U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
(Santiago, Chile)

For immediate release
August 17, 2000

Press Availability with
Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright
And Foreign Minister Soledad Alvear
Foreign Ministry

Santiago, Chile
August 17, 2000

QUESTION: This is a question for the Foreign Minister.  Will you
be supporting Plan Colombia and if so could you describe what
that support will be?

FOREIGN MINISTER ALVEAR: (in Spanish) We have manifested to
President Pastrana that the peace plan he is proposing is an
initiative that certainly deserves the support of all countries.
We have espoused that same initiative to all the 19 countries
that make up the Rio Group, whose heads of state recently
gathered in Cartagena. We  also participated in a special mission
this past July in Madrid in which the contents of Plan Colombia
were evaluated, and all the countries, especially Chile, yearn
for peace in Colombia.

QUESTION: For the Foreign Minister, following up with your answer
on the Plan Colombia, could you be a little bit more explicit
about to what extent you are willing to support the plan itself
and could you give us an assessment of how likely you think this
approach to the Plan Colombia is likely to be?

FOREIGN MINISTER ALVEAR: (in Spanish) I would like to reiterate
that our country is committed to peace, and that our democratic
President is pushing ahead on a difficult path towards peace. In
pursuit of this goal, he has counted on the collaboration of the
rest of the countries that make up the Rio Group, of which Chile
is a member.

Additionally, we participated in a meeting that was organized in
Spain for the purpose of familiarizing ourselves with the effects
of Plan Colombia, and we are inclined to cooperate within the
scope of that plan.

SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Can I add to this also, because it seems to
be a recurring question as to how the countries that I'm visiting
are supporting Plan Colombia. For your information, Foreign
Minister Lampreia wrote a letter to the New York Times making
clear that the answer that was attributed to him was incorrect
and that Brazil supports Plan Colombia. Yesterday you heard from
the Foreign Minister of Argentina that Argentina supports Plan
Colombia and today you just heard from the Foreign Minister of
Chile, that Chile supports Plan Colombia.

I think the important point here is that the United States is
supporting Plan Colombia to the tune of $1.3 billion.  Other
donors that met in Madrid pledged another $621 million for Plan
Colombia, and it is important to understand Plan Colombia as a
comprehensive plan that works, that is looking for funds for
alternative development, good governance, anti-corruption, human
rights and humanitarian programs and obviously against
narcotrafficking.

But I think what I find most heartening is that the countries
where I have been, by the way, have not asked for funding for
Plan Colombia but have basically talked about the importance of
helping President Pastrana to deal with this very serious
problems.  It will not only be good for the people of Colombia
but for the people of the wider region and that is something that
has met total agreement with those with whom I have been
speaking.

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