DATE=7/30/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=MCCAFFREY - LATAM DRUGS (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-252349
BYLINE=MICHAEL BOWMAN
DATELINE=MIAMI
CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO:  President Clinton's top anti-narcotics 
official, Barry McCaffrey, has again ruled out direct 
U-S military intervention in Latin America to fight 
the drug war.  He has just concluded a five-day trip 
that took him to Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela - as 
well as the Caribbean islands of Curacao and Aruba. V-
O-A's Michael Bowman reports from Miami.

TEXT:  With Colombia's peace process faltering, 
newspapers in Bogota are speculate that U-S troops 
will be sent to take over the country's anti-narcotics 
effort - and to combat the leftist rebels who are 
widely believed to profit from the drug trade.  But 
White House Drug Policy Director McCaffrey says 
nothing could be further from the truth.

            /// FIRST MCCAFFREY ACT  ///

      There is zero possibility of a U-S intervention 
      in Colombia.  Period.  This is a Colombian 
      issue.  It must be their strategy, their 
      leadership.  Now, hopefully, what we can do - as 
      one of the regional partners - is provide 
      resources, training, equipment, intelligence and 
      political goodwill.

            ///  END ACT  ///

Mr. McCaffrey says he has grave concerns about 
Colombia - particularly what he describes as a huge 
increase in the production of coca leaf (for cocaine) 
and poppies (for heroin) in the country's remote 
southern regions.  Colombia is already the third 
largest recipient of U-S foreign aid, but Mr. 
McCaffrey says even more American resources are 
needed.  The U-S drug official says he plans to lobby 
vigorously for a substantial boost in U-S counter-
narcotics assistance when he returns to Washington.

            /// SECOND MCCAFFREY ACT  ///

      I have put together a package of ideas and 
      shared them with the 14 (U-S) cabinet officers 
      who have some responsibility relating to the 
      drug issue.  And I will argue that we (the 
      United States) are not doing enough, that there 
      are severe emergency conditions in the region 
      (Latin America), and that we need to respond 
      with a balanced program.

            ///  END ACT  ///

Mr. McCaffrey described his consultations with South 
American and Caribbean officials as extremely 
positive.  He says there is growing recognition in the 
region that the narcotics trade threatens all nations, 
and that international cooperation is the key to 
effectively fighting the drug war.

            /// REST OPTIONAL ///

            /// THIRD MCCAFFREY ACT  ///

      I am enormously encouraged by what I saw as a 
      strong commitment throughout the region to see 
      this enormous problem of corruption and violence 
      that comes from the money of coca and opium 
      production confronted on a regional basis.  
      Every one of the heads of government I talked to 
      saw the problem as one that would only succumb 
      to a coordinated response.

            ///  END ACT  ///

Mr. McCaffrey's trip followed last week's crash of a 
U-S anti-drug plane in southern Colombia that killed 
all seven people on board - five of them U-S soldiers.  
Mr. McCaffrey declined to comment on the accident, 
except to say that the bodies of the American 
servicemen will be returned to the United States when 
all have been recovered and identified.  (signed)

NEB/MCB/gm





30-Jul-1999 15:49 PM LOC (30-Jul-1999 1949 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.