GROUP URGES BIGGER US ROLE IN COLOMBIA

WASHINGTON - An independent task force Thursday called for an expanded
United States role to help Colombia restore civil authority.

The task force, led by Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., and former National Security
Adviser Brent Scowcroft, said that focusing on the Colombian drug problem is
not enough.

"The challenge now is to build on our current policy and try to devise a
strategy that better responds to Colombia's condition of lawlessness,"
Graham said.

The report, "Toward Greater Peace and Security in Colombia," urges the U.S.
government to go beyond the $1.3-billon aid package signed by President
Clinton in June. The package focuses on supplying military equipment to
combat the flow of drugs from the world's largest cocaine processor.

Colombia suffers from widespread crime, corruption and violence, according
to the task force report which was sponsored by the Council on Foreign
Relations and Inter-American Dialogue.

According to the report, each year 25,000 Colombians die in violence partly
due to conflicts between rebel anti-government groups and right-wing
paramilitary groups that emerged to combat them when the Colombia's military
was too weak to do so.

The policy recommendations include directing U.S. aid toward a political
solution to Colombia's internal conflicts, increasing efforts to curb drug
demand in the United States and providing trade advantages to give Colombian
products greater access to U.S. markets.