PARAMILITARIES FEEL THE HEAT

LONG accused of having turned a blind eye to violence unleashed by
paramilitary groups, the Colombian armed forces this week announced
the capture of 57 members of a rightwing death squad.

The arrests came on the same day Washington named the group, United
Self-Defence Forces of Colombia, on the US government's terrorism
list. Although it is not clear whether the timing of the operation
was linked to the US move, it does carry considerable implications
for the President Andres Pastrana's peace process.

The arrests represent the first major government action in response
to the recent massacre of 42 peasants whom the AUC said it killed for
'collaborating' with leftist guerrillas. Military officials have
always denied they have any organised links with paramilitary groups.

However, the fact that these right-wing organisations and the
Colombian government are battling common foes - the leftist
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the National Liberation
Army - has given strength to reports of collusion. At the core of
Pastrana's peace package is Plan Colombia, which the United States is
supporting through a $1.3 billion aid programme aimed at fighting
drug traffickers. The European Union, which is discussing how much it
should contribute to plan, has been demanding action against the
paramilitaries.

The crackdown on the AUC also comes at a precarious stage in the
Pastrana government's discussions with Farc, which had broken off
talks with Bogota in November last year complaining of inadequate
government action on curbing violence led by right-wing paramilitary
groups. In the midst of continuing opposition from within his own
government, Pastrana agreed to extend Farc's control over a vast safe
haven in the south of country until October 9 and revived hopes for
peace. For his part, Pastrana has been calling on the Farc rebels,
who maintain they only levy taxes on drugs production, to prove they
are not drug dealers as a prerequisite for advancing the peace
process. The arrest last week of a notorious Brazilian drug baron,
along with two bodyguards provided by Farc, has raised new questions
about the rebels' alleged involvement in the drugs trade.

If the Colombian government panel probing the allegations established
that the rebels were processing and exporting drugs, that would more
than undermine Pastrana's latest peace initiative. It would clear the
way for the further destabilisation of a country that has been
plagued for decades by the destructive power of drug traffickers and
deadly violence originating from both ends of the political spectrum.