U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

Briefer: Richard Boucher, Spokesman 

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2000 -- 12:55 P.M.

(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)


Q: Colombia. There's a number of organizations, some NGOs in Colombia,
others such as the ALM and the FARC that are very much opposed to the
visit of President Clinton and especially the aid package that the
United States is participating in. So what would you reply, response,
be to those that are critical?


MR. BOUCHER: I would say that this package is an important part of
opposing the violence, opposing the drug trafficking that has
undermined Colombia and led to the shipment of drugs to the United
States. Certainly there are other pieces to it that need to be done.
But we also think that the certification process that we are going
through, that we certified yesterday, is a contribution to improving
the human rights situation, and to supporting the steps that the
government is trying to make in that regard.


We see a good faith effort going on by the government. We have seen a
number of steps. We expect to see more steps in the near future, and I
think if you look, for example, at some of the materials the White
House has transmitted to Congress, you will see a great deal of detail
on the positive efforts that are being made.


Q: Just as a follow-up briefly, if I could, Richard, what of those who
say that this will exacerbate the war, will be like pouring water on
hot grease?


MR. BOUCHER:  We don't agree with the analogy or with the analysis.



Q: Just to stay on this, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister today, I
think -- or yesterday -- said for the first time that the Venezuelans
had a right to be worried about US military aid to Colombia given the
fact that the Venezuelans don't allow our drug planes to fly over
their air space. Can you sort of comment on -- would you think this
could be a potential problem, given their neutrality?


MR. BOUCHER: It's an issue I haven't looked into for some time, and I
haven't seen the new statement, so I will get something for you on
that. I think we did something a week or two ago -- two weeks ago --
on the subject of drug cooperation with Venezuela, so I will get that
for you.


Q: President Fujimori also said yesterday -- I believe it was -- that
there was a danger that the US aid package, and Plan Colombia
generally, would extend the conflict into neighboring countries,
including possibly his own. Do you have any response to that?


MR. BOUCHER: I think we responded to that a couple of days ago, just
to the general idea. It is important to see what we are doing in
Colombia as part of a regional effort, part of a regional effort
obviously centered on a place that -- I think 90 percent of the
cocaine coming into the United States comes from Colombia at this
point -- but our efforts there are part of a broader regional effort.
Money in the package that was approved by Congress goes also to
neighboring countries, including Peru, and we have provided some
details on that.


So it is not an effort to deal with it in one place merely to force it
somewhere else, but rather as an attempt on our part and on the part
of the countries of the region to deal with this issue more
comprehensively.


Q: Can I go back to the "pouring water on hot grease"? Your ambassador
to the Court of Saint James appears to have thrown a gallon of
gasoline, at least, on top of the smoldering embers of the controversy
that his daughter created in an interview in the Tattler. But are you
at all upset that he actually responded to this? That he wrote a
letter of complaint to the magazine and rekindled this whole thing? Is
it something that you would just prefer to have let die a quiet death?


MR. BOUCHER: I didn't even know, and nobody I had talked to knows
(laughter). It's not something that we have tried to manage, handle,
or have views on.


Q: Well, will you actively discourage the children of other diplomats
from writing provocative things in their host countries?


MR. BOUCHER:  One wouldn't want to censor the children, would we?



Q:  So the answer is no?



MR. BOUCHER: The answer is we don't have any views one way or the
other on this issue.


Q:  Thank you.



MR. BOUCHER:  Thank you.



(The briefing was concluded at 1:35 p.m.)



(end transcript)