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)
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Source: Voice of America
.