DATE=9/2/2000
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=LATAM SUMMIT-COLOMBIA
NUMBER=5-46962
BYLINE=BILL RODGERS
DATELINE=BRASILIA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
///EDS: SPANISH ACT IN BUBBLE///
INTRO: The topic of Colombia's drug and guerrilla war
dominated the just-concluded South American summit in
the Brazilian capital - even though the issue was not
on the formal agenda of the two-day meeting. As VOA's
Bill Rodgers reports from Brasilia, the leaders of 12
South American nations refused to endorse the American
component of Colombia's anti-drug strategy - known as
Plan Colombia.
TEXT: The Brasilia summit opened one day after
President Clinton visited Cartagena, Colombia on
Wednesday to meet with President Andres Pastrana and
express Washington's support for Plan Colombia. As
envisioned by Mr. Pastrana, the multi-billion dollar
plan would not only target drug trafficking, but also
promote economic and social development in Colombia.
Under this strategy, peasant farmers would be given
alternatives to growing illicit crops -- and the social
conditions that gave rise to Colombia's guerrilla
conflict would be alleviated.
The United States is contributing one-point-three
billion dollars to Plan Colombia. But most of the aid
is in the form of military assistance to support
Colombia's military and police offensive against the
drug traffickers and the guerrilla groups that benefit
from the drug trade.
It is this American support for the military component
of Plan Colombia that raised concerns among the leaders
attending the Brasilia summit. Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez expressed fears the aid will cause the
Colombian conflict to escalate, and become another
Vietnam war.
As for Plan Colombia, Mr. Chavez gave it qualified
support.
///CHAVEZ SPANISH ACT///
We support Plan Colombia, he said, as long as it leads
to peace.
This view was reflected in a document signed Friday by
the 12 leaders. The statement limited itself to
expressing support for President Pastrana's efforts to
negotiate a peaceful end to the guerrilla conflict -
but did not mention Plan Colombia by name.
Despite this, President Pastrana welcomed the
statement, telling reporters he viewed it as a vote of
confidence for Plan Colombia. He went on to emphasize
his commitment to seek peace in Colombia.
///PASTRANA SPANISH ACT///
He said: we are committed to a reconciliation process
through dialogue to reach peace with the rebels - and
to combat drugs as the common enemy of us all.
//OPT// Suriname's President Ronald Venetiaan, whose
nation does not border Colombia, agreed with Mr.
Pastrana on the need to combat drugs.
///VENETIAAN ACT///
It's not a question of having concerns that
activities may spill over into Suriname but that
Colombian activities in the field of drug
trafficking are very much influencing the
situation in Suriname where there is a direct
line from Paramaribo to Amsterdam.
///END ACT - END OPT///
Yet the concern over growing U-S involvement in
Colombia was evident at the Brasilia summit. Latin
American expert Mauricio Font of the City University of
New York, who was in Brasilia this week, says this
concern should not come as a surprise.
///FONT ACT///
You would expect some statements to the effect
that the U-S should not be too directly involved
in the affairs in the region, and I think
Colombia was the one issue that served to signal
that position. I think the statesmen in the
region realize that Colombia is a very serious
matter and that something has to be done. There
is worry about a direct U-S role and I think
that's healthy and I think there should be debate
and I think the main statement perhaps emerging
out of that position that whatever happens from
this point on ought to be multilateral, in terms
of the region, and I think that's very healthy in
terms of the U-S and Latin America.
///END ACT///
But a multilateral approach to Colombia involving its
neighbors is still far off. The message the 12 South
American leaders sent in Brasilia was that they
continue to have deep reservations about President
Clinton's plan to help Colombia. In effect, the
leaders rebuffed the notion that Colombia's problems
will be resolved by increasing military aid to that
troubled nation. (Signed) neb/wfr
NEB/PT
02-Sep-2000 15:31 PM EDT (02-Sep-2000 1931 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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