Secretary of State

COLOMBIA: US UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE PICKERING VISIT

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• published: 21 Jul 2015
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Spanish/Nat Colombia's president should continue his drive for peace with leftist rebels, even if the guerrillas have shown few signs of good will, a high-ranking U-S envoy has said. Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering said Washington had strong doubts about rebel intentions, but wasn't ready to give up on a peace process many critics have called naive. He was speaking in Bogota on Tuesday following a six and a half hour meeting with Colombian President Andres Pastrana and cabinet officials. Under Secretary of State Thomas Pickering and other senior officials - on a two day visit to Colombia - met President Andres Pastrana on Tuesday Pastrana took office a year ago pledging to battle drug trafficking and negotiate an end to the country's 35-year civil conflict. However, Colombians are requesting U-S visas in record numbers, and the country's illegal drug plantations are reportedly expanding. As peace talks between the government and the rebels have faltered warning flags have gone up at the White House. Observers say Clinton administration officials have begun to sense that the U-S is losing control of developments in the region. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "My impression is that many sources are saying that the United States is ready to intervene in the Colombian internal affairs. This is total nonsense. There is no possibility of intervention. I am here for talks with President Pastrana and with the ministers on the progress that has been made and the future strategies. " SUPERCAPTION: Thomas Pickering, U-S Under Secretary of State SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) "We are here discussing Colombia's future. Cooperating in the region depends on the willingness of Colombia and not on the will of the United States alone. I am sure that President Pastrana will want the help and support of neighbours and others countries in the region." SUPERCAPTION: Thomas Pickering, U-S Under Secretary of State Colombia came into sharper focus for U-S policy makers with last month's crash of a U-S Army spy plane while on a counter-narcotics mission over rebel-dominated territory. The five U-S soldiers killed were the first to die in action in Colombia. Although an accident, many saw the crash as a warning about the growing U-S involvement in Colombia, where distinctions are blurring between fighting narcotics and countering the anti-government rebels. U-S policy in Colombia has also become a hot partisan issue on Capitol Hill. The country will receive nearly 300 (M) million U-S dollars in U-S military assistance this year - making it the third largest foreign recipient. But Republican lawmakers say the Clinton administration has ignored the growing threat of rebels who finance themselves by protecting the cocaine trade. Colombia is seeking 500 (M) million U-S dollars in military aid - principally for helicopters and hi-tech communications gear - to help it regain the upper hand against the 15-thousand strong Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or F-A-R-C. The rebels will only make peace if they are challenged on the battlefield, army leaders say. However, critics worry that Washington will be bankrolling a military which has tolerated - and at times directly supported - right-wing paramilitary groups who've massacre thousands of civilians. In a move widely criticised in Washington, Pastrana cleared all troops from a massive region in the south in November, effectively ceding the area to the F-A-R-C. Meanwhile, peace talks with the Colombian government have stalled and F-A-R-C attacks continue. U-S officials say the group earns between 200 (M) million U-S dollars and 600 (M) million U-S dollars annually by protecting and taxing drug operations in the vast areas it controls. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/b73dab6f9e114e9127e399da98b36481 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork