United Press International
Friday, 25 February 2000
By Lee Michael Katz
WASHINGTON-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Thursday defended a massive U.S. aid plan to Colombia after the Bogota government was criticized by a human rights group for its army's links to right-wing paramilitary forces.
The $1.6 billion U.S. aid plan is designed to stem the cocaine and heroin from Colombia that flows into the United States. A major part of the plan is U.S. training for special Colombian anti-narcotics troops.
A Human Rights Watch report released Wednesday said "evidence strongly suggests" that Colombian army officials had strong ties to paramilitary groups accused of human rights abuses and linked to drug traffickers.
"Colombia's military high command has yet to take the necessary steps to sever ties" with paramilitary groups, Human Rights Watch reported.
Colombia's government contested the report, saying that it is moving to break the ties. Albright commented that Colombian President Andre Pastrana "is taking strong action" to sever the army relationship with paramilitary groups.
Albright said the revelation should not affect the vote on the U.S. aid plan in Congress.
"We have actually taken very specific steps" to make sure that no members of the Colombian army whose human rights record is questionable is involved in the U.S. program, Albright said. The Colombian military units involved "have been vetted, case by case, so as to be very clear about the fact that each individual is clear of any human rights abuses."
Still, she acknowledged, "we'll probably have to discuss this" with concerned members of Congress.
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