U.S. Department of State
Daily Press Briefing
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1999
Briefer: JAMES P. RUBIN
| COLOMBIA | |
| 5-7&9 | US aid and assistance / President Pastrana's visit to US /Counterinsurgency assistance |
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
DPB #121
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1999, 12:43 P.M.
(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)
...................
QUESTION: Can you talk about this package of aid that's being prepared to Colombia. The Times reported $1 billion to $1.5 billion as the figure.
MR. RUBIN: Let me say that we have made no decisions on
what and whether to ask Congress for more assistance for Colombia.
We have been undergoing a comprehensive policy review, to ensure
that we develop the most effective strategy to deal with the myriad
problems Colombia faces: not only the drug problem, but the crime
problem, the economic problems and the human rights violations.
That is an ongoing process. Colombian officials have begun to
consult with us on their strategy, and we are continuing to work
with them. As you know, Secretary Albright made a very strong
point of this publicly: that Colombia's problems are real; that
they affect the region as a whole; that we need to have a regional
solution to them; that we need to deal with all the problems in
their interrelationship, and not focus exclusively on one particular
problem, such as the drug problem.
As a result of her interest in the subject and concern about the
fate of Colombia, Ambassador Pickering, Under Secretary Pickering,
has visited there, and has been leading in efforts in this building
to develop and work with the Colombians, as they develop their
comprehensive strategy. There has been no decision about what,
if any, additional resources the US government would provide,
because that is premature at this point. First, we have to develop
the objectives and agree on the strategy, and then one can make
decisions about the financial or budgetary implications of any
new strategy.
Of primary focus of whatever assistance we developed would be
to counter the production and trafficking of illegal drugs. At
the same time, we will continue to advance other interests in
Colombia. We've been discussing this problem with the Colombian
government for some time. We've assisted them in developing a
comprehensive, integrated strategy to deal with this problem.
That is a Colombian strategy. We would expect more about that
strategy to be discussed publicly in the coming weeks, and certainly
a big piece of this puzzle is not only the drugs, but the peace
process, the human rights violations, the crime problems, and
the human rights problems.
So that is where we stand. This reminds me of the situation that
arises when reports develop about some contingency plan for the
use of force, and you ask me about it, and I have to tell you
that it's only prudent that our Pentagon colleagues would be making
contingency plans for any number of military options, because
that's their job, and that if we weren't having contingency planning
for a particular military option, then we wouldn't be doing our
job.
Similarly, it is appropriate for officials on the diplomacy side,
and at the State Department and elsewhere, to have contingency
planning for different options if any particular option is chosen.
There's a big difference, however, between contingency planning
for particular options, and them being a real option before the
government. There are no options before the President or the Secretary
for a financial aid package for Colombia. That is premature, and
sometimes these things get ahead of themselves.
QUESTION: But, nevertheless, discussions about an aid package
are underway, correct?
MR. RUBIN: Well, again, we give aid to Colombia every year.
QUESTION: Well, I know that, but -
MR. RUBIN: And every year, we discuss the plans for the
upcoming budget year, because that's how you develop a budget,
is discussing an aid package.
QUESTION: Right.
MR. RUBIN: What I'm suggesting to you is that we and the
Colombians have not -
QUESTION: Wait -- maybe I can -
MR. RUBIN: Let me just finish. We and the Colombians have
not developed a particular strategy that yields a particular budgetary
result.
QUESTION: So -
MR. RUBIN: So any suggestion that we, the United States,
now have a new plan for a multi-billion-dollar aid package is
premature.
QUESTION: But what I was trying to get out was: Is it wrong
of that report -- in the report -- that what is being considered
is $1 billion to $1.5 billion?
MR. RUBIN: As I indicated to you, there is no option before
the Secretary or the President -
QUESTION: I'm not suggesting there is an option. I'm just
asking if that's a range of what's being considered, or you don't
want to say.
MR. RUBIN: That is highly premature, because what is being
considered is what we, the United States, and the Colombians,
themselves, should be doing and what kinds of work should they
be doing; and before we agree on that, it would be strange, indeed,
for us to begin to have a consideration of numbers, especially
numbers of that magnitude.
QUESTION: OK, I've got one more question and this is a
subject of some debate between - very short debate between myself
and George, who is of the opinion that there was actually some
news in this story and I was of the opinion that there was not.
However, George was under the impression that it said that he
believed there was news in it because it indicated a shift away
from counter-narcotics, or at least a movement away from the counter-narcotics
aid toward a more counter-insurgency type thing.
QUESTION: You're misquoting me altogether.
MR. RUBIN: Oh. Well, I think I should turn the floor over
to George. In fairness, George, do you have any comment on your
colleague's question?
QUESTION: I'll take the question.
MR. RUBIN: You'll take the question?
QUESTION: Anyway, regardless of who thought what or whatever
it is, is it in what's being discussed, any kind of shift in the
-
MR. RUBIN: Let me say this. If you take a look at Secretary
Albright's op-ed on this subject, she pointed out the interconnectedness
of the drug problem, the peace process that is failing, and the
crime and economic problems in Colombia, and said that any rational
approach to dealing with the drug problem, or to Colombia as a
whole, has to deal with all of these issues, and not the drug
problem alone
So, as we are undergoing a comprehensive review of the Colombia
issue -- including, I expect the Secretary to have some consultations
with outside experts in the coming day or so -- she will be focused
on all aspects of the problem, and that any strategy that we want
to participate in will be one that focuses on all aspects of the
problem and their interrelationship. To that extent, I think it
is fair to say that it is new, because during the previous presidency,
we did not do any business with the previous President of Colombia,
and thus limited our involvement to the work on counter-narcotics.
As we've focused on the recent weeks on the concern the Secretary
has about the future of Colombia, we are trying to put in place
a strategy that deals with all elements, and, therefore, that
is, by your standard, new.
QUESTION: OK, so you're saying that there is some consideration,
then, as we move towards establishing a new aid package to not
entirely focus on counter-narcotics, but also to get involved
somehow in the counter-insurgency.
MR. RUBIN: Absolutely not. I said nothing about the counterinsurgency,
and let me repeat, that our assistance is focused on the counter-drug
efforts. We do not intend to provide counterinsurgency aid to
the Government of Colombia. Any support to the Colombian military
will continue to be focused on the common counter-drug objectives,
and will be given only to units that have been vetted for any
indication of human rights abuse.
What I'm suggesting is that Colombia is a complicated place that's
going through a number of difficult problems. And as one seeks
to deal with the drug problem, as well as the peace process, as
well as the rising crime, as well as the falling economy, you
have to put all of those into your discussion, and not isolate
out one problem, if you want to achieve success in either that
problem or the whole panoply of problems.
So the long and the short of it is that Colombian President Pastrana
is developing a strategy. We've been working very closely with
him in his efforts. We've been briefed on a number of aspects
of his strategy, and as we develop a consensus in our government
around what new strategy towards Colombia we want to pursue, then
-- and only then -- will there be budgetary implications for any
aid package.
George, since your name has been taken in vain, I think we should
turn to you.
QUESTION: As I understand it, President Pastrana is coming
up here with his team. This offers the opportunity for some heavy
discussions on these issues. Does Secretary Albright or other
senior officials, including the President, have any plans to meet
with him?
MR. RUBIN: I believe the Colombian foreign minister and
Secretary Albright are scheduled to meet tomorrow, so that is
an opportunity for this to be discussed. I don't have any further
meetings to offer you, but it's something that we all are going
to focus heavily on.
...................
[end of document]
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