DATE=9/2/2000
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=LATAM SUMMIT-COLOMBIA
NUMBER=5-46962
BYLINE=BILL RODGERS
DATELINE=BRASILIA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:

            ///EDS: SPANISH ACT IN BUBBLE///

INTRO:  The topic of Colombia's drug and guerrilla war 
dominated the just-concluded South American summit in 
the Brazilian capital - even though the issue was not 
on the formal agenda of the two-day meeting.  As VOA's 
Bill Rodgers reports from Brasilia, the leaders of 12 
South American nations refused to endorse the American 
component of Colombia's anti-drug strategy - known as 
Plan Colombia.

  

TEXT:  The Brasilia summit opened one day after 
President Clinton visited Cartagena, Colombia on 
Wednesday to meet with President Andres Pastrana and 
express Washington's support for Plan Colombia.  As 
envisioned by Mr. Pastrana, the multi-billion dollar 
plan would not only target drug trafficking, but also 
promote economic and social development in Colombia.  
Under this strategy, peasant farmers would be given 
alternatives to growing illicit crops -- and the social 
conditions that gave rise to Colombia's guerrilla 
conflict would be alleviated.  

The United States is contributing one-point-three 
billion dollars to Plan Colombia.  But most of the aid 
is in the form of military assistance to support 
Colombia's military and police offensive against the 
drug traffickers and the guerrilla groups that benefit 
from the drug trade.

It is this American support for the military component 
of Plan Colombia that raised concerns among the leaders 
attending the Brasilia summit.  Venezuelan President 
Hugo Chavez expressed fears the aid will cause the 
Colombian conflict to escalate, and become another 
Vietnam war.   

As for Plan Colombia, Mr. Chavez gave it qualified 
support.
 
            ///CHAVEZ SPANISH ACT///

We support Plan Colombia, he said, as long as it leads 
to peace.

This view was reflected in a document signed Friday by 
the 12 leaders.  The statement limited itself to 
expressing support for President Pastrana's efforts to 
negotiate a peaceful end to the guerrilla conflict - 
but did not mention Plan Colombia by name.

Despite this, President Pastrana welcomed the 
statement, telling reporters he viewed it as a vote of 
confidence for Plan Colombia.  He went on to emphasize 
his commitment to seek peace in Colombia.

            ///PASTRANA SPANISH ACT///

He said: we are committed to a reconciliation process 
through dialogue to reach peace with the rebels - and 
to combat drugs as the common enemy of us all.

//OPT// Suriname's President Ronald Venetiaan, whose 
nation does not border Colombia, agreed with Mr. 
Pastrana on the need to combat drugs.

            ///VENETIAAN ACT///

      It's not a question of having concerns that 
      activities may spill over into Suriname but that 
      Colombian activities in the field of drug 
      trafficking are very much influencing the 
      situation in Suriname where there is a direct 
      line from Paramaribo to Amsterdam.

            ///END ACT - END OPT///

Yet the concern over growing U-S involvement in 
Colombia was evident at the Brasilia summit. Latin 
American expert Mauricio Font of the City University of 
New York, who was in Brasilia this week, says this 
concern should not come as a surprise.
 
            ///FONT ACT///

      You would expect some statements to the effect 
      that the U-S should not be too directly involved 
      in the affairs in the region, and I think 
      Colombia was the one issue that served to signal 
      that position.  I think the statesmen in the 
      region realize that Colombia is a very serious 
      matter and that something has to be done.  There 
      is worry about a direct U-S role and I think 
      that's healthy and I think there should be debate 
      and I think the main statement perhaps emerging 
      out of that position that whatever happens from 
      this point on ought to be multilateral, in terms 
      of the region, and I think that's very healthy in 
      terms of the U-S and Latin America.


            ///END ACT///

But a multilateral approach to Colombia involving its 
neighbors is still far off.  The message the 12 South 
American leaders sent in Brasilia was that they 
continue to have deep reservations about President 
Clinton's plan to help Colombia.  In effect, the 
leaders rebuffed the notion that Colombia's problems 
will be resolved by increasing military aid to that 
troubled nation.  (Signed) neb/wfr   



NEB/PT






02-Sep-2000 15:31 PM EDT (02-Sep-2000 1931 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.