THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release August 4, 2000
BACKGROUND PRESS BRIEFING
BY SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS
The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
Washington. D.C.
2:44 P.M. EDT
MR. CROWLEY: Good afternoon to the assembled journalists here in
the briefing room, and good afternoon to our colleagues up in Martha's
Vineyard. I understand it's raining up in the Vineyard; it's now
raining here, so all things considered, I think those of us here in
Washington would probably prefer to be up in the Vineyard. We didn't
exactly do this right.
We'll, at the end of the briefing, have a statement by the
President for you and factsheet announcing a trip by the President, a
one-day trip, to Colombia, on August 30th. And the statement also
indicates that the President has signed a presidential decision
directive to implement our support for President Pastrana and his Plan
Colombia.
We have two senior administration officials here to give you some
perspective on the trip and the PDD, and I will call them up here. What
we're going to do, just for mechanical purposes is they'll have brief
opening statements to give you some background and then we'll start
questions. We'll just simply alternate a journalist here in Washington,
and a journalist up in Martha's Vineyard, and we'll go as long as
there's interest.
So, with that, I'll introduce -- and for those of you also here who
need something afterwards in Espanol, our distinguished senior
administration official number one does speak that language. Our
distinguished senior administration official number two speaks French --
so if you want something in a different language, we'll take care of you
as well.
So with that we'll introduce senior administration official number
one.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks very much, PJ. The
President announced today that he will be traveling to Colombia on
August 30th, to meet with President Pastrana. In his statement he said
that he wants to underscore personally to Pastrana and to the Colombian
people the commitment on the part of the United States to help Colombia
in its efforts to seek the peace, to fight illicit drugs, to build the
economy, and to deepen democracy.
In his statement he also says that Colombia's success is profoundly
in the interest of the United States. A peaceful, democratic and
economically prosperous Colombia will help to promote democracy and
stability throughout the region.
He will travel -- it's a one-day trip; he will travel to Colombia,
meet with the President, meet with some of the top officials, and we're
working with the Colombian government right now to try to arrange the
particulars of the visit, which haven't been fully worked out as yet.
At the same time, the statement that was released today -- the
President notes that he has signed the presidential decision directive
ordering, as a matter of national priority, the intensified effort to
aid the Colombian government in implementing Plan Colombia. This
complements the package of assistance, the $1.3 billion package of
assistance that was requested by the administration from Congress and
approved in a bipartisan show of support for this initiative. And in
that spirit, the President also announces that he will be accompanied by
a bipartisan group of legislators, including Speaker Dennis Hastert and
Senator Joe Biden, both of who have been very deeply involved in this
effort.
As you know, Colombia faces very difficult interrelated problems on
insurgency, a narcotic-drug threat, problems of economic challenge -- a
severe downturn, 20 percent level of unemployment -- and at the same
time, weak state capacity in many areas of the country. This plan of
support is an integrated plan of support that addresses all of these
different dimensions.
I think it's important to stress that while it is in the
fundamental interest of the United States, as the President noted here,
to help Colombia address the drug problem, 90 percent of the cocaine
coming into the United States comes from Colombia, and this is a
fundamental interest. This package is also one that addresses a broader
interrelated series of problems -- building state capacity, helping the
Colombians develop alternative development programs, and supporting the
peace.
A fundamental cornerstone of this package is the assumption that
the peace effort in Colombia is ultimately the solution to Colombia's
fundamental problems. And indeed, there is substantial increases in
support in these areas, as well as in the counter-drug area, for
Colombia.
I think that's all I want to say right now, and we'll just open it
up for questions.
Q When was the last time a U.S. President visited?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: The last time a U.S. President
visited Colombia was President Bush.
Q Do you know when?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I'm not sure exactly when, what
date.
Q What about this common criticism now that the U.S. aid cannot
be successfully targeted between the insurgency and the drug -- and it
seems like events on the ground in recent weeks have underscored that.
How do we keep the United States from being dragged into the insurgency?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, I think that we've made it
very clear from the outset and in our program with the Colombians that
this is a counter-drug effort. The battalions that are being stood up
are counter-drug battalions. The effort is aimed primarily at southern
Colombia where you have the cultivation of most of the coca fields. And
in many cases, these are agri-business type coca cultivation fields, so
the idea is that you're going to have springing of these fields, you're
going to have counter-narcotics battalions of the army going in and
helping to secure these fields, and you're going to have police going in
to dismantle laboratories and to eradicate the coca production.
This is not an effort to get involved in Colombia's insurgency.
Now, it is true that in some areas in southern Colombia some of the
insurgents, some elements of the FARC, are involved in some ways in the
drug business. And in that sense, there could very well be some clashes
with guerrillas if they're indeed involved in the drug business. But
the purpose of this particular support package is very, very clear -- it
is not one that's aimed at the insurgents, per se; it's one aimed at
fighting drugs.
I don't know if you want to add anything to that.
MR. CROWLEY: Our first question from the Vineyard. Understand
that the President will be going to Cartegena. If that is true, how do
you explain the fact that Cartegena, itself, is an oasis from the drug
and crime problems that most Colombians are experiencing?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I'm not sure that we have come to
a final conclusion yet as to exactly where in Cartegena the President --
I mean, in Colombia -- the President is going. Whether it's Cartegena
or Bogata, that's still under discussion, and a lot really depends on
some of the logistics of travel.
