> >OTTAWA CITIZEN [Canada], Friday, 22 September 2000 > >Colombia suffers 32,000 casualties a year fighting a war created by the >West's appetite for drugs >By Boris Johnson > >LONDON - "It is like that," says His Excellency Victor Ricardo, the >Colombian ambassador to England. He gestures with an elegantly >flannelled arm at a plant on top of the television in my office. "Only >larger." I gaze at the plant, which looks particularly droopy and >unthreatening, and try to imagine the amazing properties of its Latin >American lookalike. > >The ambassador has done us the honour of dropping in for tea, and we are >of course discussing the coca plant, the key ingredient of a >$350-billion global industry. They pick it, mash it, boil it and then >somehow turn it into a white powder which disappears at a prodigious >rate up the noses of the western world. Burst into the lavatories of one >of those trendy clubs in London, England, I am told, and you will find >any number of New Labour PR types inhaling Colombia's No. 1 export; and >when they found poor Paula Yates earlier this week, the chances are, >alas, that there was a little piece of Colombia somewhere in the room. > >Yes, says the ambassador, a "high percentage" of the cocaine in Britain >probably originated in his country. The Americans say that 90 per cent >of their cocaine consumption-and much of their heroin-comes from >Colombia, and once again they are going ape. In a plan that has been >likened to the Vietnam War, U.S. President Bill Clinton has decided to >stamp out the source of so much misery by eradicating the crop itself. >At a cost of $1.3 billion to the American taxpayer, he is sending 60 >Black Hawk helicopter gunships, 300 troops, and innumerable spies and >Drug Enforcement Agency officials to this proud and independent country. > >Yet more American money-about $900 million-is to be poured into the >fight against the left-wing guerrillas who control the coca production. > >Fifteen more spray planes will be supplied by Uncle Sam to squirt the >countryside with a Monsanto-made defoliant called Glyphosate-a >particularly nasty substance that destroys all vegetation, be it coca, >coffee or bananas. > >Between 1992 and 1998, the Americans funded the destruction of 140,000 >hectares of crops-and guess what? Production of coca has tripled. > >"It is stupid," says Mr. Ricardo, a jovial man of not much more than 40, >who has been ambassador to Argentina, high commissioner for Peace, and >governor of the province of Cundinamarca. > >This seems oddly frank from a man whose government has been quite >content to mainline American money. But then I guess he would not have >come to tea if he was entirely happy with U.S. policy. His first >objection is that the defoliant causes side-effects -- he rubs imaginary >blisters on his arm. Calves are born hairless. Chickens die after eating >sprayed areas. > >"No matter how much you spray, the production doubles in five years. >There are 300,000 campesinos involved, and when they see that their >fields are being sprayed they move into the forest, and they destroy the >forest." > >The big cartels-Cali, Medellin-may be on the wane, but the war is >bloodier than ever: between left-wing guerrillas who protect the >drug-growing peasants, and right-wing paramilitaries who retaliate with >Arkanesque ferocity and who are the proxies and, in a sense, the >hirelings of America. > >"We have the worst of both worlds," says Mr. Ricardo. "We have 32,000 >dead per year in the fight against drugs, and we will keep seeing more >deaths if there is not a new approach. We accept that Colombia has a >problem with the production and trade in illicit drugs, but we demand >that the entire picture is analyzed. There is a demand, and that demand >is not in Colombia. We haven't seen any progress in the debate on >demand." > >Of course, the ambassador would like help-generous help-in steering the >poor of Colombia away from coca production. > >He deplores the $1.2 billion wasted by his own government in fighting >the drug trade when, so he claims, this money could be given over to >helping the campesinos. He speaks of flowers or palm oil or exotic fruit >or even oxygen quotas, as possible cash-generating alternatives to coca. > >But when he talks about the "problem of demand," he can only mean one >thing: that the West is being dishonest and hypocritical in blitzing the >jungle and plantations of Colombia with a latter-day Agent Orange. >Because the problem lies not in this modest shrublet, but in the moral >weaklings of the West who take drugs, and the muddle of western >governments who wage a "war on drugs" rather than on the akrasia of >their own citizens. > >Coca is by far the most lucrative crop produced by Colombia, but the >Colombians can't tax it, and the Colombian state derives no benefit from >its production. We are led irresistibly to the case for legalization. > >"That is not our problem," says Mr. Ricardo. "We have to take a lot of >care because the position we take could be seen as benefiting the