residents, with financing coming in part from new personal income and payroll taxes. A second measure would require labels identifying genetically engineered foods sold in the state. [continues 910 words]
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 -- The American-financed aerial destruction of coca crops in Colombia meets United States regulatory standards and does not endanger people or the environment, the State Department said today in a report to Congress. The department's antinarcotics bureau, which oversees the program, concluded that the herbicides used and the manner in which they are applied "do not pose unreasonable risks or adverse effects to humans or the environment." Advertisement That determination, which was immediately deplored by some environmental groups, could free money from Congress for an aggressive advance in the effort to eradicate coca at its source. The department has set a goal of killing up to 300,000 acres of coca this year, 30 percent more than last year. [continues 340 words]
WASHINGTON, - The American-financed aerial destruction of coca crops in Colombia meets United States regulatory standards and does not endanger people or the environment, the State Department said today in a report to Congress. The department's antinarcotics bureau, which oversees the program, concluded that the herbicides used and the manner in which they are applied "do not pose unreasonable risks or adverse effects to humans or the environment." That determination, which was immediately deplored by some environmental groups, could free money from Congress for an aggressive advance in the effort to eradicate coca at its source. The department has set a goal of killing up to 300,000 acres of coca this year, 30 percent more than last year. [continues 342 words]
Washington OVER the years, F.B.I. directors have shifted resources to confront the scourge at hand. In the 1970's, Clarence M. Kelley veered away from the fight against Communism and took on organized crime. A decade later, William H. Webster put the emphasis on counterintelligence. William S. Sessions ended his tumultuous tenure with a push against violent crime. But when F.B.I. Director Robert S. Mueller III recently announced that the bureau would double his counterterrorism staff, in part by transferring personnel from other areas, the professional group that represents most agents voiced fears that traditional crime-solving would suffer. "Please give us back those bodies," said Nancy L. Savage, president of the F.B.I. Agents Association, which represents about 70 percent of agents. [continues 911 words]
WASHINGTON, July 10 - Even as the Bush administration is trying to increase the aerial spraying of drug crops in Colombia with herbicides, an American law enacted in January threatens to disrupt the strategy and possibly even halt it. A little-noticed provision in the $15.4 billion spending measure for government operations abroad requires that the American-backed program to eradicate coca crops in Colombia must meet the same health and safety standards that would apply if the herbicides were being sprayed in the United States. [continues 945 words]
WASHINGTON, June 20 - Alvaro Uribe Velez, Colombia's president-elect, met with President Bush today and pledged to increase his country's commitment in the fight against drugs and terrorism, officials said. Mr. Uribe, a former governor overwhelmingly elected by a war-weary nation last month, asked administration officials for continued support and, specifically, help in weaning farmers from drug crops and patrolling regions that are currently beyond state control. Mr. Uribe was politely received by the administration, though one senior official cautioned that the new government must show that Colombians "are prepared to sacrifice in their own defense." [continues 571 words]
IN the late 1980's, Washington decided to make a priority of shutting off the pipeline of cocaine from Colombia, which provided 80 percent of the United States' supply. But Colombia - with a history of bloody conflict pitting a small population of rich against a huge population of poor - was mired in a decades-old civil war. American officials offered counternarcotics aid to the Colombian national police, but, worried about being sucked into "another Vietnam," stipulated that it not go to fighting guerrillas. There were always suspicions, however, that the line between the two wars was blurring, especially as both rebels and paramilimitary groups - created by landowners to protect their holdings - cut deals with drug traffickers. [continues 1096 words]
WASHINGTON The State Department reported today that Colombia is making progress in deterring human rights crimes by the armed forces and right-wing paramilitary groups, clearing the way for the release of $62 million in American military aid. The certification drew immediate criticism from human rights groups and was met with some skepticism in Congress. Lawmakers had established the procedure to curb abuses against civilians in Colombia, which is the third largest recipient of American aid. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell determined that the Colombian armed forces are suspending and prosecuting military officers implicated in human rights crimes, breaking links with paramilitary groups and capturing their leaders, his spokesman said. [continues 425 words]
