Clinton approves Colombia aid on drugs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- President Bill Clinton on Tuesday paved the way for the release of a record $1.3 billion in aid to help Colombia fight drug trafficking, certifying that the Latin American country has met certain human rights requirements and waiving others it has not met.

White House spokesman Jake Siewert said the president signed the waiver on Tuesday afternoon, giving his stamp of approval to the massive aid package.

MESSAGE BOARD Colombia

The human rights reforms, including rules on military trials, were stipulated by Congress when it approved the aid package that is designed to combat drug trafficking and could choke off the chief source of financing for powerful rebels.

The administration could not have released any of the money, which is much higher than previous aid packages, unless it certified that Colombia had met the conditions or Clinton waived the requirement on the basis that it was in the United States' national security interests.

It was not immediately clear which human rights conditions the war-torn nation failed to meet.

The president's decision to sign the waiver came on the heels of a recommendation by the State Department, a senior administration official told Reuters.

Pointing out that the requirements were part of new legislation, he said, "You would not expect Colombia will be able to meet all the criteria. While some of them will have been met, others will have to be waived."

Military abuses

The reforms would see civilian rather than military courts handle human rights abuses by soldiers. Human rights groups say that military courts often fail to prosecute human rights abuses and too often acquit those who do stand trial.

The reforms would also give the army commander the power to suspend soldiers suspected of abuses and the army would have an independent corps to manage prosecutions.

The U.S. and Colombian governments are in a hurry to activate the aid package, which will be used to combat the production and trafficking of cocaine and opium in Colombia.

The war on drugs is inextricably linked with the Colombian government's war with Marxist rebels who protect and profit from the drug trade in the areas they control.

The sense of urgency about the package is increasing as the U.S. fiscal year draws to a close. Unless money is approved by Sept. 1, it might be necessary to repeat some procedures in the next fiscal year, which starts on Oct. 1.

Another incentive is Clinton's plan to visit Colombia on Aug. 30 to discuss Pastrana's "Plan Colombia," which the U.S. aid package will help finance. The plan is aimed at forcing Marxist guerrillas to end their three decades of struggle by eroding their main source of income: the lucrative drug trade.

But lobby group Human Rights Watch said that Colombia has failed to meet any of the conditions laid down by Congress and had urged Clinton not to waive the requirements.

"Not a single one of the five human rights provisions contained in the legislation has been satisfied," said Jose Miguel Vivanco of Human Rights Watch.

"A waiver that ignores Colombia's dismal human rights situation would send a clear message to the Colombian government and its security forces that the U.S. commitment to human rights does not go beyond rhetoric," he added.

Under existing law, some military abuses can be tried in civilian courts but in practice the military has tried to keep cases in military courts.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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