people >in the drugs business. "But speaking personally," he says, "what is >banned is clearly more valuable, and without prohibition there wouldn't >be a business. We used to have a lot of marijuana in Colombia, and once >they legalized consumption in 11 states of the U.S., the problem was >gone." > >If the United States, and the West generally, legalized cocaine and >other coca-derived drugs, would that end the war in his country? > >"Politically, no; but it would greatly diminish the violence." > >Of course, we have our drug-related tragedies in the West. But this >man's country is losing 32,000 a year to a drug-related conflict. Who >suffers more? > >He well may be wrong about liberalization: however strong one's love of >individual liberty, there is something comforting about a ban on what is >so obviously destructive. > >And yet one has a strong feeling that this is a case that deserves to be >heard, and that it is up to us western hypocrites to respond. > >Has he taken cocaine himself, I ask. "I've never had any chance, " he >beams. "I've seen more coke outside Colombia than inside." > > Copyright 2000 Southam Inc. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL, Friday, 22 September 2000 >Privatization program founders in Colombia > >BOGOTA -- The cancellation of the privatization of Bogota's fixed-line >telecommunications provider-known as ETB-came only a day after >government officials formally suspended the sale of a major electricity >generator. The markets received the news nervously, adding to pressure >which has seen the currency devalue by nearly 20 percent this year. > >Enrique Penalosa, Bogota's mayor, announced the cancellation of the ETB >sale, saying that the foreign investors interested in the company had >pulled out owing to the actions of guerrilla groups in the past few >days. > >In an official statement Penalosa said that Telefonica de Espana and >Telecom de Italia-the two companies in the bidding process-had >reconsidered their interest after guerrillas kidnapped more than 60 >people near Cali on Sunday. The separate kidnapping of three Italian >engineers last week near Medellin was also cited. > >However, the veracity of Penalosa's claim was widely doubted as the >privatization of ETB had proved highly controversial since the project >was first announced in 1998. > >The controversy was later fueled by a series of accusations regarding >the legality of the sale. Earlier in the week Jaime Bernal ,the Public >Minister responsible for overseeing the activities of state entities, >had said he would proceed with an investigation of all the officials who >had participated in the process, including the mayor. Such an >investigation could have led to the cancellation of the sale even had it >gone ahead. > >Bernal had supported claims from other authorities that the sale price >of $1.4 billion was not enough. Statements originating from Bernal's >ministry also indicated that there were significant legal irregularities >in the proposed sale. > >In response to these allegations, Penalosa later said that in his view >there were no legal conflicts or irregularities in the sale. Penalosa >has always insisted that Colombia needs to adopt a more "positive >attitude" to privatizations if the country is to attract foreign capital >necessary to modernize infrastructure. > >The failure to sell ETB is considered a serious blow to the government's >privatization programme. The news came only 24 hours after the >government was forced to suspend the sale of Isagen, Colombia's second >largest electricity generator. > >This followed a high court's decision which ordered the government to >suspend the sale after EPM, a another Colombian generator , had claimed >the authorities had unjustifiably tried to exclude it from participating >in the bidding process. > >Isagen was originally going to be sold along with ISA-Colombia's most >important power transmission company-back in 1998. But, these >privatizations had to be put off several times owing to a series of >difficulties in structuring the sale. Another major reason for the >continued delay was the wave of attacks launched against the electricity >infrastructure by the country's two principle leftist guerrilla >organizations. Over the past 18 months more than 360 electricity pylons >have been destroyed and hydroelectric stations have been attacked on >several occasions. While these attacks made the sale of ISA especially >unviable the latest legal decision also makes the sale of Isagen look >increasingly unlikely in the near future. > >The inability to privatise these companies will deny the government of >revenues of more than $2 billion. The availability of these funds was >included in the deficit cutting agreements which Colombia signed with >the IMF last year, causing a degree of measured nervousness in the local >financial markets. > >The peso closed Friday at a low of CP 2,226 against the dollar after a >much higher than usual number of transactions. > >Reflecting this, the Bogota exchange fell 0.24% , as investors sold >stock to buy dollars. > >Traders consulted in Bogota said that the markets remain relatively calm >and are awaiting the inflow of funds from the multilateral loans that >will now be used to finance the budget deficit. Traders are also >optimistic that the sale of Carbocol-the state coal marketing >company-will go ahead without difficulty at the end of this month. The >government is expecting to receive at least $ 500 million from >Carbocol's sale. > > Copyright 2000 U.P.I. