DATE=6/6/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CLINTON-COLOMBIA (L)
NUMBER=2-263232
BYLINE=DAVID GOLLUST
DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: President Clinton is warning that democracy in
the Andean region could unravel if Congress does not
deliver on emergency anti-drug assistance his
administration has promised to Colombia. The
Colombian aid package is among several emergency
funding requests for the current fiscal year that
legislators have not yet approved. V-O-A's David
Gollust reports from the White House.
TEXT: Mr. Clinton is stepping up the verbal pressure
on Congress to complete work on the Colombian aid
package, warning that decades of hard-won progress
toward democratization in the region could be lost if
the United States fails to help confront the challenge
of drug traffickers.
Nearly one-billion dollars of the administration's
one-point-six-billion dollar aid package has become
stalled in the Senate, which has resisted approving
the funds on an emergency basis as sought by the White
House.
In a talk with reporters, Mr. Clinton used his
strongest language thus far to depict the consequences
of congressional inaction. He said democracy in
Colombia and neighboring states is under "great
stress," largely because of the drug trade, and that
elected governments might not withstand the challenge
without tangible U-S help:
/// Clinton Act ///
If it's a battle that we lose with the drug
traffickers, the price would not only be more
drugs on the streets in America, but also --
potentially -- de-stabilizing the entire Andean
region and the whole move we've seen these last
15 or 20 years toward democracy in South America
and throughout Latin America. It's very
troubling to me. And I think there are people
in the Congress -- I know there are in both
parties -- who strongly agree.
/// End Act ///
Mr. Clinton said if Congress does respond in a timely
fashion, it would send a clear signal of U-S support,
prompt other countries to contribute to Colombia's
national reconstruction program, and, in his words,
"change the entire psychology" of the drama unfolding
in the region.
The House of Representatives has actually approved
more drug-fighting money than the White House
requested, but there is considerable opposition in the
Senate, where some members fear the United States will
become a party to Colombia's long-running civil
conflict.
Mr. Clinton also urged approval of other supplemental
budget requests languishing in Congress, including
two-point-seven-billion dollars for supporting U-S
troops in Kosovo, and more than 200-million dollars
intended as "seed money" for an international debt
relief program for some of the world's poorest
countries. (Signed)
NEB/DAG/JP
06-Jun-2000 16:52 PM EDT (06-Jun-2000 2052 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
