Following is the text of President Clinton's August 22 memorandum to
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on his decision to waive
restrictions on U.S. aid to Colombia:


(begin text)



THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

(South Brunswick, New Jersey)



August 22, 2000



Presidential Determination

No. 2000-28



MEMORANDUM FROM THE PRESIDENT FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE



SUBJECT: Presidential Determination on Waiver of Certification Under
Section 3201 "Conditions on Assistance for Colombia," in Title III,
Chapter 2 of the Emergency Supplemental Act, FY 2000, as Enacted in
Public Law 106-246


Pursuant to the authority vested in me by section 3201(a)(4) of the FY
2000 Emergency Supplemental Act (the "Act"), I hereby determine that
it is in the national security interest of the United States to
furnish assistance made available under the Act to the Government of
Colombia without regard to the following provisions of section 3201 of
that Act:


(a)(1)(A)(ii) the Commander General of the Colombian Armed Forces is
promptly suspending from duty any Colombian Armed Forces personnel who
are credibly alleged to have committed gross violations of human
rights or to have aided or abetted paramilitary groups;


(a)(1)(A)(iii) the Colombian Armed Forces and its Commander General
are fully complying with section 3201 (a)(1)(A)(i) and (ii) of the
Act;


(a)(1)(B) the Colombian Armed Forces are cooperating fully with
civilian authorities in investigating, prosecuting, and punishing in
the civilian courts Colombian Armed Forces personnel who are credibly
alleged to have committed gross violations of human rights;


(a)(1)(C) the Government of Colombia is vigorously prosecuting in the
civilian courts the leaders and members of paramilitary groups and
Colombian Armed Forces personnel who are aiding or abetting these
groups;


(a)(1)(D) the Government of Colombia has agreed to and is implementing
a strategy to eliminate Colombia's total coca and opium poppy
production by 2005 through a mix of alter-native development programs;
manual eradication; aerial spraying of chemical herbicides; tested,
environmentally safe mycoherbicides; and the destruction of illicit
narcotics laboratories on Colombian territory; and


(a)(1)(E) the Colombian Armed Forces are developing and deploying in
their field units a Judge Advocate General Corps to investigate
Colombian Armed Forces personnel for misconduct.


I have attached a Memorandum of Justification for the decision to
waive the foregoing certifications.


You are hereby authorized and directed to report this waiver to the
appropriate Committees of the Congress and to arrange for its
publication in the Federal Register.


WILLIAM J. CLINTON



(end text)