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >Jane's Defence Weekly, Mon, 18 Sep 2000 >Clinton's Drug War Pledge Raises 'Vietnamisation' Fears > >LATE in August, President Bill Clinton made a one-day visit to >Cartagena in Colombia to pledge political and financial support for >that country's anti-drug effort. The agreed $1.3 billion in military >aid is limited to the drug fight and not directed toward ending the >Colombian government's decades-long battle with rebel groups. Clinton >said: "This is not Vietnam, nor is it Yankee imperialism." > >He was reacting to critics at home and in and around Colombia who fear >the consequences of a growing fight to stop the Colombian drug >traffickers, who supply 90 per cent of the cocaine and most of the >heroin that enters the United States. > >American intelligence estimates say that Colombia produced 520 metric >tons of cocaine last year, three times what the CIA had previously >calculated, and its opium-poppy cultivation jumped 23 per cent in 1999. > >Clinton said the US was helping Colombia with its $7.5 billion >five-year programme to destroy much of its drug crop, root out >traffickers, and rebuild its judiciary and other government operations. >A proportion of the funding is also coming from Europe and >international agencies. > >He said continued support would require the government in the capital >Bogota to break its ties with paramilitary groups and adhere to strict >human rights standards. > >Clinton also urged Colombia's neighbours to stand by it in its struggle >against the drug trade, even if they suffer from an overflow of >refugees, coca growers and guerrillas. Some of those neighbours are >worried about the American attack helicopters, including 18 modern >Blackhawks. > >Guaranteed revenue Colombian president Andres Pastrana is trying to >promote economic recovery, enhance national security, make peace and >strengthen institutions of both the state and civil society in a >country where a 50-year insurgency has grown remarkably in recent days, >amid depression and the mushrooming narco-traffic. The largest and >oldest Marxist insurgency group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of >Colombia (FARC), enjoys guaranteed revenue by protecting and taxing the >narcotics industry. A smaller group, the National Liberation Army >(ELN), funds operations by kidnapping people for ransom. > >FARC is the most powerful guerrilla group in Latin America. It has >17,000 members and is dedicated to the violent overthrow of Pastrana's >government and is now openly defying the US. FARC leaders say they will >continue to use money from illicit drugs to finance their escalating >war. They claim that, given the steady build-up of US military might in >Colombia, it is only a matter of time before they train their gunsights >on US troops. > >Andres Paris, spokesman for the FARC leadership, said: "This >confrontation is inevitable, but we are making efforts to avoid it." > >In August, to coincide with approval in Washington of the aid package >for Colombia, the FARC staged high-profile attacks on towns across the >country. These defy a peace process that has yielded only limited >progress since Pastrana initiated it 19 months ago. > >While in Colombia, Clinton did his best to dispel the notion that the >US is about to slip into the morass of another jungle war such as El >Salvador, or worse, Vietnam. But the fact is that half of Colombia's >territory is now controlled by the Marxist guerrillas in league with >coca growers and drug traffickers. > >Guerilla mode Critics say drugs are so lucrative that they cannot be >easily separated from a tangle of risks that will face any growing >American involvement in Colombia. > >James Jones, who served from 1997 to 1999 as a regional adviser to the >United Nations International Drug Control Programme in Colombia, Peru >and Bolivia, said: "US officials are disingenuous when they say we are >fighting drugs, not insurgents. The distinction is illusory. There is >only one battlefield. The aid will not only ratchet up the violence, it >may well derail the ongoing peace process. > >"The aid package, with its helicopters and improved surveillance, is >more likely to push FARC into its guerrilla mode than to bring it to >the peace table. It could also inspire the rebels to launch an urban >campaign of sabotage and assassination. If so, right-wing militias >would probably retaliate with increased assaults on the civilian rural >population that they think supports the FARC. An already dirty war >could get a whole