Q Could you be a little bit more explicit about the PDD? Is it
calling for more resources or is it simply directing that the resources
that have already been appropriated be used?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I think the best way to understand
the rationale for and the fundamental thrust of the President's decision
directive is to recognize that it is a logical next step following the
recent approval by the Congress of a $1.3 billion increase in the amount
of assistance going to support a Plan Colombia and related regional
objectives. I think that the quick summary I would offer you of the
content of the decision directive would be as follows:
As Senior Administration Official Number One has indicated, it is
the President directing as a matter of national priority an intensified
effort to support implementation of Plan Colombia. Secondarily, it is a
vehicle that the President is utilizing to establish the coordinating
network and framework for what will be undertaken across government by
numerous government agencies in the overall U.S. effort to support Plan
Colombia implementation.
Clearly I think everyone would recognize that where you have four
or five major federal departments and numerous agencies involved, that
there is a special necessary to ensure adequate coordination. And
finally, the directive also specifies a number of specific roles and
responsibilities for the many federal agencies involved.
Q If I could follow up, I've never heard this term, national
priority program. Could you explain the significance of that to you
all?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: In this particular instance, the
use of that phrase in the President decision directive is simply
intended to have the normal meaning associated with what you would
expect upon reading the document. It is the President saying to his
administration that he wishes to make unequivocally clear that this is a
matter of national priority.
Q Was it not a matter of national priority before?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I certainly think it has been a
priority for us for a long time in terms of addressing the Colombian
program, but this is an opportunity to reenforce that. And it is also
an appropriate signal to send following the recent approval by the
Congress of the administration's request for additional assistance.
Q If I could be clear on that, that means there's no new money
going under this signing today?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I think that's the best way to
understand the decision directive, that it is, in fact, the
organizational framework. It essentially is one part and a very
important visible part of the administration's taking that additional
funding and making sure that we have an adequate arrangement throughout
the administration to ensure that those funds are well and effectively
spent.
Q Can you tell us in terms of manpower, what will be the
assistance given by the U.S. to Colombia? Do you have any idea?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: At this juncture I wouldn't want
to go very far in terms of specifics, other than to offer some very
general comments. First, as I think most or all of you are aware, the
recent appropriations that have provided the additional assistance for
Colombia are subject to a number of requirements and limitations. Those
requirements and limitations, of course, as a matter of law, must be
adhered to by the administration.
We already have, as I think you're aware, a very significant U.S.
presence in Colombia in order to implement the ongoing assistance
programs that we have had there for a while. I think that everyone who
is associated with the planning for implementation of the increases is
well aware of the fact that we will need an increase in the number of
U.S. government personnel there. I would not describe that increase,
and no one is thinking of that increase, in terms of an order of
magnitude. But there will be increases. That planning is underway, and
I think that's a matter where we'll simply have to see that play itself
out.
Q How many U.S. trainers, for instance, are there now?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: On any one particular day, I,
frankly, would not be able to give you the number without checking.
What I can tell you is that there have been instances where I have
checked recently because of the discussion in Congress associated with
the proposed ceilings that were discussed as the appropriations were
being developed, and the number that I got in terms of military
personnel was approximately 280 military personnel in country. And a
good number of those personnel were associated with the ongoing effort
at that point in time to train the first Colombian army counter-drug
battalion.
In the pattern recently -- and this will continue into the future
-- has been that the number of military personnel there will vary,
depending on what we're doing in country at that particular point in
time. And usually, a spike in the number of personnel will be because
we have a major training evolution ongoing at the particular time.
Q Would you remind us what the ceiling is on personnel?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I'm informed by my colleagues -- I
wouldn't have remembered that -- but the current ceiling is 500 for U.S.
military personnel.
Q And is there any limit on civilian personnel?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: There is a limit. I think that is
still the subject of some ongoing discussion in terms of how it applies
to civilian contractors and others. I would have to get back to you
after the briefing with an answer on that, unless one of my colleagues
has the answer now.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I don't have the answer of the
actual number now. But let me remind you that one of the things that is
really significant about this package is that the proportional increases
in support for other aspects of the package, besides this strictly drug
interdiction and the drug combatting side of the thing -- that is
alternative development, promotion of governmental institutions, support
for the peace, and so on -- that portion of the package has increased in
a significant percentage.
For example, I'm aware of the fact that over the last period the
AID mission in Colombia has been very small. With the increase in
alternative development support, for example, which is a significant
amount of funding -- I think it goes up to $120 million, if I'm not
mistaken -- you're going to see a significant increase in some of the
support -- some of the personnel dealing with those aspects of the
support package.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: But there's a tenfold increase in
the support for those elements of the package over what we've been
funding in Colombia in the past.
Q Do you think that the limited time of the trip will be enough
for President Clinton to press for --
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yes, I think so. I think that the
visit of the President of the United States is a very significant event
for Colombia and it will be something that will rivet the attention of
Colombians. And there are several events that will be planned during
the period that the President will be there that will drive home the
importance of the different dimensions of this support package.
Because, let me reiterate once again, the counter-drug portion is
absolutely critical, but it's not the only part of the package, that it
involves, in fact, support for many other elements of the multifaceted
challenges that Colombia faces.
Q Apart from the visit with President Pastrana, does he intend
to address the parliament or the Colombian people, or can you tell us a
little bit about the visit?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Since we're announcing this today,
and we're beginning to discuss with the Colombian government authorities
the appropriate venue for such activities, this hasn't been worked out
as yet. But we are looking for opportunities for engagement on the part
of the President.
Q Do you know if Chelsea will join, as she's done on the last
few foreign trips?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I don't know.
Q Could you talk a little bit about security on this trip?
Colombia is widely regarded as the most dangerous post for Americans --
listed by the State Department as one of them.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I think I'm going to just say that
certainly that will be of the highest priority.
MR. CROWLEY: There are no more questions from Martha's Vineyard.
Unless there are any more questions from here, we'll conclude.
THE PRESS: Thank you.
END 3:04 P.M. EDT