CULTURE MINISTER'S KILLING ADDS TO COLOMBIAN LEADER'S PROBLEMS

With Colombians outraged over the rebel killing of a beloved musical
figure, President Andres Pastrana is facing what may be his most difficult
decision since he embarked on a peace effort, whether to continue
negotiations with a guerrilla group reviled by most Colombians.

Mr. Pastrana has given himself until Tuesday to decide whether to let the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia remain in control of a swath of land
that his government ceded as an inducement to begin talks three years ago.
Although he has extended the rebels' hold on the land before, his
government is facing mounting opposition since the killing last weekend of
Consuelo Araujo, 62, an energetic promoter of Colombian music and a former
culture minister whom the rebels had kidnapped.

A poll published on Tuesday in El Tiempo, the largest newspaper in the
country, said 61 percent of respondents agreed that the peace effort should
end in light of the killing. Just 23 percent said they believed that the
talks should continue. The execution-style killing touched an emotional
chord among Colombians, who have grown accustomed to brutal acts after
decades of civil conflict.

An emotional candlelight vigil in Ms. Araujo's hometown, Valledupar, drew
thousands of people who mourned the death of a woman who was a close friend
of Gabriel Garcia- Marquez, the Nobel Prize-winning writer, and the wife of
the inspector general of Colombia. In Bogota, Congress suspended regular
sessions.

"There is no respect for life, for the law, for free movement," said Lina
Beltran, 37, a teacher in the capital who said talks should be called off.
"Pastrana is a weak president, and the only thing he looks for is to
maintain a demilitarized zone, so he can say, `I tried.' "

Experts and politicians are calling for the antiterrorism effort being
waged by Washington to include the rebel force, known as FARC, as a target.
Although many experts said they did not believe that the Bush
administration would move directly against the rebels, military officials,
conservative members of Congress and many people from the upper classes are
apparently hoping that Washington, already bankrolling a $1.1 billion
antidrug program in Colombia, will become even more heavily involved.

"I think many of the people in the Colombian society who are tired of the
peace process see an advantage in America's war on terrorism," said Michael
Gold-Biss, a Colombia expert at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.

After the terrorist attacks on the United States, the army placed an ad in
El Tiempo that showed towns leveled in rebel offensives and issued a report
about the high number of foreigners kidnapped by the rebels. Army
officials, who usually refer to the rebel force as "narcoguerrillas" or
bandits, have made sure to refer to the rebels as terrorists.

For Mr. Pastrana, the situation is dire. A poll released on Monday showed
that 87 percent of Colombians believed that he had failed to accomplish
what he had promised. Some Colombians said they were displeased with Mr.
Pastrana's response since Ms. Araujo's death. In brief remarks after her
body was found, he denounced the killing and said he would evaluate the
peace talks.

"How can it occur to him to only say that he will evaluate the process?"
Jaime Barretto, 34, a lawyer in Bogota, asked. "Does he think that will do
some sort of harm to the FARC? The country is tired because the guerrillas
and the paramilitaries do what they want, and no one says anything."