lot dirtier." > >Ralph Peters, a retired US Army officer, believes the US is setting a >trap for itself. He said: "The Clinton administration's proposed >security aid is a substitute for strategy. Our policy is essentially to >send a cheque and cross our fingers. There is no evidence that the >White House and the Pentagon have engaged in conceptual thinking about >Colombia and the troubled region around it. As with the former >Yugoslavia, US civilian and military leaders are declining to think the >problem through, fearing what serious analysis might reveal." > >He went on: "The lesson of Vietnam is that no amount of US largess or >American might can save a government unable to save itself." > >Human rights Some observers fear that the likeliest outcome in Colombia >is stalemate - complete with corrupt officials, black marketeers, >narco-traffickers and the broad assortment of questionable elements who >profit from disorder. The unwanted result of US aid, it is feared, >could be to strengthen the current system just enough to preserve all >of its worst characteristics. > >Human rights, religious and union groups have sharply criticised the >Colombian military's human rights performance and announced their >disapproval of the aid package, in that it includes nothing to combat >right-wing paramilitary groups. These, they claim, are allied with the >military and are also heavily involved in drugs trafficking and >wide-ranging atrocities against civilians. > >The Colombian president is not popular. Unemployment stands at 20 per >cent and the country is enduring its worst recession in 70 years. >According to a Human Rights Watch report in February, the Colombian >army is still fighting guerrillas and Clinton aides have privately >admitted that it will be impossible to separate the two in future >battles. > >The most important support the guerrillas have, say most analysts, is a >ready source of funds from drug protection money estimated at several >hundred million dollars a year. That is enough to keep them well >equipped, well fed, and unenthusiastic about making peace. > >Critics of the aid package say it is designed in Washington to meet >domestic US concerns and has little relevance to what is happening in >Colombia. > >"There is no way to sustain the distinction between drug traffickers >and guerrillas in southern Colombia," according to Bruce Bagley, a >professor of international studies at the University of Miami. "US >policy will break down on the first day," he said. > >But Colombian officials disagree. They say the plan will ultimately >destroy the guerrillas' capacity to make war. General Fernando Tapias, >commander of the armed forces, said: "It's not a matter of Marxist >philosophy anymore; the guerrillas are now in the fight for the money. >The plan for peace will not work without a decisive fight against >drugs." > >Disastrous consequences Those pushing for a strong US programme assert >that failing to counter insurgencies and curb the drug trade now will >lead to Colombia's collapse, with disastrous consequences for the >stability of its neighbours, the cause of Latin American democracy, and >the control of drugs. > >The White House argues that the Pastrana administration has done more >than its predecessors to seek a peaceful settlement with insurgent >groups, to clean up the armed forces and police, and to strengthen >civilian authority. > >Professor Abraham Lowenthal, of the University of Southern California, >said: "The strongest case for approving the requested Colombian >appropriation rests on the argument that there are some real, if >limited, prospects that the Pastrana government could modestly advance >its approach if it had US assistance. > >"The fact that the US has the resources does not mean it has the right >answers. Washington should make security and economic assistance >available while focusing on how to minimise the risks of more direct US >military involvement," he said. > >The day after Clinton's visits to Cartegena, an unprecedented meeting >of South American presidents took place in Brazil. The leaders >expressed their deep concerns about the possible 'Vietnamisation' of >Colombia's civil war and how it might affect them. > >Neighbours Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela have grown increasingly >vocal in expressing worries that they will become victims of spillover >from the Colombian government's efforts to cripple rebel forces. They >are shoring up their borders against refugees and rebels seeking safe >haven, saying they do not want to become new centres of drug >trafficking and production. > >Already there have been reports of guerrilla incursions into Venezuela, >Panama and Ecuador, as well as sightings of coca and poppy plantations >in Peru operated by Colombians. > >But at the summit their rhetoric softened and they agreed to send >Colombia a message of solidarity. _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism list for anti-imperialist news. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________
