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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) NNNN Source: Voice of America .