TASK FORCE SUGGESTS AN EXPANDED US ROLE IN STABILIZING COLOMBIA

WASHINGTON -- An independent task force called Thursday for an expanded U.S.
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 task force's report, "Toward Greater Peace and Security in Colombia,"
urges the U.S. government to go beyond the $1.3 billion aid package signed
by President Clinton in June. The package focuses on supplying military
equipment to combat the flow of illegal drugs from the largest cocaine
processor in the world.

According to the report, each year about 25,000 Colombians die because of
violence. The homicide rate, among the highest in the world, is at least
partly due to conflicts between rebel anti-government groups and the
right-wing paramilitary groups that emerged to combat them when Colombia's
military was too weak to do so.

In addition, Colombia suffered a severe economic recession in 1999, with
unemployment reaching a record 20 percent, making the lure of growing and
transporting cocaine on their land too much to resist for many farmers.

"We need to stop the decline before the state disintegrates," said
Scowcroft, who served under former President Bush.

The recommendations from the Council on Foreign Relations and Inter-American
Dialogue 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 giving Colombian products greater access to U.S. markets.

The report urges that U.S. military assistance place a greater emphasis on
training Colombia's armed forces than providing it with weapons. It also
calls on Colombia to establish human rights standards for the military.

The report is available online at www.cfr.org/public/cpub.html.