Even so, the measure paid for up to 300 private military contractors, from American companies like MPRI and Dyncorp, to help fumigate coca fields and train Colombia's military — but they were barred from engaging in battles against leftist guerrillas.

In this year's version, that could change.

Buried deep in the massive foreign aid bill are a couple of innocuous sounding sentences, that once-translated, some in Congress find shocking.

What the provisions would do is give the White House the unrestricted ability to send unlimited numbers of private military personnel, or mercenaries, into Colombia, and for the first time ever allow them to take part in the fighting.

"What it means is, 'We're getting into the war baby,'" said Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., whose staff uncovered what he calls a "sneaky" attempt to escalate the war without anyone noticing.

"This whole plan was sold as a way of containing the war, but then we let in all of our friends and ex-military, they can bring in all the weapons they want," he said.

Republican Congressman Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., added the provisions, and says it's not about military involvement.

"Nobody's talking about them being armed or being mercenaries or going out in the field," he said. "It's for their personal safety, just for carrying their own side arms basically."

Conyers points out that was always allowed. He is sponsoring an amendment to strike the new provisions.

Conyers complaint is not the first criticism of Plan Colombia. Some opposed it because of its focus on crop eradication and interdiction rather than giving more attention to promoting alternative crops.

It was supposed to combine military training and eradication efforts with efforts to push such crops. But a House committee report found that "by March 2000, not one grain of rice, nor one seed, had been delivered to communities that had agreed to voluntary eradication."

Others were worried that the United States would become involved in the 37-year-old civil war in Colombia, in which both right-wing paramilitaries and left-wing guerrillas are linked to the drug trade.

The bill required that Colombia, long criticized for its poor human rights record, make specific improvements before it received the money. The State Department last year found that despite a few advances, Colombia had not met the requirements. But President Clinton, citing national security reasons, waived those requirements.

The White House said it would look at the rights record again in 2001. But early this year, the outgoing Clinton administration opted not to issue a formal report on the matter.

The Plan Colombia legislation caps the number of U.S. troops to be used in Colombia at 500, but the president can waive that limitation for up to 90 days if "the Armed Forces of the United States are involved in hostilities or that imminent involvement by the Armed Forces of the United States in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances."

Even before Plan Colombia, there were U.S. troops in Colombia—and U.S. casualties. In July 1999, five U.S. soldiers died in a plane crash while conducting reconnaissance for anti-drug efforts.

According to another Colombia bill introduced in the 107th Congress by an opponent of U.S. involvement, American contractors were involved in a firefight with FARC rebels in February. Three U.S. personnel have died there since 1997 while flying planes used to spray drug crops.

Last month, Colombian investigators asked to question three American contractors who may have witnessed or participated in a 1998 massacre of 17 civilians by the Colombian military.

Analysts have expected the Bush administration to take a tougher line in Colombia. Robert Zoellick, the president's trade representative, said in a December speech that the U.S. "cannot continue to make a false distinction between counterinsurgency and counternarcotics efforts" there.

* Democrat Charges Foreign Aid Bill Would Allow Combat In Colombia
* U.S. Has Hundreds Of Contractors Helping Local Anti-Drug Efforts
* Narcotics Trade Occurs Amid Colombia's Bloody Civil War

By The Numbers

The $1.3 billion, two-year U.S. aid package adds to $330 million in previously approved assistance.

Colombian Army:

$390 million to train and equip two Colombian army battalions for anti-drug actions
$208 million for 16 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters
$60 million for 30 UH-1H Huey helicopters

Police:

$115.6 million for two Blackhawk helicopters and 12 UH-1H Hueys

Economic development:

$81 million for alternative crops

Drug interdiction:

$130 million, more than half of which goes to the U.S. Customs Service to upgrade drug-tracking planes. The package also provides assistance for refugees of Colombian civil war. - Source: Reuters

Source: CBS News
Author: Cynthia Bowers, CBS News Correspondent
Published: July 18, 2001
Copyright: MMI, CBS Worldwide Inc.
Website: http://cbsnews.com/

Related Articles & Web Site:

Colombia Drug War News
http://freedomtoexhale.com/colombia.htm

Plan Columbia Broadens
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10335.shtml

DynCorp's Drug Problem
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10211.shtml

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mr. hutchinson will realize soon that he has moved up the
line to the gallows(only the finest hempen rope used) by
several hundred thousand places...

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ddddisgusted....inddeedd

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.....dddd

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Glad I'm past draft age!

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It's too bad that a religion that teaches tolerance and
humility has been twisted into excuses for intolerance
and arrogance.

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Not all Christians are anti-marijuana. In fact, many Christians view weed as just another one of God's plants and are sick and tired of the government's bulls**t WoD.


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Yes, indeed; bring on the antis. I fear my carving skills may be a tad rusty from disuse.

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Cannabisnews needs the Franceses and Neils of the
world (well... maybe more Frances than Neil). They
keep us on our toes and our arguments fresh. Who will
be the next brave anti to venture, bible in hand and
crucifix aloft, into our den of reefer depravity??

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Amazing.


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Here is an example of where I have left some links to cnews:
http://messages.yahoo.com/bbs?.mm=FN&action=m&board=7081838&tid=xon&sid=7081838&mid=22265
(sorry about the page width of these links, don't know how to adjust them)
I'll lay off, maybe, if you think you would rather not have all these links posted; but there are streets that you know too. Meanwhile,
ZAP!
'Carlos'


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this is starting to look like a cyberpunk introduction; private international corporations get the green light to send "armed operatives" to "defend" themselves on a third world country. The only benefitiaries are the private corporations who will continue to get fat off the war.

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Can't they see thisa is how vietnam started, as a war on comunism. History does repeat itself.

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Alice would feel right at home in this DrugWar Looking Glass.

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...it wont be long till the world comes to a catastrophic abrupt halt.....Nostroddddmus

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