WASHINGTON, May 1 - The State Department reported today that Colombia is making progress in deterring human rights crimes by the armed forces and right-wing paramilitary groups, clearing the way for the release of $62 million in American military aid. The certification drew immediate criticism from human rights groups and was met with some skepticism in Congress. Lawmakers had established the procedure to curb abuses against civilians in Colombia, which is the third largest recipient of American aid. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell determined that the Colombian armed forces are suspending and prosecuting military officers implicated in human rights crimes, breaking links with paramilitary groups and capturing their leaders, his spokesman said. [continues 424 words]
Harder Line Against Guerrillas Expected WASHINGTON -- With elections in Colombia a month away, the Bush administration expects the country's next president to take a harder line in the battle against guerrillas and narcotics traffickers and to dedicate more resources to the fight, administration officials say. The departure of President Andres Pastrana, who was thwarted in his main goal of negotiating a peace deal with the rebels, opens the door for a more aggressive leader as Colombians clamor for security, the officials say. [continues 557 words]
WASHINGTON, April 27 - With elections in Colombia a month away, the Bush administration expects the country's next president to take a harder line in the battle against guerrillas and narcotics traffickers and dedicate more resources to the fight, administration officials say. The departure of President Andres Pastrana, who was thwarted in his main goal of negotiating a peace deal with the rebels, opens the door for a more aggressive leader as Colombians clamor for security, the officials say. The United States is already preparing for a widening war in Colombia, where the government has been battling two leftist insurgencies with ties to drug trafficking and a right-wing paramilitary organization widely accused of human rights abuses tolerated by the Colombian military. [continues 651 words]
WASHINGTON, March 29 -- The State Department has concluded that its strategy to persuade peasant farmers in Colombia to replace their coca fields with legal crops is failing, administration officials said today. The alternative development strategy, for which Congress has allocated more than $50 million, has suffered from a lack of security in the coca-growing regions, a lack of follow-up by the Colombian government, and the difficulty of finding crops that can thrive in areas with poor soil, the officials said. [continues 343 words]
March 14 - The Bush administration plans to ask Congress to lift restrictions on American military aid to Colombia in order to help the government in Bogota fight leftist rebels, officials said today. If approved by lawmakers, the change would open a new front in Colombia for American military trainers and equipment by involving the United States directly in the fight against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. Until now, Congress has restricted the use of American aid to Colombia - which has totaled nearly $2 billion in recent years - to the struggle against narcotics traffickers. It has capped the number of American military personnel in the country to 400 and linked assistance to progress by the Colombian government in curbing human rights abuses within its armed forces. [continues 73 words]
WASHINGTON, March 2 -- The Bush administration hopes to use concern over terrorism to build support in Congress for direct aid to the Colombian government to fight leftist rebels, officials say. American policy makers have not decided how deeply they want to plunge into Colombia's fight against the country's main rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known by its Spanish acronym FARC. So far the American commitment has been to share intelligence and to rush spare parts to Colombia. [continues 877 words]
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- The government of Colombia said today that it had significantly reduced the amount of coca under cultivation through an aggressive, American-backed eradication campaign. But Washington is delaying the release of its own estimates, which have fueled disagreement between administration policy makers and C.I.A. analysts. The annual estimates of production of coca -- the raw material for cocaine - -- are important in determining the effectiveness of a strategy at the core of the United States' counternarcotics plan in the Andes in which Washington has invested more than $1.3 billion. [continues 406 words]
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 - The Bush administration plans to provide military intelligence to the Colombian government for its campaign against Marxist rebels and is rushing spare parts to the country's armed forces, officials said today. Administration lawyers were assembling legal arguments to justify the intelligence-sharing without running afoul of laws limiting American involvement in Colombia to fighting the narcotics trade, not guerrillas. "There are ways that we can support the government of Colombia in this matter very specifically within the current law," said Richard Boucher, the State Department spokesman. [continues 752 words]
