22 November 2004
Military Leaders Focused on Drug-Terrorism Link in Americas
Terrorism-drugs-organized crime nexus crucial issue at Quito meeting
By Eric Green
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- The connection between terrorism and drug trafficking in the Americas was one of the crucial issues discussed at a November 17-19 meeting in Quito, Ecuador, of Western Hemisphere defense ministers, reports the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).
The DOD said November 19 said that the connection among terrorism, drugs, and organized crime has become a source of mutual concern for leaders of the hemisphere.
The problem affects a broad spectrum of the Americas, the DOD said, involving countries that are the source of illicit drugs, countries through which these drugs transit, and the nations that consume the drugs -- with the profits derived from selling drugs fueling the activities of terrorists.
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said at the Quito meeting that drug traffickers, terrorists, hostage-takers, and criminal gangs "form an anti-social combination" aimed at destabilizing civil societies. He called on the nations of the Western Hemisphere to work together to fight this scourge, the DOD said.
Rumsfeld praised hemispheric efforts under way to stem drug trafficking, and he encouraged more cooperation among the nations of the region.
The U.S. defense secretary said, during his meeting with Nicaraguan President Enrique Bolanos November 13 in Managua, that the Central American nation had done a "commendable job" of combating narco-terrorism, especially along the country's Atlantic coast. In 2004 alone, Rumsfeld said, the Nicaraguan military has confiscated more than 6,000 kilograms of cocaine.
"We applaud and encourage these efforts," Rumsfeld said.
While in Quito, Rumsfeld praised the assistance that Ecuador has given Colombia to help the Colombians fight drug trafficking and other activities that destabilize civil societies. Thanks to this cooperation, Rumsfeld said, Colombia is having "measurable" success in its campaign against drugs and terrorism.
The DOD quoted Jorge Alberto Uribe, Colombia's minister of defense, as saying that his country is winning its battle against drug trafficking, organized crime, and trafficking within its borders, and "will not rest" until ensuring its citizens' safety. He expressed appreciation for support that the United States and other countries have provided Colombia in its battle against terrorist groups.
The DOD also reported that President Bush met November 22 with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, where the U.S. president praised the Colombian leader for progress in fighting narco-terrorists. During the meeting, Bush reaffirmed U.S. support for Colombia's fight against drug trafficking.
Bush said drug trafficking "destroys lives in our countries and threatens the stability of our hemisphere."
The visit to Colombia was the last leg of Bush's three-day trip to Latin America to meet with Pacific Rim leaders at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Santiago, Chile.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2004&m=November&x=20041122175337AEneerG1.110476e-02&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html
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