cannabisnews.com: U.S. May Send More Aid To Colombia U.S. May Send More Aid To Colombia Posted by FoM on August 31, 2001 at 15:23:24 PT By The Associated Press Source: Associated Press The first top-level Bush administration delegation to visit Colombia said Friday the United States may increase its military assistance to security forces battling drug trafficking but ruled out U.S. backing for counterinsurgency warfare. "President Pastrana's government is engaged in a struggle that matters to everyone in this hemisphere," said U.S. Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman. Beyond cutting the flow of cocaine and heroin to the United States, Grossman said Washington must support South America's second-most populous country because it is a "fellow democracy" with more than $11 billion in bilateral trade, including $3.5 billion worth of Colombian oil exports last year. Three years ago, President Andres Pastrana's handed the nation's largest rebel group - the 16,000-strong Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC - a huge chunk of territory as an incentive to negotiate an end to the country's 37-year war, which has been fueled by cocaine and heroin trafficking. Despite State Department criticism of rebel abuses in the safe haven, Grossman said the United States firmly supports peace talks between Pastrana's administration and the FARC. The three-day visit paved the way for a trip to Colombia next month by Secretary of State Colin Powell and comes as the Bush administration is assessing its policy toward Colombia. Senior U.S. government officials gave assurances during a breakfast with a small group of foreign correspondents that Washington was not considering providing purely counterinsurgency aid to the Colombian military. But the officials, who met with Pastrana on Wednesday, said more aid could be provided for Colombian troops who are tasked with attacking drug plantations and processing labs, which are guarded and taxed by the FARC and a right-wing paramilitary group, the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia. Under Plan Colombia, a $1.3 billion aid package passed by Congress during the Clinton administration, U.S. Green Berets have trained thousands of Colombian counternarcotics troops, and dozens of Huey and Blackhawk combat helicopters are being delivered. Critics call the aid a veiled counterinsurgency effort being fought under the guise of battling drugs - and one that could unsettle peace talks. U.S. officials insist rebels are not Washington's primary target, but acknowledge the aid also attempts to weaken them financially. "The (rebels and paramilitaries) are financed by drugs. We need somehow to cut off their ability to finance themselves," one of the senior U.S. officials said at the breakfast. Grossman called Colombian human rights monitors "courageous people," and urged the police and military to do a better job of protecting them. Dozens of human rights monitors have been assassinated in recent years, mostly by the paramilitaries. U.S. officials also acknowledged that assistance to human rights groups, to former coca farmers and for justice reform - the so-called soft side of U.S. aid for Plan Colombia - need to be implemented faster. Grossman defended the aerial fumigation of drug crops - the linchpin of the U.S.-backed drug eradication efforts. He said it was harmless and challenged critics to come up with independent scientific testing that would prove their claims that it is poisoning people and the environment. Source: Associated PressPublished: August 31, 2001Copyright: 2001 Associated PressRelated Articles & Web Site:Colombia Drug War Newshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/colombia.htmU.S. Backs Colombia's Embattled Pastrana on Peace http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10775.shtmlEconomics, Not Drugs, at Root of Colombian Warhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10767.shtmlMany Colombians Back Decriminalization http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10752.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by dddd on September 01, 2001 at 04:18:50 PT More world Class Excrement from the Ass. Press ....It dont get much better than this....How could it be any moreobvious that this article comes straight from the Ministry ofPropaganda?.........First off,,,there is NO AUTHOR,,,no one wrote it,,it wasjust a public service article from the Ass. Press' special"Friends of The People Division"..No one takes credit forwriting it,because it's a group effort to allow the public toremain well informed,and up to date on what's really going on.The article opens with this gem;....>"The first top-level Bush administration delegation to visit Colombia said Friday the United States may increase its military assistance to security forces battling drug trafficking but ruled out U.S. backing for counterinsurgency warfare. "..Yes,,it was the Bush delegation who broke the story!,,,"Top Level",,,And they "may",increasemilitary assistance to,"security forces battling drug trafficking but ruled out U.S. backing for counterinsurgency warfare. "....Well ,,,it's good to know that they will have nothing to do withany of that "counterinsurgency warfare".,,,because that would be wrong!,,,nope,,no backing willgo towards any of that stuff,,these Top Level people will make sure of that!malignant and crass absurdity!......You know,,,I think that a great deal of the problems with our farce of a federal government,couldbe solved quite effectively with one simple national voter initiative.The special national ballot wouldhave just one simple question,,and it would be;"Should The Federal Government Be Required To Account For All Tax Money Spent With A Yearly Audit?"...Check One...Yes___ No____What a novel idea....it couldnt be more simple and elementary,,,how could anyone argue against it?How many citizens,or sheeple would check the "No" box?.......Ahhh,,It would probably never work,,,they'd just pull a Florida on the whole country,and then the Supreme Court would decide it was not Constitutional for the people to have that information because it would violate the Fourth Ammendment rights of the federal government,and intrude on its privacy. Did anyone get to see the disturbing Waco style barbeque down here in L.A. yesterday?...I still am in shock,,,,it was another blatant incineration,brought to us by those wonderful people at the ATF.It seems rather obvious that they are no longer concerned with what anyone thinks,,,and I'm afraid it's a harbinger of things to come.........dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Charlie on August 31, 2001 at 18:24:18 PT Critics He said it was harmless and challenged critics to come up with independent scientific testing that would prove their claims that it is poisoning people and the environment. Any photo journalist out there? Stick it to him......including $3.5 billion worth of Colombian oil exports last year. 'bout sums it up. Didn't we go to war for another oil rich country in recent history although one that isn't a 'fellow democracy'... [ Post Comment ] Post Comment